Yearly Archives: 2008

/2008

Echo Series Designer Green Furniture

Christian Brown Design just released a new line of eco-friendly furniture called Echo Series.  The green furniture is made from salvaged wood, reclaimed panels of eco-resin, and stainless steel rods, cap screws, and connector bolts.  By design, the panels levitate above reclaimed wood blocks and captivate the eye with a woodsy, contemporary style.  Christian Brown uses panels manufactured by 3form and much of the wood appears to be salvaged pine.  Plus, with all the variations in wood stains and eco-resin colors, the possibilities are practically endless.   

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By |December 15th, 2008|Furniture, Materials, Recycled|1 Comment
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Gwanggyo Green Power Centre Designed to Mimic Nature

This is Gwanggyo Power Centre digg_url = '/2008/12/gwanggyo-power.html'; , a concept design for a new town located roughly 20 miles south of Seoul, South Korea.  MVRDV won a competition with this design, which consists of skinny, hill-shaped buildings that contain housing, offices, parking, retail, leisure, and educational spaces.  Although the concept plan is currently under review for feasibility and cost estimations, if everything moves forward, Gwanggyo Power Centre will become a self-sustaining town of 77,000 inhabitants. 

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By |December 15th, 2008|Nature, Skyscraper|4 Comments
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Ten Eco Victories, Green-Based Prosperity, and Downturn Growth

Amidst deepening recession, green fights back. Top 10 victories for the environmental movement in 2008. Can green firms grow in today’s downturn? Architects say 47% of clients add green building elements. Take a head-on approach to green-based prosperity. Oregon governor seeks mandatory efficiency audits for home sales. The […]

By |December 13th, 2008|Week in Review|0 Comments
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Pallet Barn Updates by Hive Modular

You remember Paul Stankey of Hive Modular?  We mentioned his container cabin this time last year, and since that time, the rustic retreat has been showcased in probably every quality design magazine in the country.  What interesting, however, is that Paul’s been working on phase two: A new project adjacent to the cabin.

Paul was speaking with the folks at loll about their waste and came to find out that they have huge pallets sitting around.  So he decided that the pallets could be put to clever use, I mean, they’re sturdy and heavy, weighing in at roughly 200 pounds each.  He designed Pallet Barn.

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By |December 12th, 2008|Modern architecture, Recycled|18 Comments
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Solucent Architectural Mesh Allows Natural Light While Saving Energy

Cambridge Architectural recently released a new product called Solucent, an architectural mesh system for building interiors and exteriors.  To market the product, they’ve created a clever tagline, too: "Where the Sun and Shade Mesh."  This statement conveys two concepts.  First, that architectural mesh is a flexible daylighting material that can be used to allow the desired amount of natural lighting through (and save costs on electrical lighting).  Second, the mesh also reduces interior solar heat gain by shading the sun, a feature that also leads to energy savings on cooling costs. 

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By |December 11th, 2008|Energy Efficiency, Gadgets, Materials|1 Comment
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Eco-Laboratory Concept Living Building

This could just be one of the most innovative sustainable designs you’ll see all year.  Here’s the background: a team from Weber Thompson designed this building for the Cascadia Natural Talent Design Competition put on by the Emerging Green Builders of the USGBC.  They won the Cascadia competition and moved on to compete against about 15 other regional winners from around the country.   They won there, too, and "Eco-Laboratory" was announced as the winner of the 2008 Natural Talent Design Competition at Greenbuild.  Eco-Laboratory is a theoretical design set in Seattle with affordable and market-rate residential housing, a job training center, homeless shelter, hygiene station, and public farmer’s market. 

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By |December 11th, 2008|Condo, LEED, Modern architecture, Nature, Solar|10 Comments
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