Inspired by the likes of Dwell and the 100k House, Deezine.ca and Shift Development came together with an idea.  They thought it would be interesting to have a modern, green, and affordable home designed by an entire community online.  Ideas are posted online and the community can make suggestions for changes.  Their idea became the Shift Home.  You can see how the design has changed in the past few months, but to be clear, this home is not just a thought experiment.  Shift Development breaks ground in late-May, or thereabouts. 

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On Saturday, the world descended upon Omaha, Nebraska for the annual shareholder meeting of Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRKA and BRKB).  Clayton Homes is one of the company's subsidiaries and officially launched the much talked about i-house at the annual meeting.  We mentioned the i-house in January, and since that time, a number of readers have asked about specifics.  Well, the i-house website is now up, and Clayton Homes is giving us details:

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The RainShine House — designed by Robert M. Cain, Architect, AIA, LEED AP and built by Pinnacle Custom Builders — has received LEED Platinum certification.  According to a recent press release, it's the first modernist residence in the Southeastern U.S. to achieve such a lofty green certification.  The Decatur, Georgia home will be featured in the Modern Atlanta Home Tour on May 16-17, so if you're in the area go check it out.  It's beautiful, and I have a feeling a media wave is about to hit.  Here are some of the green products and elements of the home:

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Readers liked Caleb Schafer's $70k Simple Modern Home, so I thought it'd be interesting to quickly mention his thesis project, which was all about green design and construction.  The project was to design and build a modern, straw bale bunkhouse for his parents.  Caleb and his dad built the structure with reclaimed barn beams (power washed and sealed), reclaimed Malaysian hardwood flooring, local straw, locally harvested lumbar, and materials from the Habitat for Humanity ReStore.  It's a reclaimed straw bale bunkhouse!

Update: Caleb tells me they spent a total of ~$15k to build this.

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This house — designed by Paul Raff Studio — has been recognized by GreenSource Magazine as the Best Green House for April 2009.  The 3,500 square-foot home was optimally situated to receive natural light and efficiently built using SIPs.  With automated shades, passive ventilation, and mature deciduous trees, the Cascade House stays cool in the summer and absorbs warm light in the winter. 

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