Green Building Blog - Jetson Green

Johnson Creek weeHouse Prefab

Wow, check out this stunning, prefab home located in Honesdale, Pennsylvania.  Just like the Marfa Weehouse, a home we talked about a long time ago, this home was designed by Alchemy Architects.  The Johnson Creek weeHouse is a 2,200 sf retreat home consisting of the main living area for daily activities and a small tower for less intenstive activities, like sleeping.  The two parts are connected by a patio bridge and the entire home is surrounded by the heavily wooded site.   

Reclaimed Space Prefab Minimizes Impact of Construction

Why not build a prefab almost entirely out of reclaimed materials?  That's what Reclaimed Space founder Tracen Gardner wants to do.  Mr. Gardner was in between contracting jobs and began constructing a portable building using primarily reclaimed materials.  In the process, he liked what he was doing so much that he decided to create Reclaimed Space to continue building modular, passively-designed cabins.  To start off with, the company will build spaces from 240 square feet and at prices in the range of $115 to $160 psf (min. $25k). 

Photo Tour: FROG Zero Classroom

The classroom of the future was on display throughout Greenbuild 2008 and it's safe to say that attendees were impressed.  Project FROG built the classroom using their FROG Zero system of modular construction -- a zero-energy building system.  What's interesting, though, is that the contractor, Fisher Development, assembled and finished it in six days.  And it's beautiful inside and out.  The company has received venture funding and can sell their classrooms for 25% cheaper than the competition.  Soon enough, we'll all be able to watch the proliferation of healthy, architecturally-designed learning environments. 

Builder LivingHome Green Prefab Planned for Las Vegas IBS 2009

Well, if you didn't have a reason to visit Las Vegas in January 2009, maybe we could give you one now.  Builder is teaming up with LivingHomes and KieranTimberlake to place this beautiful, green prefab on the exhibit floor of the Las Vegas Convention Center at the International Builders' Show (IBS) 2009.  The modern 2000 sf prefab will be built with steel-wood modules and an abundant list of sustainable materials.  Its ostensible purpose, I believe, is to show the industry that modular construction can be financially accessible, sustainable, and optimal for eliminating construction waste and debris. 

Nzinga Modern Modular Town Homes

Check out these modern green town homes being developed by Yolande Nicholson called Nzinga Town Homes.  Designed by Garrison Architects (the same firm that brought you the Tread Lightly House), each Nzinga Town Home residence consists of 2900 total square feet with 2000 sf of living space and 900 sf for a separate apartment space.  The homes are open, airy, and abundant with natural light, but if you're looking for a little privacy, the vertical trellis work seems just right for a green wall and some natural shading. 

RINCON 5 Green Prefab Now at $179k+

You've probably heard about Marmol Radziner Prefab's latest single-module offering called the RINCON, right?  RINCON is the moniker for their latest modular series, a line of homes that can double as a small prefab dwelling or ancillary living structure, you name it.  The name is inspired by the Spanish word for "nook" -- an apt description for this little accessory structure.  The largest model in the series is RINCON 5, and it's a 660 sf model with full kitchen, living room, bedroom, and deck area.

More Mobile: Portable Architecture for Today [Giveaway]

We're giving a copy of this book away to one lucky commenter below, so make sure to say something before midnight on Friday, November 14, 2008.*

If you're a prefab enthusiast or in any way interested in portable architecture, you should read More Mobile: Portable Architecture for Today.  More Mobile is an expansion of the ideas presented in the original book called Mobile: The Art of Portable Architecture.  Both were edited by the venerable and very popular Jennifer Siegal, founder of Office of Mobile Design, and I suggest you sit down and take some time to enjoy this second iteration. 

FROG Zero Classroom to be Greenbuild School of the Future, Today

Update: 11/22/08 - Photo Tour: FROG Zero Inspires Greenbuild 2008

We're going to be on the scene at Greenbuild this year, are you?  If you are, get ready for Project FROG's "FROG Zero" classroom, which will be on display as part of the "School of the Future, Today" demonstration.  The 1,282 sf structure is the company's new, zero-energy building that's intended to raise the bar for green classrooms.  Project FROG, an acronym for Flexible Response to Ongoing Growth, manufactures high performance, modular, green building systems that are rapid to deploy, affordable, and sustainable.  Units can be purchased as individual classrooms or in combination to create campuses.  The one on display at Greenbuild will include some of the following eco-friendly features:

Rapid Rooms Modular Green Shed

Sustain, Toronto-based designer of the popular miniHome, is on a roll and just released renderings of their new Rapid Rooms suites.  Buildings for the Future of London retained Sustain to design the 4 x 5 meter (16 x 13 feet, 215 square feet) modular unit that comes complete with an accessible bathroom, living area, bedroom, and kitchenette.  It's a turnkey solution that can be installed in your backyard or wherever for almost any situation.  Maybe you want an extra work space.  Maybe you need a spot for that extra family member.  Or maybe you just need a little more room.  Whatever your need, Rapid Rooms are super insulated (R40) and come with the same materials as other miniHomes.  You can also grab the optional solar PV system, too. 

Dwell Home: Silicon Valley, the Bold Look of Sally Kuchar [Video]

Back in March, we mentioned the Silicon Valley NextHouse prefab, which was designed on the inside by Sally Kuchar.  If you weren't able to tour the home, no worries because Kohler sponsored several videos with Sally and the homeowners.  The 2,400 sf Dwell Home: Silicon Valley was designed to accommodate natural light, solar orientation, seasonal shading from vegetation, and prevailing wind movement, and also to contribute to passive heating and cooling.  It's an incredible prefab home.  In the above video, Sally explains some of the green materials they used, such as cork tiles, reclaimed limestone, FSC certified brazilian cherry, low-VOC paints, and earth plaster walls.  Below, she talks about the kitchen and master bath design -- how about those penny tiles in the kitchen?  Nice.  Enjoy the videos ...