Urbio is a fascinating vertical garden system that’s minimalist, expandable, and affordable. It was designed by Volare Studio and Enlisted Design, who posted the system on Kickstarter to raise funds to bring the product to market. Urbio includes wall plates, wall mount pucks, and various pot sizes. It’s the perfect kind of system to liven up a wall while growing herbs, succulents, and other small plants.
Insulation is one tough nut to crack. As if you don’t already have several options and factors to consider, I thought I’d mention one more: natural wool insulation by Oregon Shepherd. The company makes batt (PermaBatt) and loose fill (PermaLoft) insulation products, and they both look pretty impressive on paper. Oregon Shepard believes they have the “only loose fill, blown-in wool insulation in the world.”
Interest in urban chickens is growing and — it would seem — the same holds true for urban beekeeping. An outfit out of West Bend, Wisconsin, Beepods.com, is selling personal use beehives for $450, including everything but bees and the know how. The kit comes IKEA-style ready for assembly with a screwdriver and Allen wrench. A single, top-bar Beepod will create about 40 pounds of high-quality honey, as well as propolis, pollen, and wax, if you harvest it.
This is one of the largest succulent walls in southern California with 60 individual panels and just under 3,000 succulents. The massive vertical wall was installed at the True Food Kitchen in Newport Beach and designed by Joe Zazzera. Plant Solutions specified the wall, plant type, plumbing, irrigation, electricity, and drainage.
This affordable, 1,400 square-foot home is under construction near Reims, France, according to Dezeen. With a curvy green roof — somewhat similar to the one seen at Birchway Eco-Community — Wave House has a double-skin polycarbonate glass facade and a vegetated surface to shield against summer heat and winter cold .
Project Profiles
