Inhabitat










May 31, 2008

Ornj Bags made from Recycled Construction Fencing

by Abigail Doan

Ornj bags, Ornj Totes, David Shock Designs, David Shock Ornj, recycled construction fencing, repurposed plastics, green fashion, eco-totes, sustainable style, green accessories, eco friendly fashion, Detroit designers, green design, street fashion

It’s great to see all of the recent recycling ingenuity cropping up on Eco Etsy, as we are all for DIY solutions for reusing perfectly good design and salvaged craft materials. Extra points have to go to Detroit-based designer David Shock, though, as he has cleverly found a way to repurpose discarded day-glo construction fencing into one-of-a-kind totes for market and around town shopping. Ornj Bags are not only eco-friendly, but also a smart way to keep the neighborhood tidy and vibrant with street fashion that allows you to go green for the long haul!

READ MORE >

May 31, 2008

Eco-Art in Taiwan: Guandu International Sculpture Festival

by Alexandra Kain

Jane Ingram Allen, Donald Buglass, Roger Tibon, Istvan Eross, Kaoru Motomiya, Firman Djamil, Francois Frechet, Aihua Hsia, Chungho Cheng, Chiaping LiuGuandu, International Outdoor Sculpture Festival, eco-art, environmental art, Taipei sculpture festival, eco-art Taiwan, Guandu Nature Park, environmental guandu1.jpg

The Guandu International Outdoor Sculpture Festival raises the issue of global warming and our deteriorating natural environment. Curated by world renowned environmental artist Jane Ingram Allen, the festival takes place in Taipei, Taiwan, and features sustainable works by artists from around the world. Each piece reflects an inquiry into some aspect of the environment, and collectively the works present a poignant display set against a stunning backdrop of woodland and marsh landscapes.

READ MORE >

May 30, 2008

Green House in Melbourne by Zen Architects

by Bridgette Steffen

Zen Architects, Zen House Australia, North Carlton Green House Australia, North Carlton Green House, green building Melbourne, green building Australia, natural landscaping, grey water harvesting, urban green living, eco-friendly building, sustainable design Australia, zenhouse6.jpg

It’s easy to see how this very centered home got the nickname “Zen House.” Officially known as the North Carlton Green House, the design offers an oasis of green living in the urban desert of Melbourne, Australia. The owners’ desire to connect to nature through landscaping, architectural form and sustainable design practices has created a beautiful abode. Easily flowing between the boundaries of built and natural environments, indoors and outside, the Zen House stays perfectly balanced with a tiny ecological footprint.

READ MORE >

May 30, 2008

PREFAB FRIDAY: The Evolving Énóvo House

by Mike Chino

Énóvo House, Énóvo House Canada, Énóvo prefab house, modular architecture, prefabricated housing, prefabricated buildings, green building Cananda, prefab housing Canada, environmentally friendly building, locally sourced materials, solar shades, green roofs Canada, enovohouse1

We just caught wind of a beautiful new prefab that takes an innovative approach towards its own structural life-cycle. The Canada based Énóvo House features a sleek modular assembly that’s designed to evolve as the needs of its inhabitants change. Its elegant, angular structure makes excellent use of materials to maximize square footage, and its versatile design is able to adapt to any type of terrain and any climate condition.

READ MORE >

May 30, 2008

PREFAB FRIDAY: The Collapsible, Flatpacked Olympic Stadium

by Jorge Chapa

London Olympics, London Olympic Stadium, flatpack structures, flatpack shipping, disassemble stadium, Olympic Games Chicago, 2016 Olympic Games, Olympic Stadium, HOK Sport, HOK Sport London Olympic Stadium, prefabricated structures, prefab structures

Any sustainable minded surveyor of large scale events wonders if the expense and waste associated with showpiece stadiums could be reduced, even just a little. Well, the organizers of the London Olympics have a remarkable plan that could offset construction costs, and be sure that their stadium finds a purposeful second life. Currently there are plans in place to dismantle around 70% of the proposed London Olympic Stadium, pack up the components, and send them to the host of the 2016 Olympics! Finally, flatpacked, prefab stadiums!

READ MORE >

May 29, 2008

ICFF 2008: Stanley Ruiz Twig Jewelry

by Mike Chino

Stanley Ruiz, Twig Jewelry, Stick Jewelry, Twig Ring, Twig Designs, Stanley Ruiz Twig Jewelry, Stanley Ruiz Organic Collection, Stanley Ruiz natural materials, Stanley Ruiz twig designs, Stanley Ruiz Brooklyn, Stanley Ruiz New York, ICFF 2008, International Contemporary Furniture Fair 2008, Inhabitat ICFF 2008

In a world of shimmering polycarbonate chairs and seamlessly engineered surfaces, Brooklyn based Stanley Ruiz’s work is a breath of fresh air. Inspired by “walking, improv music, and Thoreau”, his New Organic Collection strikes a stunning balance between craft and industry. Composed of powder-coated steel and carefully selected twigs, the collection beautifully blends prefigured forms with raw materials.

READ MORE >

May 29, 2008

EKLA Home’s New Sustainable Sofas Unveiled

by Haily Zaki

EKLA sofas, Emily Kroll EKLA furniture, Emily Kroll sustainable design, Emily Kroll green furniture design, EKLA sustainable design, fsc-certified furniture, fsc-certified sofas, eco-fabrics sofas, sustainable materials sofas, ICFF 2008, Design Lush New York, International Contemporary Furniture Fair 2008, ekla-chester1.jpg

A confessed dumpster diver always on the look-out for abandoned treasures and grand-daughter to both a furniture designer and a scrap metal recycler, Emily Kroll was destined to launch EKLA Home. With a fresh new brand of sustainable sofas, Kroll’s green-minded design endeavor takes its eco-mandate very seriously. If you didn’t catch the Los Angeles-based designer’s off-Javits East Coast debut at Design Lush during ICFF, here’s a quick and delicious recap.

READ MORE >

May 29, 2008

COAL PLANT DEATHWATCH MAP!

by Jason Sahler

Coal plant deathwatch, earth2tech deathwatch, Coal plant cancellations, coal plant closures, coal plant deathwatch Earth2Tech, google energy maps, coal energy, renewable energy, greenhouse gas emissions coal

As actions to combat climate change have heated up, many coal plants have finally begun to cool down. (And its about time!) Whether from the realization that coal is a leading cause of greenhouse gas emissions such as CO2 (as well as dirty and destructive in their extraction and processing of the coal itself) or just from the fear that regulation may cause undo financial hardships, many coal plants have been put on the back burner or nixed all together. Our compadres over at Earth2tech have put together a great interactive google map which shows the locations of coal plants that have fallen to the wayside, documenting the demise of these obsolete, smog belching beasts and presenting the info in powerful graphic form.

READ MORE >

May 29, 2008

LIFESAVER: World’s First Ultra Filtration Water Bottle

by Cate Trotter

Lifesaver bottle, Lifesaver filter systems, Well Tech Awards, Milan 2008, Michael Pritchard, Soldier Technology, design for health, humanitarian design, water filtration system, Lifesaver filtration system, lifesaver1.jpg

Over the years, Milan has evolved from merely hosting a furniture fair every spring to having almost every street taken over by all types of innovative design every April. This year, sustainable design joined in the fray more than ever, with many exciting exhibits highlighting socially conscious design, including the Well-Tech Awards. At this inspirational show we discovered the Lifesaver bottle - a beautifully simple concept for portable water filtration, and one that could make a real difference to a world increasingly threatened by shortages of clean, drinkable water.

READ MORE >

May 29, 2008

James Law’s High Tech ‘Cybertecture Egg’ for Mumbai

by Ali Kriscenski

James Law Architecture, James Law Cybertecture, high-tech architecture, intelligent buildings, interactive technology, sustainable design, Mumbai, India, Cybertecture Mumbai, James Law Mumbai, Vijay Associates Mumbai, egg7.jpg

James Law Cybertecture International brings high-tech solutions to large scale structures through innovative ideas for intelligent living. The latest future forward design from this firm is the Cybertecture Egg, commissioned by Vijay Associate (Wadhwa Developers) for Mumbai, India. The 32,000 sq m egg-shaped building will combine “iconic architecture, environmental design, intelligent systems, and new engineering to create an awe-inspiring landmark in the city.”

READ MORE >

May 28, 2008

Take the Inhabitat Reader Survey

by Jill Fehrenbacher

Inhabitat reader survey

For over three years now Inhabitat has been offering up daily doses of the newest and most innovative green design around. Have you been reading Inhabitat for awhile? Have some opinions that you are dying to get off your chest about Inhabitat? Now is your chance to let us know what you think, and have a say in the way we organize (and advertise) on our site, with a new reader survey we’ve just started running. If you have a few moments and are looking for some distraction, please take our survey. We will be eternally grateful to you and will send much good green karma your way!

TAKE THE INHABITAT READER SURVEY HERE >

May 28, 2008

San Francisco’s Transbay Terminal gets the green light

by Mike Chino

Transbay Transit Center San Francisco, transportation San Francisco, Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects, Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects San Francisco, Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects transit center, SOMA neighborhood San Francisco, eco-friendly travel San Francisco, City Park San Francisco, eco-friendly transportation San Francisco

San Franciscans rejoice! The Transbay Joint Powers Authority just approved a stunning green design for the new Transbay Transit Center to be constructed in downtown SF. Planned by Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects, the project consists of a graceful glass tower paired with an elegantly sweeping transit center topped with a five-and-a-half acre public park. Both structures will showcase a stellar set of sustainable features and will fulfill the project’s aim of centralizing the region’s transportation network while providing the SOMA neighborhood with a valuable community space.

READ MORE >

May 28, 2008

RECYCLED COFFEE STIRRER LAMP from Studio Verissimo

by Jill Fehrenbacher

TOUCH NYC, Chandelier made from coffee stirrers, coffee stirrer chandelier, recycled design, reclaimed design, reclaiming design, design re-use, sustainable style, green design, eco design, sustainable style, Brazilian design

If you are a coffee drinker with a hard-to-kick habit, you are probably all too aware of how many coffee stirrers are wasted at places like Starbucks every single day. Day in and day out, millions of these single-use sticks go straight into the garbage and off to the landfill after a quick 10-second swirl of cream or sugar. You may have even wondered - like we sure have: “Isn’t there something that we can do to get better use out of all these toss-away coffee stirrers?” Well we are happy to report that there finally is answer to the java-waste woes: Portuguese design group Studio Veríssimo has just debuted a gorgeous eco-luxe chandelier that not only provides a glimmer of hope for discarded coffee sticks, but also created quite a stir at the recent Touch | NY exhibition during New York Design Week.

READ MORE >

May 28, 2008

Lunar cabinet glows in the dark with eco-paint

by Cate Trotter

Sotirios Papadopoulos, Ennezero, ecolightinside eco paint, eli eco paint, demosign exhibit, Soho Gallery Milan, luminescent paint, eco-friendly paint, Milan Furniture Fair, Fullmoon sideboard

We are captivated by the lunar visions created in this glowing ‘Fullmoon’ credenza. Designed by Sotirios Papadopoulos for ENNEZERO, this intriguing piece brings a realistic recreation of the moon’s surface to light with a luminescent paint. Despite looking very chemical-intensive and unsustainable, the glow-in-the-dark paint is actually an ‘ecological powder’ that’s been modified into a substance called ELI, or ‘Ecolightinside.’

READ MORE >

May 28, 2008

Scientific breakthrough decomposes plastic bags in 3 months!

by Mike Chino

Daniel Burd Waterloo, plastic bag decomposition, plastic bag plague, plastic bag problem, plastic in oceans, plastic environmental hazards, plastic environmental problems, plastic wildlife dangers, polyethelene decomposition, plasticbag2.jpg

This month heralds a world-changing scientific breakthrough as a teenage prodigy has developed a new way to decompose plastic bags in just three months! A 16 year old named Daniel Burd conducted his experiment as a science fair project, and ended up with a revolutionary solution to the plastic plague that has laid waste to ecosystems around the world. By isolating the microorganisms that break down plastic, Burd’s research has yielded an industrially scalable way to cinch closed the material’s millennium-spanning life-cycle.

READ MORE >