If you’re looking to make the switch from incandescent to LED lighting, now may be a good time. The Home Depot struck a deal with the Lighting Science Group Corporation and is the exclusive seller of an affordable line of ECOSMART LED products. One bulb in the product line, the A19 LED 40-watt equivalent, sells for $19.97 each.
Hufft Projects and Make Studios just announced this contemporary green showhouse in planning for the Roanoke neighborhood of Kansas City, Missouri. The house was designed to standout and blend in at the same time. Cantilevered overhangs and clean lines captivate, while brick and ornamental iron work match elements of other homes in the area.
Critics gave me a hard time for discussing a 2,988 square-foot home in Florida. One loyal commenter, bruteforcecollaborative, responded:
"Panning a project on square footage alone is asinine. you don't know the client's programming needs – maybe the house is designed for the grandparents to move in. maybe one of their children is disabled and requires dedicated space. maybe the house is also a home office, thereby foregoing additional office space in another location … size alone isn't a function of how green or ungreen something is."
With the growing popularity of deconstruction and efforts to keep usable materials out of landfills, Planet Reuse is the place to find and list reclaimed building materials. I’ve mentioned the site before, but it’s a great resource, especially if you’re going for a distinct look or material that contributes to LEED certification. Check out some of these current listings.
This is a newly constructed contemporary home in Winter Park, Florida. It was designed for a family of four by John Drake of Green Apple Architecture and has 2,988 square feet, as well as terraces, courtyard spaces, and cozy family gathering areas. As a certified green home, it’s also a good example of the kind of home that can be built with proper planning, a decent budget, and the right team.
Generally speaking, traditional construction can be inefficient and wasteful, while prefab construction can be non-local and expensive. Somewhere in between, you might imagine, is a potential sweet spot where homes can be built in a smart, green, approachable, and modern way. That’s what a Portland team is trying to do with Minimalist+ and their new SiteFab building process.
