Container homes are a very popular trend in design and architecture today. Using a storage container as a living area might seem like a wild idea, but you might be surprised at just how practical it can be. Modern shipping container homes are so sophisticated that they even rival the traditional home. You can have…
Tag Archives: sustainable design
08
Apr
Apr
Infusing green building knowledge into our lives starts with a yearning to create a positive, lasting change in the way we interact with the planet. That inspiration can lead us to seek out information and guidance from others to join a movement to a more sustainable lifestyle. We know that, although we may not be…
18
Mar
Mar
Green district certifications have ramped up slowly over the decade since the US Green Building Council unveiled LEED-Neighborhood Development. Now communities, health advocates, and market forces are driving new developments in sustainable construction. An explosion in certified green buildings has led sustainable-infrastructure advocates to push for more neighborhoods, campuses, business districts, and cities to track…
04
Dec
Dec
Japan has a long history of sustainable home design that brings in natural elements. Learn about the history and culture of green building in Japan.
14
Nov
Nov
Constructing landmark buildings that are forward-thinking while still retaining classical architectural elements is not new for Mizrahi Developments. The firm was founded in 2008 by Sam Mizrahi to realize an ambition of introducing quality, craftsmanship and a classical sense of permanence to luxury homes, qualities that Mizrahi thought were lacking in Toronto real estate development.
28
Jul
Jul
Green building materials are as diverse as Earth itself. Some of the most sustainable materials on the planet are modern inventions, and some are as old as the hills, like adobe. Familiarizing yourself with the best green building materials will help ensure your environmentally friendly projects enjoy sustainable success. Over the next several weeks, watch…
05
Jul
Jul
A newly discovered pig manure bioadhesive has been developed by civil engineer Ellie Fini and a team at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. Turns out the oils in swine manure are similar to petroleum, but are too low-grade for gasoline and perfect for asphalt. First, just to be clear, the asphalt created with this…
21
Jun
Jun
Mark Waghorn is a Welsh architect who has designed two homes that conform to the Wales One Planet Development guidelines for sustainable homes.
18
Jun
Jun
HUmanihut is an Australian start-up company that makes refugee shelters that are highly portable and durable. They contain sanitary facilities as well as living and sleeping quarters.
13
Jun
Jun
At the headquarters of the Seattle-based Bullitt Foundation, author Mary Adam Thomas documents the building of the Bullitt Center, a structure she regards as the world’s greenest building in her recently released book, “The Greenest Building: How The Bullitt Center Changes The Urban Landscape.” The Bullitt Center stands as an eye-catching model of environmental design. Using…
31
May
May
We have enjoyed following the vision and ensuing work leading to the development of US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, now scheduled to open this August. Here is the most important item to keep in mind about this project: we’re not just looking at a new Minnesota Vikings football stadium replacing the old Hubert Humphrey Metrodome. Here…
18
Apr
Apr
Masdar City, near Abu Dhabi, has set its sights on being the most sustainable city on the planet, and it is well on the way to meeting that goal. Development started in 2008 and is expected to continue for at least the next five years, with 40,000 people expected to live within its boundaries, and…
28
Mar
Mar
When I joined a group of journalists to visit US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, not only was I impressed with what I saw, I had the pleasure of interviewing Brian Wolfe, HKS sustainable design manager and a key member of the architectural team for the stadium. Our interview began with my question on the destruction of the former Hubert…
01
Feb
Feb
A study recently published in the Journal of the American Planning Association (JAPA) by Nicola Szibbo, PhD, a planner with the City and County of Honolulu, found that only 40 percent of LEED-ND certified projects included affordable housing. With very little incentive in the credit structure, many developers choose not to include affordable housing, and there…
22
Dec
Dec
Swiss architecture firm Bureau A recreated the iconic Stonehenge with shipping containers for the first edition of the biennale for independent art spaces in Geneva, BIG. Using 50 containers, the firm was commissioned to create an open air venue that would function as a space for attendees to congregate. “We like to work with references, displacement…
01
Oct
Oct
The Friends School of Portland in Maine is the first Passive House modular school building in the state, and only the third in the country.  The neighboring OceanView Retirement Community is donating solar panels for the school to use, making the facility net zero energy (NZE). “One of our core values is stewardship and we…
13
Jul
Jul
What is passive solar design? Â It goes by many names, though all are similar: passive design, passive solar, passive heating, Passivhaus, and passive house. Â Buildings using this strategy rely on the heat of the sun to moderate the temperature indoors without the need for artificial heating and cooling. Â How do they do it? Thermal…
07
Jun
Jun
Climate change means architects must stop designing ideal buildings and start designing structures that conserve precious natural resources.