In the heart of Seattle, the design professionals at Mithun see a farm rising vertically into the sky.  Although it may never be built, the Center for Urban Agriculture (CUA) won “Best of Show” in the Cascadia Region Green Building Council’s Living Building Challenge.  Vertically constructed on a .72 acre site, the off-grid building is designed to be completely energy and water sufficient and will include 318 affordable apartments (studio – 2 bedroom).  And on top of that, there will be greenhouses, rooftop gardens, a chicken farm, and fields for growing vegetables and grains. 

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It’s taken about two years, but the Goodwin-Wise Flatpak is finally becoming a reality, as you can see from these images.  This home is in Massachusetts, and for those of you looking for prefab on the east coast, Flatpak is certainly an option.  I really like how the house is tucked into the enveloping landscape, almost camouflaged from the entry way.  See more at Amy Goodwin’s blog and photo album; via MoCo Loco. 

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• The Grid Impacts of Net Metering
• Big Steps in Building: Ban Minimum Floor Areas
• Kendall House in Miami is a model of efficiency and low environmental impact. 
• Who’s the greenest bank of all?  Sustainable building is all the rage – and big banks want in on the action. 
• I never promised you a rose garden. You say natural. I say neglected. A growing number of urban gardeners are facing off with their neighbors over how they tend their plots: wild and eco-friendly or manicured and weed-free. 

Twenty teams have been selected by the U.S. Department of Energy to compete in the 2007 Solar Decathlon, which takes place in Washington D.C. from October 12-20, 2007.  As part of the competition, teams are challenged to design, build, and operate the most attractive, energy-efficient solar-powered home.  Using only energy from the sun and with an eye towards modern design, teams meticulously choose the products and materials that go into their home.  Interestingly, at least five teams, including MIT, UT-Austin, U. of Maryland, U. of Cincinnati, and Lawrence Technological University, are using the Warmboard Radiant Subfloor system.  I’ve noticed the increasing use of Warmboard in several green projects, so I thought I would do a small post on the subject.

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This weekend at Dwell on Design (this is a sneak peak), Jeriko House and Patrick Tighe are going to announce a watershed collaboration on a new kind of prefab, the Nodul(ar) House.  Readers of Jetson Green are familiar with Jeriko House, a Louisiana-based prefab company that we’ve written about here and here.  Architect Patrick Tighe is well known and highly accomplished, including two major achievements:  National AIA Young Architect (2006) and Rome Prize fellowship in architecture (2006-2007).

I’ve had the pleasure of speaking with both Patrick Tighe and Shawn Burst, the CEO of Jeriko House, about the Nodul(ar) House.

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