This school in the village of Granados in central Guatemala is a fascinating display of ingenuity and recycling. According to an article in The Oregonian, Peace Corps volunteer Laura Kutner came up with the idea of finishing the construction of a school with the abundance of plastic waste in the area. With the help of the local community, volunteers from Hug It Forward, and $3,000, the school was completed and painted in a vibrant orange color.
After the setting of 13 factory-built boxes and the completion of construction, these net zero energy homes were opened to three low-income families in Lafayette, Colorado. Referred to as the Paradigm Pilot Project, the development includes one single family home and a duplex. The project was designed by HB&A Architects and built by All American Homes of Colorado for the Boulder County Housing Authority.
I first noticed this genuine weeHouse on Mrs. French's site last month (see here, here, and here). The Oceanside Prefab, as it's know, is on a picturesque spot on the Oregon coast and available for rent should you have any interest. The home was assembled with two 14' x 50' modules by Stratford Homes and designed by none other than Alchemy Architects.
Notwithstanding all the factors hammering the real estate world in 2009, we had the opportunity to cover over sixty-two innovative green homes. Forward thinkers all over the country, and the world for that matter, are finding ways to develop, renovate, design, and build greener homes in different ways. Some are more affordable. Some are more efficient. Some are certified at the highest level. Some are prefabricated in days. They're all interesting and innovative. Click the text links below for more images and information.
Mark Meyer of Austin-based designSTUDIO recently pointed us to one of his newest projects, la Boite. La Boite is a green, environmentally sensitive cafe with locally baked goods, sandwiches, and coffee. It was built from an old shipping container, and if you’re interested in details of the transformation, read more about it on designSTUDIO’s blog. For the project, DesignSTUDIO used Rainwater HOG’s for greywater collection, biobased spray foam insulation, and Forbo linoleum for the floor and one wall. You can find la Boite on 1700 South Lamar Boulevard in Austin, Texas. Looks fun, doesn’t it?
Project Profiles
