Green Building Blog - Jetson Green

Pinon House, Mid-Century Modern Renovation Reveals Natural Aesthetic

This website spends a good amount of time talking about new homes and innovation, but don't let us fool you into thinking everything has to be brand new.  Just like the Box House renovation, this house, the Pinon House, is a great example of marrying the old and new to create an incredible living space.  Lead designer Rick Sommerfeld and the3rdspace, with the collaboration of Rob Pyatt, sent us the following narrative of their work on the Pinion House:

Garcia Modern Green Home Takes Award

This home took first place in the St. Louis Magazine AT HOME's 2008 Architect and Design Awards in category of Best Residential Architecture Less Than 4,000 Square feet.  Designed by Killeen Studio, the modern abode is a slightly lighter shade of green than the ones we usually feature -- it has a four car garage -- but there are solid green features nonetheless:  recyclable metal panels, bamboo floors, Energy Star appliances, efficient windows, and tons of natural light.  Plus, the 2,550 square foot home was built in a location that's perfect for the owners, Ivan and Jennifer Garcia, so the environmental impact of their transportation has been minimized in a big way. 

Iconic Dubai Anara Tower Looking Forward to LEED Silver Certification

Developer Tameer Holding has another iconic tower in the works for Dubai called Anara Tower.  Designed by Atkins, the 600 meter (~1969 feet) tower won't be as tall as the world's tallest tower, Burj Dubai, which is ~707 meter (~2,320 feet), but it's not too far behind.  With 125 stories, Anara will have office space, 300 residential apartments, 250 hotel keys, and all sorts of other luxury amenities, such as pools, shops, and sky gardens every 27 floors. The design was inspired by the minaret, tall spires near Muslim mosques, with a purpose of being instantly recognizable worldwide. 

13 Innovative Green Building Designs, Lifecycle Building Challenge Winners!

Yesterday the EPA announced winners of the second annual green building competition known as the Lifecycle Building Challenge, or LBC2.  The challege issued a proposal for designs and ideas that support cost-effective disassembly and that anticipate future use of building materials.  It was open to architects, reuse experts, engineers, designers, planners, contractors, builders, educators, environmental advocates, and students in three main categories: (1) Building, (2) Innovation, and (3) Outstanding Achievement Awards.  The winners have been selected and listed below with a quick image.  There's seriously some excellent thinking at work here, so congratulations to everyone ...

Schwimmhaus Modern Green Houseboat

I've seen houseboats -- boats designed or modified to be used primarily as permanent dwellings -- in Portland, Oregon and always wondered what it'd be like to live in one.  I could certainly live in something like this, what with the green roof and modern aesthetic.  It's called the Schwimmhaus and was designed by confused-direction in Germany.  Don't be fooled by the images, though, because this is just a model.  The real version should be finished in Spring 2009.  At a size of 14 m long, 4 m tall, and 3 m wide, Schwimmhaus will feature a spacious living room, kitchen, bathroom, and loft bedroom.   It'll also be eco-friendly, too, with features such as the living roof and wood reclaimed from an old farm barn.

Eco Modern Chestnut Residence [Video]

It's been a long time, it seems, since our last video, so why not get back in the habit?  I noticed this high quality video of the Chestnut Residence, which was designed by Dan Heinfeld of LPA Architects, and thought all the eco modern enthusiasts would enjoy it.  All versions of the video that I've seen get cut off at about the three minute point, so I'll update it if I find a better version.  The house was created with an open passive layout to take advantage of the California climate and benefit from abundant natural light and ventilation.  The design is further married with the best of green technology, such as sustainable materials, smart systems, and a solar PV system (50% of power), to create one posh green residence.  I've included some screen shots from the video below.

Green Hybrid Residence for a Briard

Designed by Sander Architects, this part prefab, all custom-made home was recently profiled in the NY Times in an article entitled "Prefab, High-Concept, and Green."  The exposed denim insulation and loft-like interior caught my eye, so I decided to learn more about it.  Apparently, the owners retained Sander Architects to build something that was very green, on a super-tight budget, and amenable to the owner's large French Briard dog.  The resulting 4,200 sf home, according to the architects, is their greenest Hybrid House ever built.  It features a greywater system, passive heating and cooling, rainwater collection for landscaping, recycled blue jean insulation, sunflower seed wall board, bamboo flooring, marmoleum, structural steel frames from recycled steel, etc. 

Google Puts Plans for Beyond LEED Platinum Offices On Hold

Well over a year ago, I heard William McDonough was working with Google on some green design plans near the Googleplex (all hush hush-type stuff covered by an NDA).  Since that time, I haven't really noticed much information on those plans, that is, until I caught this article in Mountain View Voice talking about Google's extraordinary building plans.  It appears that SHoP Architects coordinated the work of several architectural firms to get these preliminary plans going.  But, for the time being, Google has decided to put the green office structure on hold. 

mkHearth, an Eco Modern Farmhouse

Today Michelle Kaufmann announced and released details of mkDesign's newest modular design, a modern farmhouse home called mkHearth.  I like the rendering above because it illustrates how an entire neighborhood of modern, green, mkHearth homes could look ... imagine plush gardens in lieu of turf, home fronts instead of garages, and greenroofs in the place of shingles.  The mkHearth centers on a hearth space where a cabinetry / fireplace unit extends and connects the first through third floors. 

Aria Denver Plans Clean Green Living

Every now and then, Michelle Kaufmann gives us a rendering or a glimpse of a development she's working on in Colorado.  Part of the development involves the design of new housing for the Sisters of St. Francis.  The other part is a private, multifamily townhouse development adjacent to the Sisters' housing.  The townhouse community called Aria Denver promises to bring clean, green, and pure living to northwest Denver starting in 2009.