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! 

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Last month, Heyday Partnership began construction on a slick small lot development called Rock Row.  Located in the Eagle Rock area, which is north of downtown LA, Rock Row will feature town home-esque (no party wall) properties at affordable-ish ($475k-$550k) prices.  Believe it or not — those of you outside of New York and California, Rock Row is considered one of the first, reasonably-priced, green housing projects in Los Angeles.  The development team includes an architect, developer, and builder working in collaboration, so Heyday is able to pass on affordability to future home buyers.

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This is the design for a new place to stay called h2hotel in Healdsburg, California.  Healdsburg is a small town of something like eleven thousand people.  It’s smack dab in the heart of Sonoma County, a place where wine enthusiasts and travelers go for rest and respite. Environmentalism is quite common in northern California, so its natural that h2hotel would be designed to include a plentiful array of green amenities.  And starting in 2010, transients and guests of all kinds will have the opportunity to stay in one of thirty-six rooms in the four-floor h2hotel.

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Over a year ago, we took a moment to discuss the Truro Residence, which was designed by Zero Energy Design.  Back then, though, the home was confined to renderings, while now, it’s fully constructed and inhabited.  It is, as you will quickly note, a 6,200 square foot second home that acts a lot smaller that it actually is.  The client wanted something to accommodate a large and fluctuating number of family members for weekends and holidays.  As a result, ZED split the home into a “living bar” and “sleeping bar.”  It’s an interesting idea that creates impressive results.

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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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