Click for more information on the LV Home by Rocio Romero, which is a 1,150 square-foot prefab with a living room, dining room, kitchen, 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, and closets–all starting at $33,900.

"F2" is short for "Flickr Friday," a weekly short posted on Friday with an image from Flickr and a quick description.  Feel free to email me your F2 ideas.

[Run time: 54:30 min.]  I was reading the Scobleizer and found a fairly substantial video interview with Toby Long, founder of the San Francisco-based, design-build firm CleverHomes.  Cleverhomes is one of those companies swimming upstream in a construction river of anti-progress, anti-innovation, and staunch traditionalism.  I love the Scoble laugh, seriously, it makes the interview pretty good.  Long talks about the interface of technology + construction, or what I’m calling Construction 2.0, with an added dimension of sustainability.  Going forward, the environmental consequences associated with construction need to be figured into a given project’s analysis.  He also mentions structural insulated panels (SIPs), building information modeling (BIM), sustainability, and modern vernacular.  Get past the beginning and give it go…

Today, Corgan Associates Inc. opened the doors to its brand new LEED Silver headquarters.  Corgan is a Dallas-based architectural + design firm and designed the three-story, 60,000 square-foot looker.  Being a tenant in the West End area of downtown since 1986, Corgan is a long-time downtown stalwart–it’s great to keep them there with a brand new building.  I drive by it on the way home from work, so I’ve been watching construction for the past year or so.  It looks great.  I really dig the copper facade on the north + west walls.

From what I understand, Corgan’s HQ was built by Turner Construction, well-known for pretty much every green building in the area, including Pat Lobb Toyota, SMU’s Embrey Engineering Building, and the energy-efficient Wal-Mart.  According to Corgan, "The architectural style and features of the West End will be reflected in the new building.  In a contemporary way, Corgan’s heavily rusticated masonry building will draw from area warehouse vocabulary.  The interior will feature a heavy timber structural frame, typical of historic structures in the West End.  The three floors of interior design studio spaces will also feature large expanses of glass."  Looks amazing.  Corgan’s HQ: 401 N. Houston Street.  Via DBJ. 

Calm, clear, and cool, very cool, 340 on the Park is the logical choice for city living.  It’s rather timely that I picked a Chicago building for today’s Skyscraper Sunday column, because it just so happens that the USGBC is switching locations for Greenbuild 2007 from LA to Chicago.  Chicago is making big-time strides in all things green–they’re vying for the position as the greenest city in America.  With that in mind, 340 on the Park is going to be the first residential high-rise in Chicago designed to meet LEED standards.  It’s huge, too.  Designed by Solomon Cordwell Buenz, 340 is a 64 story tower with a 2+ floor winter garden starting on floor 25.  It will have all the amenities a luxury resident could ask for, including sauna, steam rooms, hot tub, wi-fi, yoga + aerobics room, fitness center, 25-yard lap pool, and men’s + women’s locker rooms. 

As far as its green features, I haven’t found many specifics, but 340 will use high-tech, energy efficient heating and cooling; fully-insulated windows; an advanced, air-quality management system; rainwater collection system for landscaping; and environmentally friendly construction materials.  Pretty general, I know.  With a two-bedroom (roughly 1,650 square feet) residence starting at nearly $681,000, you’re certain to get a nice view to go along with that green home.  Construction is set for completion in 2007. 

In Portland, Oregon, there’s a sustainable development called The Headwaters at Tryon Creek, which is a 2.88 acre, master-planned, mixed-income community that prioritizes sustainable building practices, energy + water conservation, wildlife habit restoration, and stormwater management.  One portion of the development includes the Dolph Creek Townhomes, which are 14 for sale, attached townhouses that are LEED Silver, Energy Star, and Earth Advantage certified.  Quite the list of certifications!  These luxury townhouses vary in size from 1,585 – 1,695 square feet, and in price from $369,950 – $379,950…purchasers qualify for the State Residential Energy Tax Credit. 

In addition to saving up to 45% on annual energy costs, here are some of the green features:  solar panels with 80 gallon storage tank, energy efficient windows, green label carpet, formaldehyde free cabinetry and wood products, heat recovery ventilators, on-demand gas and solar water heating, polyfoam insulation, exhaust fans in all the garages, drip irrigation system, and low-flow toilets, showers, and water faucets.  Of course, the floors will be bamboo (hopefully not the Chinese import variety) and the patio will have ipe hardwood decking.  From what I’ve seen, this looks like quite the community.