Richard Hammond and Gensler's Santa Monica office contributed to a unique container project for a Boy Scouts' campground in Emerald Bay (on Catalina Island off the coast of southern California).  According to Metropolis, the low-impact cabin was made with old shipping containers, reclaimed lumber, durable rubber flooring, LED lighting, and solar photovoltaics.  The roof — which is, perhaps, more eye-catching than the transformed containers — was made with a stretched silicone-coated fiberglass material. 

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Kroon Hall, the new home of the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies, has been awarded Platinum certification, according to the Office of Public Affairs of Yale University.  Kroon Hall was designed to use 81% less water and 58% less energy than a comparable building, helping it receive a total of 59 LEED points.  With the help of a massive and beautiful solar array, about 25% of this building's electricity should be generated on-site, too. 

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Most address numbers probably don't have back lights, but I suppose if you're going to light them, you might as well do it with solar power and LEDs.  That's how it's done with these Solar LED Address Numbers from Think Geek.  The numbers turn on automatically and can last up to 10 hours on a full charge.  Each number runs about $16.  My place is in dire need of a number swap, so I guess these are now at the top of the list.  What do you think?

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Almost two years ago, we mentioned the first prefab cabin built by Method Homes near Mt. Baker, Washington.  Now, after considerable time and research, the same company has teamed up with Skylab Architecture to create an additional and innovative line of prefab homes called Homb.  The name of the endeavor signals an interesting aspect of these new green prefab homes.

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InFuez, Inc., the maker of Fuez solid slab surfaces, is being mentioned more and more these days (first noticed in the Portland SIPs House).  Fuez is made of low-carbon cement, curbside recycled glass, and a natural aggregate in a facility that’s 100% wind powered in Portland.  Fuez can contribute to up to 5 LEED credits and can be used as tiles, flooring, or countertops.  It’s a handsome product and pricing is competitive with, if not more affordable than, traditional stones and other recycled content products.

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The architect and company that brought us the Bike Arc modular bike park system is now behind the House Arc modular system.  House Arc was designed by Joseph Bellomo and the prototype shown in this article is being finished for a client in Hawaii.  The modular home is built with a lightweight frame of steel tubes and set on a few concrete blocks.  When finished, it's supposed to be strong enough to withstand tropical winds and weather. 

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