Covert House is Sustainable and Gorgeous

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The London-based architecture firm DSDHA recently completed the build of a very unique house. Covert House, as it is called, is a modern family home, which due to the desire to reduce its visual impact, is sunken halfway into the ground. The visible part of the home is covered with mirrors and glass to make it blend into its surroundings even better. The home also boasts a number of sustainable features and was recently shortlisted for a RIBA housing award.

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By |May 19th, 2015|Modern architecture|0 Comments
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Passive Home Built Solely From Regenerative Materials

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Designer and builder Andrew Michler recently built a passive home for himself near Fort Collins, Colorado, which is made from either naturally regenerative or recyclable materials, and by using the Cradle to Cradle methodology. Despite the fact that this home is located in a very cold region, he also wanted to find a substitute for the plastic foam insulation, which is typically used in these cases. Foam plastic insulation has high embodied energy, is made with hazardous chemicals and is full of toxic flame retardants.

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By |April 16th, 2015|Passive House|1 Comment
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Prefab Straw Insulation Panels Make Very Sustainable Homes

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The sustainable builder BaleHaus recently constructed several energy-efficient homes, which were built using a prefabricated straw insulation system made by the company ModCell. BaleHaus is actually made up of 3 firms working together, namely Cadan Developments, ModCell, and White Design. So far the group has built several different sized homes, from townhouses to apartments, which goes to show just how versatile the straw building system can be.

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By |April 7th, 2015|Prefab|0 Comments
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Green and Sustainable Prefab Home

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The so-called Schoolmasters is a sustainable prefab home, which was recently built near Aberdeen, Scotland. It was constructed following the strict Passivhaus guidelines, though they did not seek the actual certification, because they wanted more freedom in designing it. Most of its energy needs are met by harvesting renewable energy sources.

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By |March 18th, 2015|Prefab|1 Comment
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Small Passive House Can be Built in Just 10 Days

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Castlemaine Passivhaus, designed by the Australian architecture firm Carbonlite, was recently awarded the stringent Passive House certification, though the home is far from your typical building to meet this standard. At just 419 square feet, and a build time of only ten days, it certainly has the capability to bring passive construction closer to the general public. (more…)

By |March 2nd, 2015|Prefab|2 Comments
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Bricks to Aid Passive Cooling

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Integrating passive cooling into sustainable housing has been a must for most designers for a while now. And with the creation of the so-called Cool Bricks by the design firm Emerging Objects this feat just got a little simpler. Cool Bricks are 3D printed bricks that can be filled with water to bring the temperature in homes.

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By |February 28th, 2015|Green Building|3 Comments
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