Green Building : Jetson Green

Probably Platinum Modern UR 45 Home

Just a quick jaunt north of Dallas right off of Central Expressway, there's a small community called Urban Reserve.  In Urban Reserve, all the homes are modern and sustainably designed -- the minimum standards require Energy Star and a HERS of at least an 80.  This home is just one of several architecturally unique homes in the development.  Referred to as UR 45, it was designed by Shipley Architects for an executive of the development company, Rick Fontenot.  And according to GreenSource, the architect and owner are aiming for LEED Platinum. 

Stunning Passive Solar Remington Court

One of Hybrid Architecture + Assembly's most recent projects, Remington Court, is quite stunning.  Opting to do everything from start to finish, the company designed, developed, and built the four-unit project -- a successful endeavor considering three of the four units sold prior to completion!  The interiors are modern and minimalist, relying on products such as HenryBuilt cabinets, Corian counters, Starck-designed Duravit toilets, and some of the following green features and elements:

Wetland Discovery Point Takes Platinum

This newly constructed 3,200 square-foot building, Wetland Discovery Point, is the third LEED Platinum certified structure in the state of Utah, making it one of the greenest buildings around.  WDP is part of the Utah Botanical Center of Utah State University and provides an indoor / outdoor learning experience for over 4,000 school children each year.  The building was designed by ajc architects and built by Big-D Construction, and here are some of its green elements:

Efficient Modern Passive House in Utah

There's a new site called Our Passive House, where the owners are documenting the design and construction of the first Passive House in Utah.  It just so happens that I live in the same general neighborhood, so we'll try to present a follow up article when the home is complete.  Owners Joe and Rebecca, available on Twitter @ourpassivehouse, hired Brach Design, Utah's first certified Passive House consultant, to design the home.

14 New Green Duplex Designs [NOLA]

You're probably familiar with Brad Pitt's juggernaut project, Make It Right -- back in December 2007, we talked about thirteen single-family designs planned for construction in the Lower 9th Ward.  A number of these have been built, and the progress has been interesting to watch.  In addition, Make It Right just announced fourteen new duplex designs from top international architects.  The designs emphasize community, affordability, flexibility, and sustainability, and starting in mid-August, Make It Right expects to break ground on two of these.  Check out a preview of all fourteen and the firms behind the designs:

Vodafone Extreme Mobile Solar Home

"La casa movil de Vodafone," or the Vodafone Mobile Home, creatively combines glass house living, tiny house design, loft-like features, sustainable elements, and portable architecture all in one tight package.  Design Boom recently reported that the portable home was designed by Waskman Design Studio, with CuldeSac, for Vodafone to showcase its fixed phone and wireless internet services.  And blogger Marcos Morales and his family of four are vacationing throughout Spain with it as we speak. 

Maison IDEKIT Quebec Container Home

Using seven recycled shipping containers, architect Bernard Morin and wife Joyce Labelle built this contemporary residence in St. Adele, Quebec.  The home is the first of many to come for their new company, Maison Idekit, which will help homeowners turn containers into architecturally unique, and inexpensive, homes.  The company has two more residential projects set to break ground in the next couple months using a total of twelve container modules.

Wind Powered Artistic Light Facade

The Architectural Review recently mentioned an interesting facade installation on an office building in Utrecht, Netherlands.  Designed by Cepezed, in collaboration with Ned Kahn Studios, the facade is made with about 3,250 square feet of stainless steel mesh.  The mesh grid holds transparent plastic disks, or squares rather, that vibrate and move to the wind.  The effect is an artistic facade that produces a mezmorizing array of shade and light, together with exterior wave patterns that captivate. 

A New Lazor Designed Dwell Home

Some of you old school prefab enthusiasts may be interested in knowing that a brand new Dwell Home designed by Charlie Lazor (i.e., also doing the Flatpak House) is for sale in Sausalito, California.  61 Wolfback Ridge was just completed this year.  The 4,200 square foot home contains 5 bedrooms, 4.5 bathrooms, and an additional 2,400 square feet of decks and outdoor spaces.  It can be yours for current price of $3,650,000. 

The Ultimate Modern Desert House

The July/August issue of Dwell brings us this beautiful desert home in Pioneertown, California (not too far from Three Junipers, actually).  The home was designed by architect Lloyd Russell for Jim Austin, an entrepreneur who wanted something simple.  The functional home of 1,600 square feet is what Austin calls, “the ultimate desert structure.”  It’s built with recycled and durable materials, as well as a prominent steel canopy that shelters and shades the home.