Green Building Blog - Jetson Green

Envision Prefab Ships e-House to Florida

[Sponsor article from Envision Prefab] Container architecture has taken on various forms over the last few years. We’ve seen many building types constructed with creativity as architects and developers experimented with cargo containers, from office buildings to apartments, and single-family homes. South Florida based company, Envision Prefab, is bringing container architecture to a new level by creating complete modular housing out of these frames. Envision has tracked the progress of a model home from its initial cutting and through the factory process, ready to be shipped. If you've ever thought about using containers in home design, make sure to read below:

Reclaimed Space Prefab Minimizes Impact of Construction

Why not build a prefab almost entirely out of reclaimed materials?  That's what Reclaimed Space founder Tracen Gardner wants to do.  Mr. Gardner was in between contracting jobs and began constructing a portable building using primarily reclaimed materials.  In the process, he liked what he was doing so much that he decided to create Reclaimed Space to continue building modular, passively-designed cabins.  To start off with, the company will build spaces from 240 square feet and at prices in the range of $115 to $160 psf (min. $25k). 

LEED Platinum Home Breaks Records

We've seen a ton of LEED Platinum homes on this site, but today's home achieves something new.  USGBC founder David Gottfried and his family recently finished the green renovation of their 1440 square foot Craftsman bungalow, a home that was originally built in 1915, and took it through the LEED for Homes certification process.  In doing so, they received a total of 106.5 points (out of a total 136) and the noteworthy accomplishment of being the highest-scoring green home renovation since LEED-H launched earlier this year.  The Platinum home is designed to be net-zero energy and utilizes technology such as solar photovoltaics and a solar- and hydronic-powered water heating system. 

Builder LivingHome Green Prefab Planned for Las Vegas IBS 2009

Well, if you didn't have a reason to visit Las Vegas in January 2009, maybe we could give you one now.  Builder is teaming up with LivingHomes and KieranTimberlake to place this beautiful, green prefab on the exhibit floor of the Las Vegas Convention Center at the International Builders' Show (IBS) 2009.  The modern 2000 sf prefab will be built with steel-wood modules and an abundant list of sustainable materials.  Its ostensible purpose, I believe, is to show the industry that modular construction can be financially accessible, sustainable, and optimal for eliminating construction waste and debris. 

Nzinga Modern Modular Town Homes

Check out these modern green town homes being developed by Yolande Nicholson called Nzinga Town Homes.  Designed by Garrison Architects (the same firm that brought you the Tread Lightly House), each Nzinga Town Home residence consists of 2900 total square feet with 2000 sf of living space and 900 sf for a separate apartment space.  The homes are open, airy, and abundant with natural light, but if you're looking for a little privacy, the vertical trellis work seems just right for a green wall and some natural shading. 

RINCON 5 Green Prefab Now at $179k+

You've probably heard about Marmol Radziner Prefab's latest single-module offering called the RINCON, right?  RINCON is the moniker for their latest modular series, a line of homes that can double as a small prefab dwelling or ancillary living structure, you name it.  The name is inspired by the Spanish word for "nook" -- an apt description for this little accessory structure.  The largest model in the series is RINCON 5, and it's a 660 sf model with full kitchen, living room, bedroom, and deck area.

Live The Box Multifamily Container Proposal Winners Announced!

A combination of various groups, including AIA Newark, Skanska, and Young Architects Forum, put together the Live The BOX competition to find innovative, visionary, and compelling proposals for container constructed, multifamily, mixed- use projects.  The competition received tons of interesting container design entries, but only three won (with three more Honorable Mentions).  Designs had to use standard shipping containers of 8'-6" height and either 20' or 40' length as main building blocks for the structure.  Make sure to check out the winners below ... Also, I'll update this article as I find better images. 

Rapid Rooms Modular Green Shed

Sustain, Toronto-based designer of the popular miniHome, is on a roll and just released renderings of their new Rapid Rooms suites.  Buildings for the Future of London retained Sustain to design the 4 x 5 meter (16 x 13 feet, 215 square feet) modular unit that comes complete with an accessible bathroom, living area, bedroom, and kitchenette.  It's a turnkey solution that can be installed in your backyard or wherever for almost any situation.  Maybe you want an extra work space.  Maybe you need a spot for that extra family member.  Or maybe you just need a little more room.  Whatever your need, Rapid Rooms are super insulated (R40) and come with the same materials as other miniHomes.  You can also grab the optional solar PV system, too. 

The Union Modern Solar-Powered Lofts

This is The Union by architect and developer Jonathan Segal Architect.  The project gets its name from its prior life as the union hall for San Diego’s textile manufacturing business.  When the textile union moved away, the building fell into disrepair, and rather than demolish it, Jonathan Segal decided to adaptively reuse the structure to create sustainable live/work units and his own architectural office.  The Union now includes additional buildings that, in total, comprise 13 residential loft units, of which some are market-rate and some are affordable.  Also, the rooftop solar panels provide ~50% of the units’ energy needs.

Rødovre Tower to be Plush Sky Village

Rødovre, an independent municipality of Denmark, was looking for a new residential tower and MVRDV, with co-architect ADEPT, rose to the challenge.  On Monday, it was announced that their "Sky Village" concept won a design challenge to create the next Rødovre skyscraper.  The 116 meter (~381 foot) tower will feature apartments, retail, offices, an hotel, as well as a public park and plaza.  The architects' contemporary design is based on a flexible grid of boxes, or "pixels," which are ~646 square feet each and arranged around the building's central core.