The shedworking movement is growing with folks nixing the daily commute by carving out a little extra space at home.  One way to do this is with a YardPod, which is fabricated in a solar-powered factory in Rohnert Park, California.  YardPods are framed in light-gauge, recycled-content steel, insulated with recycled-content, natural cotton fiber, and covered with a cool roof.  Flooring can be either bamboo or cork.  A 10′x12′ DIY model starts at $2,100, while a complete kit starts at $11,000, not including tax or delivery.

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Inspired by Thoreau with his Cabin and Le Corbusier with his Cabanon, an interdisciplinary group of students at Texas Tech University was able to construct this Sustainable Cabin in a design-build program headed by Urs Peter Flueckiger.  The off-grid cabin was fabricated in a warehouse and is now stationed west of Wichita Falls, where it is being used as a laboratory for students to study sustainable design principles. 

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One of our most popular articles last month was a preview of modular container homes by Toronto-based MEKA.  The company planted a show house in the West Village area of New York City and the media took notice.  Reporting for Reuters, Kilmeny Duchardt offered this video and short interview with Michael de Jong, one of the entrepreneurs behind the company.

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Of all the beautiful homes in the most recent issue of Dwell, I must say this one made the greatest impression on me.  In “Worth the Wait,” Amber Bravo writes about The Porter Cottage in Ragged Island, Maine.  The self-sufficient home – roughly 480 square feet including a screen porch – is both off-pipe and off-grid and made with durable and green materials.

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This is the fifth part of The Ultimate Modern Gift Guide for the Holidays 2010,* which is a curated list of goods for design-savvy folks interested in green innovation.  This green gift guide has eight parts, which will be made available throughout the week.  This part includes six, small, stylish, green structures that can be used in most any way — whether as a home office, writing cabin, mother-in-law, etc — except as limited by your creativity.

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