Orchid House, an eco-house in a Cotswold nature reserve, will take three years to build

If you had $15 million to spend on a home, would you choose to drop that cash on this concept home set to be built in a Cotswold nature reserve? Apparently that is just what an anonymous buyer did recently, making the "Orchid House" the UK's most expensive country home—and it won't be completed for three years. For that money the buyer (rumored to be in the entertainment industry) will get a home shaped like a bee orchid that should produce more energy that it consumes thanks to an underground pump and geothermal heating. Great, so the house will pay for itself in about a 1,000 years.

The house is designed by Sarah Featherstone, whose practice in east London is designing part of the Olympic athletes’village.

Possibly to subsidize the £3,000 per square foot cost of the property, the building aims to generate more energy than it consumes, making use of geothermal heating. The house can be adapted to any occasion, be it a family holiday or a large reception, due to its flexible living spaces. Inhabitants and visitors to the property can be entertained by the glass-sided badger set installed in the garden.

The inspiration for the form comes from the flora and fauna on the estate, with living and dining areas appearing to fan out from the building’s core. The form is created using laminated veneer lumber – not great for the planet, as it consists of layers of wood held together with adhesives – but it does stay beautiful longer than conventional timber. This lumber is then clad with timber shingles with a camouflage pattern burnt into them. The main living spaces join the home’s pontoon to float over the lake.