Halfway across the globe in a rural village outside of Changzhi in China, a developer was inspired by emergency housing made with shipping containers in Japan and decided to build a five-star hotel out of them, according to CNN Go. The hotel — 香箱乡祈福所, which apparently translates as Xiang Xiang Xiang Pray House — was built with 35 new containers and includes 21 tiny, luxe guest rooms of either 161 or 321 square feet each.
This is the Brooks Residence, and it’s one of the 10 highest LEED-rated homes in California. Located in Venice, California, the craftsman-style home received 109 points and is one of about 20 local homes certified under the LEED for Homes program. It was built by Rick Arreola and designed by Duvivier Architects for principle Isabelle Duvivier, who wanted to modernize the existing home with more space, light, and sustainability.
It’s been a couple years since we last checked in on the work of Seattle-based FabCab, a company that makes prefab and kit-built, eco-friendly homes and accessory dwelling units. Short for “fabulous cabin,” FabCab has several timber-frame houses under construction in Washington and recently shared photos of this two-level cabin on Camano Island. It has a timber frame, SIP panels, and a soaring water-front wall of windows.
I mentioned the launch of Connect:Homes recently and how the founders of this company hope to reinvent modular prefab with a unique approach. They took a big first step towards doing that with a prototype home on display at Dwell on Design in Los Angeles last weekend. The crowds, from everything I’ve heard, deeply enjoyed this warm, contemporary abode and the interior touch of style by Kishani Perera.
Jason Peacock has plans for a solar-powered cluster of compact homes on a plot of land in Wiscasset, northeast of Portland, Maine. The first house is complete — the Souler House — and it’s a 950-square-foot contemporary abode covered with a grid-tied 3.6 kW array. Peacock designed and built the home, and he’s also renting it out on VRBO for anywhere from $700 – $1000 per week, depending on the season.
Project Profiles
