A massive urban masterplan has been approved for Madinat al-Hareer, or City of Silk, in Subiya, Kuwait. With a budget of £66 billion ($132bn USD), the project is an ambitious endeavor that will provide a rail network between major Middle East cities and China. Kuwait, Damascus, Baghdad, and Iran are all along the intended railway route, which will link these cities to Israel and China. Boasting a new tower that will become the world’s tallest, the design for City of Silk will also include numerous recreation and business attractions, including a National Wildlife Sanctuary.

Welcome Los Angeles to the growing list of countries and municipalities that are taking a stand against plastic bags. Following in the footsteps of Australia, China, Israel, Melbourne, San Francisco and others, the City of Los Angeles has jumped on the plastic bag ban bandwagon to stop the persistent environmental hazards from entering the LA waste stream by 2010.

READ MORE >

A large part of the green building focus is on healthy indoor air quality – eliminating toxins, emissions and pollutants that can cause indoor air to be more polluted than outdoors. One common and potentially dangerous health risk inside buildings has recently been found in high levels in granite finishes. This highly popular countertop choice has become suspect as an emitter of radiation and an entry point for high levels of radon gas inside the home.

READ MORE >

Herzog & de Meuron set about designing the Tate Modern Extension in 2006 with a modern, glass-filled aesthetic that contrasted the museum building’s origins as a former power station. A recently unveiled redesign of the addition has brought a pyramid shaped brick structure to this anchor point of the museum. The new program not only fits the museum’s needs better, it is poised to set a new standard for sustainability in the UK.

READ MORE >

Mazda recently announced that it will unveil it’s Kazamai crossover vehicle at the Moscow International Motor Show in August. Specifics on the sporty vehicle’s environmental performance will be revealed next month, but to date the car maker is touting this ride as a car that will “deliver exciting driving dynamics, frugal fuel consumption and greatly reduced CO2 emissions.”

READ MORE >

Al Gore recently appealed to the competitive nature of the US as a market driven society with an energy challenge that calls for a complete shift to renewables in the entire electricity sector. The former Vice President and Nobel laureate is raising the bar with the goal of total carbon-free wind, solar and geothermal power by 2018. Part of the vision includes powering electric vehicles (as truly emissions free), but the ambitious plan would transcend through transportation and ripple throughout the green building industry and beyond. With elections on the near horizon and a push to drill for yet more oil, Gore’s challenge is as timely as it is clear: in order to transcend an unsustainable existence, we need to transform our energy outlook.

London-based Sheppard Robson architecture firm is bringing a new green office building to the shore of the River Thames at One Westminster Place in Southbank. With sustainability driving the design, the structure’s eye catching glass facade will reflect sunlight in a rainbow of colors creating a crystal like effect. The layers of glazing will also give occupants great views of the surrounding city, including Parliament Square and Westminster Bridge, and boost the building’s energy performance to an excellent BREEAM (BRE Environmental Assessment Method) rating, the British environmental standard for buildings.

READ MORE >

photographs by Danica Kus

Building reuse is often overshadowed by the long green shadow of new high performance architecture. But the intrinsic nature of repurposing and bringing second life to an otherwise discarded structure is a sustainable idea we can’t ignore, especially when it’s done as gracefully as this old barn redux in Belgium. Architect Rita Huys of Buro2 skillfully transformed this agricultural icon into a beautiful, modern dwelling known simply as The Barn House.

READ MORE >

We checked in on the green rebuilding efforts in Greensburg, Kansas when Planet Green’s docu-series premiered last month. We found plenty of interesting developments, but this prefab from Studio804 of the University of Kansas School of Architecture is definitely one of the most memorable. Built as the community art center, this innovative building uses modular design with the length of long truck trailers as the defining width component measure – an outside the box thinking that makes larger prefab buildings possible.

READ MORE >

Diseño Earle is an international architecture firm known for unique, and often ecologically minded, projects around the world. Their latest design responds to a brief “to design and build a large and modern zero carbon footprint villa” in Southern Spain. The result is The Eco House, a modern luxury villa that holds up its name with a variety of environmentally friendly features including a chemical free canal that facilitates cooling.

READ MORE >

Prefab is taking center stage this summer at The Museum of Modern Art in NYC with the Home Delivery: Fabricating the Modern Dwelling exhibit opening on July 20th. As part of the exhibit, five renowned architects will bring a mix of existing and prototype prefabricated designs to full form on a exterior lot adjacent to the museum. The exhibit has been in construction for several months and the full scale prefabs are almost ready to deliver on what is one of the most talked about prefab events of all time.

READ MORE >

We’re blushing a bit this week from some welcome blog world praise. Arch Daily recently compiled Yet Another Most Popular Blog Ranking (YAMoPo 2008) and, with complex calculations involving things like traffic and Google page rank, decided that Inhabitat is number one in both the Architecture & Related website category, as well as overall popularity (Architecture Only and Architecture & Related).

We’re always impressed with creative design reuse, but this children’s playground made from recycled shipping containers takes the cake for one of the most imaginative examples of shipping container architecture we’ve seen. Known as the Skinners Playground, this kidscape puts four discarded shipping containers to use as the primary spaces for childhood adventures. Designed by Melbourne-based Phooey Architects, the children’s activity center reconfigures the containers, as well as plenty of other recycled and salvaged materials, into a fun-filled park for the young imagination.

READ MORE >

Just as things were really heating up in the solar energy sector, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) pulled the plug on new solar power plants. Last week the New York Times reported that “the federal government has placed a moratorium on new solar projects on public land until it studies their environmental impact, which is expected to take about two years.” Headlines like world’s largest solar array in California or world’s largest solar power plant in the Mojave desert promised to be few and far between as the BLM decided to take its time to assess the more than 130 proposals filed by solar companies in the past three years. Just days later, after an uproar of voiced concern, the moratorium was reversed. Not fast enough to avoid drops in stocks, but quick enough to avoid fatally derailing the renewable energy sector off the tracks.

READ MORE >

We get revved up whenever we hear any news about Tesla Motors, and the latest just sets the maker of electric-powered roadsters into an all new green vehicle fast lane. Tesla Motors just announced plans to start building the Model S – an electric sedan with a 225-mile range – in the Bay Area with plans to get the five passenger vehicles on the road in two years time!

There’s nothing quite like renewable energy on-the-go, and Voltaic makes solar power a stylish accessory with a hot lineup of solar powered bags to charge your mobile gadgets. We’ve been impressed with Voltaic’s products from the get go, and with their ongoing efforts to amp up the sustainability factor in their bags like boosting the power in their Generator laptop bag and going to 100% post-consumer recycled PET plastic based fabrics. One of our all-time favorite bags is the durable Voltaic Backpack which just may be the ultimate sustainable summertime sidekick and a must have for the eco-geek on the go. And this week, you can win a free Voltaic solar backpack, just for reading Inhabitat!

ENTER TO WIN A FREE VOLTAIC BACKPACK by signing up for Inhabitat here >

READ MORE >

This stunning prefab in Colina, Chile, is the work of Santiago-based architect Sebastián Irarrázaval. Despite its unique form, it is not meant as a custom design but rather a housing solution that can take shape repeatedly. Constructed of concrete, steel and timber, the 120 square meter structure (1290 sq ft) lives large with a simple geometric that is at ease with the surrounding landscape.

READ MORE >

Solar photovoltaics are, depending on the day, between 8-15% efficient meaning much of the sun’s energy’s is lost as heat. While solar thermal systems offer a way to harvest this heat energy for heating water or interior spaces, this option has usually displaced the electricity generating PV on rooftops. A new system from SolarWall, the SolarDuct PV/T, offers a combination of solar photovoltaic and solar thermal in one assembly providing a means to heat and power from the sun with one product.

There is nothing quite like a creative redux on a post industrial site. When done right, innovative reuse and repurposing of obsolete structures can set some pretty amazing examples for a sustainable future. One such model conversion is taking root in the newly unveiled plan for Battersea Power Station in London. Once a coal-fired electric plant (and defunct for near 25 years), this industrial icon is getting a 21st century makeover to become a mixed use development that produces renewable energy.

READ MORE >

We’ve been fans of Flatpak home designs for quite some time, but are continually impressed when we find more of these unique, customizable prefabs in full form. This home in Aspen, Colorado, is our latest Flatpak discovery courtesy of Jetson Green’s Flickr habit. We’re captivated by the setting of course, but also decidedly enamored with the owner’s choice to combine the Flatpak custom components into this amazing abode in the Rocky Mountains.

READ MORE >

San Francisco has made solar energy a top priority with the passage of the Solar Energy Initiative Program – the largest solar energy subsidy program of any city in the United States. An annual budget of $3 million dollars will help create incentives for individuals and businesses to install solar photovoltaics systems with a $3,000 to $6,000 rebate available to individuals and a $10,000 rebate for businesses. On par with statewide programs, San Francisco’s Solar Energy Initiative Program is poised to make solar installations permanent fixtures in the city’s more sustainable skyline.

READ MORE >

In the Dead Sea region, control of water is a source of political friction and presents an ecological quandary that threatens the drinking supply for inhabitants. A research project from New York-based architect Phu Hoang Office seeks to address and solve these site specific issues with ‘No Man’s Land’, a series of artificial islands that would provide recreation, tourist attractions, renewable energy, and create fresh water.

READ MORE >

In 2006 the AIA set forth an architecture challenge to create ‘A House for an Ecologist’– a home base from which a US Fish and Wildlife Service Ecologist in Residence could live and conduct field research. Raphaelle and Alfredo Maul, of Maul Dwellings in San Sebastian, Spain, answered the call with The Landscape House – a site-sensitive, passive solar dwelling designed to fuse environmental performance with aesthetic integrity, building science with architectural excellence.

READ MORE >

The sibling team of Reta Howell and Vana Howell of THIS Gallery have taken recycling into their own creative hands with their THIS Light series. Made from discarded plastic bottles that the two salvage locally, THIS Light turns landfill destined “trash” into delightfully repurposeful lamps. Each fixture is original and handmade, and incorporates every piece of collected plastic into the design. The results are an enlightening display that also serves as a beautiful “reduce, reuse and recycle” reminder.

READ MORE >

A new project in Greenwich Village is bringing a mix of modern luxury and green building to the historic West Village district. Architect William Pederson, with international real estate firm Hines, recently announced the design for One Jackson Square. With an eye-catching glass façade and a host of environmentally sound features, the new development will be Greenwich Village’s first LEED-certified multi-unit luxury condominium.

READ MORE >

The Joshua Tree prefab home made quite a splash at Milan’s Zona Tortona exhibit earlier this year, garnering long lines of fairgoers eager to take a look inside. This steel clad prefab is a compact two bedroom “mountain refuge” with a welcoming, and surprisingly roomy, wooden interior. While the exterior finishes might be a bit busy for some tastes, inside are clean, sparse, modern spaces with plenty of natural daylight.

READ MORE >

Last week, we thought the idea of a prefab, flatpack, reusable stadium sounded like a great way to cut down on the cost and waste associated with what is basically a one-time-use showpiece. As of Friday, that was the latest plan for the London 2012 Olympic stadium, designed by HOK Sport and Peter Cook. This week’s news shines an even more interesting sustainable light on this much anticipated project. The new design has just been unveiled with a host of low-impact material choices, including a façade wrapped in environmentally friendly hemp.

READ MORE >

We take our fashion seriously here at Inhabitat, always looking for the eco edge that lifts our social and environmental consciousness. Our fresh Inhabitat Roots/Lungs T-shirt is the latest design from the Inhabitat team. With a custom designed graphic and a grounded environmental declaration (“I am the root of the solution”), this tee is making a statement that all of us can get behind. Available in our chic sage on sage color palette, this tee made from 100% US grown organic cotton and hand-printed locally with environmentally-friendly water-based inks. We’ve keep production close to home by using BrooklyNYC to take care of screen-printing this stunning roots/lung design from Jonathan Sabutis. Super soft, super fit and super sustainable, these great tees are available in both men’s and women’s cuts.

READ MORE >

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.”

This super smart chair design from Cate & Nelson was one of the most clever ideas we found at ICFF this year. The Oz Lowchair, by designers Nelson Ruiz-Acal and Cate Högdahl, is an exercise in design versatility. Multiple layers of felt fill the chair and can be flipped like the pages of a book to create a new color combination. Mixed or monotone, the felt ‘flips’ allow the user to adjust the cheerful assortment of colorful fabric to fit a multitude of moods.

Nori Morimoto’s light sculptures were on display at ICFF in a stunning booth that showcased this master craftsman’s attention to delicate details. Crafted from local, sustainably harvested wood from around his Vermont wood working studio, Morimoto’s work was a truly refreshing sustainable design find at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair this past weekend.

Inhabitat is at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF) in NYC, and we’ve been scouring the show all weekend for the hottest sustainable design finds. We’ve had a great time catching up with some of our all time favorite designers, and discovering a bounty of fresh ideas from this year’s new innovators.

Metropolis Magazine is hosting a unique humanitarian-focused design conference at this year’s International Contemporary Furniture Fair. On Monday, May 19, Metropolis will present Design Entrepreneurs: Make Good and Prosper from 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. With a focus on political, social and personal aspects of design, this event is sure to be a stimulating design forum filled with future forward ideas towards a more sustainable world. Moderated by Metropolis editor in chief Susan S. Szenasy, the conference will “explore the many and varied ways that successful business ventures can be good for the environment and society, as well as the individual’s body and soul.”

This year’s dynamic speakers include Edible Estates author Fritz Haeg, fuseproject founder Yves Behar, award-winning architect Eric Olsen, and Inhabitat’s own Emily Pilloton, founder of Project H Design. Fresh from her recent endeavor delivering hippo water rollers in South Africa, Emily will present Social Minded Product Design on Monday, May 19th, from 3:10–3:40 p.m., discussing the recent successes of Project H Design’s initiatives, talking about her vision of how design can change the world, and also reflecting on the success of Inhabitat’s Greener Gadgets Conference.

Domingos Tótora’s natural fiber creations are some of the most imaginative and inspired designs we’ve seen. Driven by a passion for preservation, Tótora draws inspiration from natural landscapes to create a collection of home decor pieces from natural fibers and pigments. His work embodies sustainable ideals with natural materials, and reflects organic processes and cycles within a fresh, contemporary context. Previously exhibited at Maison & Objet and part of the TOUCH collective, these imaginative designs are one of our favorite sustainable design springtime finds.

The International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF) kicks off today in NYC, and the Inhabitat team is on the scene! We’ve got four Inhabitants at this year’s event poised to scope out the greenest designs among the fresh finds at ICFF 2008. Mike Chino, Ali Kriscenski, Jason Sahler and Jill Fehrenbacher are at ICFF with eyes wide open, ready to get the sustainable scoop and bring the best photos and reports back to Inhabitat. We’ll start coverage today on the most interesting new furniture, lighting, products and presentations from ICFF 2008. Stay tuned to Inhabitat as your source for green design at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair 2008!