I’ve noticed the Maison EvolutiV of late and it’s quite the interesting home.  Designed by Olgga Architects as a show house for the Salon Europeen du Bois, this energy-efficient home presents a compelling view of what can be done with only two modules.  The ground module is flush with the outdoors and features a skin made of chestnut stakes of various sizes.  The second module juts out over the first and provides a nice little spot for a green roof area.  In addition, the home features a rainwater recovery system, wool wood insulation coupled with cellulose, solar panels, and a low-energy passive house design. 

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If you’re like me, you like to follow what others are doing to build modern, energy efficient homes.  One such home I’ve been following is at Denver Modern.   Angelo, a local Denver designer, and his family are building their home on a narrow lot and have been blogging the progress since September 2006.  As you can tell from some of the images in this post, it’s cool pad with a small footprint.  The Haida cedar siding is distinct and deep in character — a modern touch I really like.  I can’t wait to see the interior take shape with all the materials they’ve been planning. 

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Update 7/24/08 – The Method Cabin is now complete!

We have a new company here, Method Homes, that just announced the construction of their first prefab model, The Method Cabin.  Method Homes is targeting LEED-H Gold certification for the five-module abode, which will be about 1811 sf with 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.  I’ve been navigating through the blog a little bit, studying the details of this first design, and I definitely like what I see so far.  Designed by Seattle architectural firm, Balance Associates, The Method Cabin will have that trendy cantilevered roof and efficient, functional floor plans.  It will also have some nice green touches with Kliptech Ecotop countertops, Bamboo Hardwoods cabinets and flooring, and the Warmboard radiant sub floor. 

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Sure, this New Zealand home is heavy on the industrial, nuclear reactor look, but it has a certain draw to it, don't you think?  I was pointed to these images in a flickr photoset owned by petraalsbach and was struck by the interesting use of containers — as you can tell, the home was built right up to, and possibly into, the hill.  Containers are strong and stackable,and it seems like lots of people are using them right now in home design.  Container homes may just become more popular than modern prefab …

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Eight houses were chosen for Architectural Record’s special, web-exclusive list of Unbuilt Houses.  They’re all green.  If you take a look, you might notice something familiar.  You’ve probably seen many of them before.  Five of the eight homes have been featured on Jetson Green previously (links below).  I guess that means we’re doing something right (and fast), too.  My favorite would have to be Adjaye Associates’ design for the Make It Right Project in New Orleans. 

• Make It Right, Adjaye Associates
• Pasadena EcoHouse, Studio RMA
• Smart Home: Green + Wired, Michelle Kaufmann Designs
• Sycamore House, Kovac Architects
• ZeroHouse, Specht Harpman
• San Vicente Residence, Pugh + Scarpa
• Swell House, Studio ST Architects and Z-A
• Cradle to Cradle (C2C) Home, Coates Design Associates