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.
Recently, the home of architects Doug Glasgow (Lord, Aeck & Sargent) and Yun Lee (HDR CUH2A), located at 715 Kirk Road in Decatur, Georgia, was awarded LEED Platinum certification. It’s the first renovation in the state to achieve LEED certification, and the first renovation in the southeast to obtain Platinum level certification. The gut rehab was performed by Hammertime Construction, a firm with expertise in green building. Take a look inside …
In Powhatan, Virginia, there’s this three-level home that Handcraft Homes built with SIPs. Designed by Watershed Architects, the project anticipates a minimum of LEED Silver certification and, according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch, was built for about $280,000. The owners expect to recoup the extra cost of their green investment through energy savings gained over about seven years.
In North Boulder, there's a new, green neighborhood development called Spring Leaf. The neighborhood's first home, its model home, has been completed. In total, Spring Leaf will include six single-family homes and six townhomes that will be all-electric, super efficient, and easily LEED Platinum. Moreover, they'll all be net-zero energy homes powered by solar and geothermal systems.
Early this month, Blu Homes announced the launch of their new product line dubbed Origin. As you can see below, Origin is built using Blu’s folding technology, which allows the company to ship homes nationally, and then unfold them to widths up to 17-20 feet. It’s an interesting take on factory-built construction. And Blu just delivered four Origins to the new late night talk show Lopez Tonight in Burbank, California.
