• Green buyers find prefab fabulous.
• Retail chains sold on green and energy efficiency.
• SLC Mayor proposes fast track approval for green projects.
• The tragic lag between what we know and what we do.
• Offsets present confused picture to consumers and businesses.
• Age of Transformation: suburbs becoming like city centers.
• Voices of Sprawl: now coming to a town near you (buy).

*WIR = Week in Review; a Saturday showcase of excellent links.

The folks at 100k House noticed this green garage rehab that’s for sale on Craigslist.  As background, three University of Pennsylvania Master of Architecture majors agreed to forgo the traditional route of finding summer internships and decided to buy, design, and rehab a house in Philly.  The result is this stylish renovation with undeniable appeal.  My two favorite aspects of the design are (1) the Cor-Ten facade that provides both privacy from the outside and visibility from the inside, and (2) the courtyard area that separates the living room, kitchen and office, and bedroom area (it’s nice to have a buffer between the noisy tv room and sleeping areas).

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The mkSolaire is currently the featured attraction at Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry (MSI) as part of the Smart Home: Green + Wired exhibition.  As you can tell from the above video, it’s a prefab that includes cutting-edge green materials, energy efficient systems, a living roof, and a smart technology system.  I love those rectangular, green tiles in the bathroom — check it out. 

++Smart Home: Green + Wired Debuts at MSI [JG]