Living small requires that every piece of furniture performs it’s own function, as well as some extra one’s besides. Storage is usually the biggest problem, and the Spanish firm PKMN Architectures came up with a unique way to solve this obstacle during the renovation of a small villa in Madrid, Spain. To do so, they designed a series of innovative modular units, which are easily movable and thereby capable of creating entirely flexible living and workspaces.
Read more »

Dr. Jeff Wilson of the Huston-Tillotson University in Texas has embarked on a very unique and special experiment. He has transformed a dumpster into a home and plans to live in it for a full year, so that he can learn as much as he can about sustainable living. The experiment is called the Dumpster Project and its main aim is a hands-on study of how much space a person actually needs to live.
Read more »

Sonya Newenhouse, the founder of the green consulting company, Madison Environmental, is putting theory into practice through building the so-called NewenHouse, which is a prefab sustainable, passive house. The home is also Passivhaus certified. According to her, the house is superinsulated, furnace-free and functions well even in cold climates.
Read more »

Shipping container architecture is a great way to build a sustainable home, but many architects and homeowners are also going a step further, and using these building blocks to build truly off-the-grid homes. The main advantages of such homes are the ability to place them virtually anywhere, minimizing the footprint and lowering the monthly costs to virtually zero. Below are 5 examples of shipping container homes, which feature a variety of great technologies and methods to make them self-sustaining.

1. Wisconsin Off-The-Grid Home

Read more »

A shipping container home is going up in Royal Oak, Michigan. According to the builder, ModEco Development, this is likely the first home made of recycled shipping containers in Michigan. Passersby are showing great interest in the home, some even taking pictures, and so far the community support for the project seems to be a given.
Read more »

The recent renovation of a maid’s quarters into a fully-equipped tiny apartment in Paris, France is downright ingenious. The architects of Kitoko Studio were able to equip a tiny 86 square foot (8 square meter) room into a full apartment that doesn’t even feel cramped.
Read more »