Located in the wooded hills of Vicenza, Italy, this zero-energy studio uses all sorts of creative design strategies to produce its own energy and insulation. Geothermal power, solar power, and a Corten steel shell are some of most prominent factors in energy generation, but it’s the 40,000 recycled plastic bottles making up the wall and roof insulation that really make this Tvzeb studio stand out.
Method Homes latest prefab series packs some serious green punch in the latest designs. The home in the photos is called Paradigm, a collaboration between Seattle-based Method Homes and New York-based Bogue Trondowski Architects.
If the 550 square foot FabCab home is a little too small for your taste, you may be interested in the medium size home the company offers, with as much as 848 square feet of interior living space. This is another great option for a hunting cabin, guest house, or getaway home, offering an extra bedroom for storage or a bedroom for friends.
The open floor plan features 2 bedrooms and 1 bathroom with cathedral ceilings and flexible space, lots of storage, and a larger kitchen than the smaller home design. The bathroom includes a walk-in, curbless shower and an energy-efficient fireplace is an add-on option for the living room.
For this FabCab home option, home packages start at $122,000, and construction estimates at $206,000. For more information, visit FabCab.com
If you’ve ever wanted to live in a cave, this beautiful modern home in Festus, Missouri is the perfect blend of energy efficiency and rustic living. The 17,000-square foot underground home is built right inside a sandstone cave, featuring a modern interior space that perfectly accents the unfinished sandstone walls.
New York City’s new Arbor House, a green building located in the Morrisania neighborhood of the Bronx, is a $37.7 million project designed as part of Mayor Bloomberg’s New Housing Marketplace Plan, which has a goal of providing 165,000 affordable housing units in the city by 2014.
