A lot of people in Pennsylvania have been talking about green building, but according to my quick research, no one in the state has received the USGBC's highest certification under the LEED for Homes program yet.  But that could change if the stars align for Thin Flats — the developer is seeking LEED-H Platinum for all residences and waiting on Energy Star certification.  Thin Flats includes eight, market-rate, up-down units split between four rows.  The newly completed project recently received case study treatment by GreenSource Magazine, and from what I've read, observers either love or hate the exterior facade.  Personally, I like it, but what do you think?

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Just recently, we mentioned Copeland Casati in regards to the launch of Green Cabin Kits, but I thought it was high time to take a look at her SIPs home under construction near Appomattox in Central Virginia.  The home is actually a prototype of the Casa Ti house kit designed by architect David Day.  Designed to be off-grid, net-zero energy, and modern, the home has 1200 square feet of space with three bedrooms. 

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Just noticed a new product called Invitrum by high design, Italian kitchen maker Valcucine.  Invitrum is being referred to as a 100% recyclable kitchen, which means the product can be recycled at the end of its lifecycle — but the consumer needs to make that happen.  To help the consumer, as you can see with the image below, the cabinets have been labeled for recyclability.  The structure is of drawn, recycled aluminum and the base units are of recyclable glass.  Invitrum was designed to be manufactured with less material and energy.  So slick …

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These days, you can't really attend a convention or exhibition unless there's a prefab and we think that's a great thing.  In this case, ideabox is at it again with a new iteration of their popular confluence prefab at the Portland Home & Garden Show.  If you're in the Pacific Northwest, go check it out through the 22nd of this month; if you're not, ideabox was nice enough to send us a few informal shots.  The 2-bedroom, 2-bathroom home has a tidy footprint, as well as updated detailing, Kohler fixtures, and Design Within Reach furnishings.  Simple living in a modern package …

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The project is The 1310 Condominiums, which is located in Portland, Oregon and one of the houses on the 11xDesign modern homes tour this Saturday.  If you're not familiar with the project, you may think it's new construction, but 1310 is actually a conversion of an old apartment complex into five modern condominiums. Designed by Brett Crawford Architecture + Planning for Brett Crawford and Dana Ing Crawford, with Brett Crawford as contractor, the finished project shows that meticulous attention was given to the small details.  And all that is paying off for the owners.  Three units are sold (with only two remaining one-bedroom units left), and 1310 received both a Built Honor and Sustainability Award from AIA Portland. 

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