This is The Shoebox House in Santa Fe, New Mexico.  It’s an award-winning design — Citation Award from the Santa Fe chapter of the AIA — that also captured LEED Platinum certification with 88 points, a phenomenal feat given some of the challenges.  Architect and builder Gabe Brown, Praxis Design/Build, was able to put a 1,700 square foot home on a 2,300 square-foot L-shaped lot, while still giving the owner a separate art studio, a gallery-like living room, two bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a study.

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This is the Castaway House, a renovation in Phoenix, Arizona that’s also the first project to be certified under the Phoenix Green Construction Code. The team* behind this Gold-certified project transformed an existing 1,000 square-foot, abandoned house originally built in 1951 into a cutting-edge, energy-efficient abode with 1,970 square feet, four bedrooms, and two bathrooms. Here’s a little more background.

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In September 2010, I mentioned the winning design in a competition involving steel SIPs from OceanSafe.  The REOSE Sunshower SSIP model, designed by Tulane University professors of architecture, Judith Kinnard and Tiffany Lin, is now complete and demonstrates a home that can withstand hurricane-force winds and extreme weather while still incorporating the latest in energy- and water-saving technologies.

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This is the newest HGTV Green Home located in Serenbe, Georgia, a 1,000-acre sustainable development near Atlanta with green homes, shops, and restaurants.  The 2,300 square-foot home spans three levels and includes three bedrooms, two and a half bathrooms, and a detached garage and carport.  Plus, it will be powered in part by solar energy and obtain both EarthCraft and LEED Certifications.

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When a large or expensive home is presented on this site, it’s common to get an adverse response from readers requesting that we feature smaller and more affordable homes.  Today, I’m going to take that opportunity to share something called the 50/10 House developed by Cellar Ridge Custom Homes and m.o.daby design in Oregon.

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