The new NASA Sustainability Base was designed by William McDonough + Partners to embody the spirit of NASA while fostering collaboration, supporting health and well-being, and exceed the requirements of LEED® Platinum with systems that will eventually use only renewable energy and closed-loop water maintenance facilities.
Located in Venice, California and designed by Brooks + Scarpa, the Yin Yang home provides private living spaces for a family that includes several children along with commercial office space for its owners and recently made the top ten list of Green Projects as compiled by the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Committee on the Environment (COTE).
A new, green, custom home that has been built in Webster Grove, Missouri, is the work of Active House USA, a team of designers, builders, and materials manufacturers who are pooling their experience in environmentally conscious and sustainable building practices to construct homes around the world that utilize their Active House specifications, which combine focus on energy efficiency, healthy indoor climate, and minimal impact on the environment. To date, Active Houses are located in Portugal, Austria, Norway, UK, Italy, Netherlands, and Russia. The Webster Grove residence for the Smith family is the first Active House to be built in the United States and recently held its first open house.
Carrie and Shane Caverly built their first tiny home last year to reduce their overhead from a $1500 per month mortgage payment to $350 per month, which includes land rent, electricity, and water.
The Caverly’s eco-friendly 204 square foot home is built on a 5th wheel gooseneck trailer and features passive solar design, closed cell poly-iso foam insulation, low-E double-paned windows, FSC-certified manufactured wood siding, engineered wood flooring, post-manufacturer recycled framing lumber, on-demand hot water heater, low water incinerating toilet, recycled steel roof that collects rainwater, and grey water collection tank.
This sustainable remodeling project by Alterstudio Architects renovated a 1950s-era duplex in the Hyde Park historic district of Austin, Texas, into a contemporary single-family home that is both energy-efficient and water-conserving.
The locally-made brick facades and steel casement windows of the existing structure of the Avenue G House were maintained with the addition of a second story to create two double-height spaces with opposing interior box windows upon entry into the home. A family room and loft is accessible by a glass-railed steel stairway. In the private areas of the second floor, white oak panels connect spaces that feature natural lighting and cross-ventilation. On the main floor, walnut cabinetry hides storage spaces and a powder room.
Project Profiles
