Inhabitat – Green Design Will Save the World

It’s often hard not to succumb to the built-in stimuli of digital entertainment – especially when it’s everywhere we turn. But we often forget that there’s a lot to be had with just one’s imagination and a little bit of physical energy. So as an alternative to carbon hungry toys that ultimately tout nothing more than flashes on a screen, we’ve rounded up 6 amazing designs that do double duty as a fun toy or game and pay back to the grid. While some are humanitarian designs meant to aid areas struggling with limited resources, and others are just for good clean fun, each of these pieces turn all its human powered input into usable energy that, even in a few cases, can be applied to do a little housework! Check out our Top 6 Designs that harness the power of play!

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There’s no point in crying over spilt milk, especially when those empty plastic containers can be recycled and turned into beautiful pieces of art. Well settled at home, or equally suited to hit the streets as daring green guerilla art, Anna Garforth’s Head Gardners are turning milk lovers and city dwellers up on their heads.

 

 

No, this is not the newest contemporary museum -- but a stunning single-residence home in Madrid, Spain. With a substantial green roof and a low profile, the energy-efficient home’s placement is very inventive. Behind the grey concrete walls is a high-design marvel tucked under the gently sloping landscape. Spotted on Plataforma Arquitectura, A-cero’s Concrete House II is a potent design with some substantial green features that help compensate for its sheer scale.

 

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Renowned architect Santiago Calatrava just unveiled his design for a new rail station at the Denver International Airport as part of the location's South Terminal Redevelopment Program. The new expansion will add a rail link from downtown Denver that terminates at the airport as well as a hotel, a retail plaza and a rail bridge over Pena Boulevard. Calatrava, who has become known for his sweeping arches and impressive facades (and particularly, for his rail stations), will add his iconic style to the iconic airport as well the city of Denver.

 

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If you’re looking for a way to transform your garden or terrace without dealing with messy and expensive construction, you might want to check out these modular planters and green walls from MAXIMIZE Design. The movable components sit on recessed wheels and can slide over any hard surface with ease. The pots are made from recycled plastics and the walls feature felt pockets and have irrigation included. What an easy way to spruce up roof gardens, balconies, or courtyards!

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If you’re looking for a great personalized gift for someone special (or for yourself), these custom glasses from Re: Modern are just the thing! They’re made of your very own wine bottles, cut down and polished to commemorate a special event or just a fun night when you drank a lot of wine with your favorite people. Just wash out 8 of your bottles and send them in – each set is unique since it’s recycled from your own assortment.

+ $120 for 8 Tumblers at RE: Modern

This simple, but modern little cabin was recently featured in Sunset Magzine as a micro-hideaway in the woods. Designed by an enterprising couple with the desire for a getaway, the pair sought to build a small home with a very limited budget, but not at the price of short-handing the planning stages.  What resulted from their diligent efforts was an uncomplicated yet eye-catching design where accommodations have been programed to take advantage of the fantastic views while also keeping a pleasing and proportioned form. A perfect addition for anyone looking to create some extra space, the Signal Shed is now being offered as a prefab, quick to plant in any choice of scenery.

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Made with fragments found along the San Francisco shoreline, these beautiful lamps are a simple way to add some soft lighting to your living space. Designed by one of our favorite eco-design studios, Anzfer Farms, the Fragment Lights cleverly combine organic forms and soft textures with a warm candle-like glow. Arrange them in a group or set one on its own — either way, your display will be nothing less than lovely.

+ Anzfer Farms

 

 

In the heart of Shanghai lies a 1930’s warehouse that recently re-bloomed as a small, elegant hotel that fuses modernism with the city's storied past. The 19 room Hotel Waterhouse at South Bund just opened last week and now offers guests an immersive experience. Designed by Neri & Hu Research and Design Office (NHRDO), the renovation is not a reface of an old concrete building -- but an architectural linkage of one era to another. Many of the old walls remain in their original condition while new elements sprout out of the old, defining public and private spaces and creating a sometimes startling contrast between the two.

 

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When we saw the E.D.G.E. home profiled on Jetson Green we did a double take -- the house features an elegant sliding facade that resembles this year’s Solar Decathlon winner, the Lumenhaus. Given the incredible performance of Virgina Tech’s design, this home shows great promise. A simple but elegant box is protected by an offset butterfly roof and huge sliding screens that protect the home’s gracious windows from the elements. Designed and built by Revelations Architecture, the "Experimental Dwelling for a Greener Environment" takes a straightforward approach to efficient, sustainable building.

 

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As populations expand cities will have to increase their density, and farmland will need to increase output to adequately provide food for everyone. A sponsored exhibition by the Architectural and Urban Forum (AUFO) of Milan asked 12 firms to imagine how increased density could be achieved while providing more public space and agriculture to support a growing Milan. Studio Shift's proposal, Milano Stadt Krone, suggests that residences and an urban farm can be layered on top of each other, working in a harmonious pair to provide better quality of life for the people of Milan.

 

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Each year thousands of people take up residence in New York City and many settle down to start families, so it seems like this cutting edge metropolis would be the ideal place to weigh every available birthing option. But contrary to what your intuition may tell you, the Big Apple actually ranks as the worst city in the U.S. in terms of maternal mortality rates. To address this pressing issue afflicting countless numbers of would-be parents, designer Kristi Bernick designed a Brooklyn facility for natural childbirth called Deserved Deliveries. The innovative design project explores various methods of birthing, placing emphasis on combining midwifery and obstetrics into one cohesive and comfortable environment.

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In today’s age of wireless technology, the plug-in electric vehicle is both revolutionary and kind of a throw-back to wired technologies of times past. Fear not — wireless charging for your gas-free vehicle is on the way. The Virginia company Evatran recently unveiled a wireless EV charger at this week’s Plug In conference in San Jose.

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A wind-powered vehicle recently shattered a world record by traveling 2.8 times faster than the speed of the wind that propelled it. Rick Cavallaro and his crew at fasterthanthewind.org knew they could break the record with their simple — but mind boggling — lightweight aerodynamic cart. The wheels of the vehicle spin the 17 foot wind turbine, which in turn gets a boost from the prevailing winds, transferring power back to the wheels. Through a remarkable feat of physics the cart goes faster than the wind.

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Here on Inhabitat we’ve brought you shipping containers arranged as homes, schools, observatories, and stacks of glory. While you may say you’ve seen every arrangement there is to be had, we say you need to check out this container trifecta by Ogrydziak/Prillinger Architects! Besides boasting the usual specs incorporating recycled materials, this award-winning angular building comes complete with a collection of art-homes made just for the local flora and fauna. An incredible forward-thinking exhibition pavillion built for Presidio Habitats in San Francisco, this design has just received a 2010 Design Award from the American Institute of Architects, California Council (AIACC). Read ahead to learn more about this site-specific project and the local wildlife it supports.

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