The premade container home maker Cargotecture now offers a prefab home that is a perfect way to downsize yet retain the comforts of living in a larger space. The c-series 640 Lookout model measures 640 square feet, and features a large living area with a kitchen, a spacious bedroom and bathroom, a media room and a lofted sleeping area for guests.
The Pearl Place II affordable multi-unit building, designed by the nonprofit organization Avesta Housing and Thornton Tomasetti Inc., has been awarded the LEED Platinum certification. Pearl Place II is located in the Bayside neighborhood of Portland, Maine. Avesta is one of the largest non-profit developers and has been developing high standard, affordable housing in the New England area for the past 10 years. For the Pearl Place II project they partnered with Thornton Tomasetti, who acted as the LEED for Homes Provider and sustainability consultant,. He advised on the energy efficiency modeling, including choosing appropriate window glazing type, insulation systems, heat recovery ventilation systems and solar hot water systems which led to the project ultimately receiving the LEED Platinum certification.
Sukup Manufacturing is a small company based in Sheffield, Iowa, which primarily manufactures agricultural products, which includes grain bins. About three years ago, Sukup also began manufacturing grain silo homes to be used as disaster relief housing in Haiti following the devastating earthquake there. They called this grain silo home a Safe T Home, and it was developed in partnership with Global Compassion Network and Iowa residents. In 2012 a shipment of these homes was transported to Haiti where volunteers and residents built the so-called “Village of Hope” from the silos. Safe T Homes proved very successful as relief housing, and they are now also available for purchase in the US through Sukup Manufacturing. Safe T homes can easily be used as vacation houses, or even tiny sustainable homes.
The green building expert John Wesley Miller, working with the company Green Builder Media recently completed the latest innovative project in the Vision House Series, namely the Vision House Tucson. This home is located in the Armory Park del Sol neighborhood of Tucson, AZ. The house is fitted will all the latest fixtures and features of a net zero home, yet the basis of its energy efficiency lies in its traditional block and cement construction.
Frederick Corson’s 5000 square foot home in Northern California is one of the largest in the area, yet its cooling and heating costs are very low. Instead of using traditional sources of heating and cooling, Carson fitted the house with a ground-source heat pump known as a geothermal heat pump. Such a heat source is environmentally friendly and sustainable, while it also keeps the costs of heating and cooling the house minimal.
