Yearly Archives: 2008

/2008

Unbelievably Slick Green Cabin Kits

Copeland Casati, founder of Green Modern Kits and Green Cottage Kits, just sent over a link to her newly launched website for Green Cabin Kits.  They have two designs that are customizable: CornerHouse (top 3 renderings) and The Dogtrot Mod (bottom 3 renderings).  They’re quite slick, aren’t they?  CornerHouse is an expandable design that’s versatile enough for urban infill or some rural location in the middle of nowhere.  You choose.  The Dogtrot Mod is also expandable but a little different.  It features an open court in the middle to ventilate and separate the living spaces.  Both kits were designed to accomodate rainwater collection and solar power generation.

[…]

By |December 24th, 2008|Modern architecture, Prefab, Single Family|5 Comments
Read More

Noble Home Provides Affordable, Green, Versatile House Kits

The founders of Noble Home, based in West Somerville, Massachusetts, saw first-hand the manner with which homes were being constructed in the United States  — big, cheap, toxic, and out of the price range of many families.  So, they set out to create a new way.  Their home kits are versatile, easy to put together, sustainable, affordable, and healthy.  They offer elements such as greenhouses, root cellars, water collection, solar, wind, and even human-powered energy! 

[…]

By |December 23rd, 2008|Modern architecture, Prefab, Single Family|0 Comments
Read More

The $30,000 Recycled Cabin Manifesto

Starting earlier this month, the NY Times began publishing the blog of Lou Ureneck, chairman of the Journalism Department at Boston University.  The blog was given a name we’ve seen before, From the Ground Up, and will document Lou’s journey building a cabin in some picturesque scenery of western Maine.  Take a gander at what he’s written so far and it may conjure up thoughts of Henry David Thoreau’s own cabin near Walden Pond.  That’s a purposeful analogy, though, because Lou channeled a bit of Henry while pushing the envelope of frugality with this interesting endeavor.  All in, the $30,000 cabin and $32,000 swath of property promises to be quite the retreat. 

[…]

By |December 22nd, 2008|Recycled, Single Family|3 Comments
Read More

BD+C White Paper Takes a Hard Look at Green Building, Climate Change

Last month, while everyone was still coming down from presidential election frenzy and ramping up for Greenbuild, Building Design + Construction offered up another distraction: their annual white paper on the State of Green Building.  This is the sixth in an annual series that was initially inspired by the success of Greenbuild 2002.  While reports from the early years included remarks on the chances for the green building movement to keep rolling, the editors get a little more definitive this time around, starting on page four: "…no matter where you stand personally on the social, economic, political, or environmental issues related to climate change, you will soon have no choice but to factor it into your professional work."

[…]

By |December 22nd, 2008|News|0 Comments
Read More

Former Bathhouse Gets LEED Platinum

Located in a formerly desolate area of downtown St. Louis, the William A. Kerr Foundation building is a showcase for sustainable renovation strategies.  It started out in the late 1800’s as a bathhouse (it sits above a natural mineral spring), and thereafter as a paint warehouse — over time, it fell into disrepair.  The neighborhood was blighted when it was acquired by the owners, and they wanted to restore the building for the foundation’s offices and educational activities.  Subsequent to remediation and renovation, it was awarded 58 out of a possible 69 points by the USGBC and received LEED Platinum certification.  The William A. Kerr Foundation building has the following green features:

[…]

By |December 21st, 2008|LEED, Nature, Wind|4 Comments
Read More

Polished Turds, Economic Opportunity, Golden Era, + GSA Green Buildings

Top 3 sustainability trends for 2009. The cost of polishing a turd. Green building economic opportunity in the wings. Sustainability already high on GSA priority list.  Green glass buildings lead to fatal bird collisions. Get ready for a ‘golden era’ of green building. Sustainability emerges as […]

By |December 20th, 2008|Week in Review|0 Comments
Read More