Soon there could be a new, sustainable tower rising in the Sydney skyline at 8 Chifley Square. Subject to council approval, the colorful building would seek both a six-star Green Star and five-star ABGR rating, the highest level of certification available under both systems. With design like that, it won’t surprise many that 8 Chifley is expected to use 50% less energy than a comparable Sydney CBD building.
*WIR = Week in Review; a Saturday showcase of excellent links.
Last February, we mentioned Project H Design and Emily Pilloton’s project to provide 50 Hippo Rollers to a community in South Africa. They met the initial goal of 50 and ended up providing something like 75 Hippo Rollers. Project H Design is now working towards providing over 100 Lifestraw Family systems to a community in Mumbai, India. If you are interested in contributing to the cause, please feel free to donate at Project H Design.
Update 7/24/08 – The Method Cabin is now complete!
We have a new company here, Method Homes, that just announced the construction of their first prefab model, The Method Cabin. Method Homes is targeting LEED-H Gold certification for the five-module abode, which will be about 1811 sf with 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. I’ve been navigating through the blog a little bit, studying the details of this first design, and I definitely like what I see so far. Designed by Seattle architectural firm, Balance Associates, The Method Cabin will have that trendy cantilevered roof and efficient, functional floor plans. It will also have some nice green touches with Kliptech Ecotop countertops, Bamboo Hardwoods cabinets and flooring, and the Warmboard radiant sub floor.
In Portland two brothers, Dustin and Garrett Moon, have been getting some serious attention for their project, The Commons — it could just be the first residence in the nation to meet the standards of the Living Building Challenge. The Living Building Challenge is about getting to something that’s truly sustainable, which is what I think the Moons are going after here. If you look at their plans, The Commons will use green tech that you might not see in other so-called green homes.
I’ve got 3 super-fresh, green prefab videos for your viewing leisure. Two videos are of MKD’s Glidehouse, which is factory-built in roughly 10-14 months at a cost similar or less than traditional site-built homes. The other is of the Sunset Breezehouse, which has the butterfly roof and central breezeway that blurs the interior with the exterior. Pretty cool videos — it’s nice to have Michelle Kaufmann herself blogging these prefab experiences.
