Shipping containers are known for their inherent strength, wide availability and relatively low cost — making them a practical and sustainable option for affordable housing. Last year, South Florida-based design, manufacturing and retail company, Envision Prefab set out to create a eco-conscious home, the “E-House,” constructed of sturdy cargo containers. They also wanted to educate homeowners about sustainability, so they recorded all the steps involved in retro-fitting shipping containers to construct the home and shared it with Jetson Green.

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Post tags: container architecture, E-House, Prefab, Recycled Materials, shipping containers, sustainable affordable housing

As the winter winds begin to blow, we’d thought we say one last goodbye to the things of summer by featuring Icelandic architectural firm Glama-Kim Architects’ modern, modular, eco-friendly summerhouses situated in the Western part of Iceland, in the town of Stykkishólmur. Project architect Olafur Mathiesen led the design, which boasts spectacular views of the surrounding landscape, as well as the use of readily available materials combined with the ease of construction and simplicity of design.

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Post tags: Glama-Kim Architects, Iceland, Prefab, Summerhouses, Sustainable Building, sustainable design, Sustainable Materials

Toby Long, principal architect of CleverHomes and tobylongdesign, recently led the effort to produce one of the first CHPS (Collaborative for High Performance Schools) certified relocatable classrooms in the United States. Working with the Chartwell School, Long and his San Francisco-based design/build/prefab company designed, prefabricated, and installed two green portable classroom structures, which were completed this summer in four weeks flat.

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Post tags: California, campus, Chartwell School, CleverHomes, Collaborative for High School Performance Schools, LEED platinum, relocatable classrooms, Seaside, The New High School Project at Chartwell, Toby Long, tobylongdesign

Aquaquest is a beautiful addition to the Vancouver Aquarium that was conceived as an education center to teach the surrounding Canadian community the importance of eco-friendly living. True to its nature, the complex demonstrates these principles through an impressive set of sustainable building strategies including a leafy green wall, rainwater harvesting, and a highly efficient heating and cooling system.

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Post tags: Aquaquest, canada, LEED gold, Sharp & Diamond Landscape Architecture Inc., Stanley Park, Stantec Architecture, The Marilyn Blusson Learning Centre, The Vancouver Aquarium, vancouver

Recover, restore, and reuse.  That was the mantra employed by Portugal-based architecture team Ezzo, led by César Machado Moreira, in designing Paço De Pombeiro, a twentieth-century rural hotel in Felgueiras, Portugal. The hotel is located on 24-acres of farmland which are primarily used as vineyards, and had existing sixteenth-century buildings. The architects wanted to revive the old structure, so they designed the hotel to complement and enhance the characteristics of the existing structures — and provide space and amenities for up to 22 guests and an outdoor swimming pool.

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Post tags: building retrofit, Ezzo, Green renovation, hotels, Paco De Pombeiro, portugal, pre-existing buildings, refurbishment, retrofitted building, rural hotel, small hotel building

In the wake of the United State’s recently terminated Car Allowance Rebate System, Russia has announced that it will be implementing a “Cash for Clunkers” program of its own early next year. The plan aims to encourage domestic vehicle sales while emphasizing the environmental benefits of purchasing more energy-efficient vehicles by offering 50,000 rubles (approximately $1,500) for the trade-in of vehicles that are more than 10-years-old towards the purchase of a Russian-made car.

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Post tags: car recycling program, carbon footprint, cash for clunkers, energy efficient vehicles, Ford Motor, general motors, Nissan Motor, obama, Renault SA, russia, Volkswagen AG

Vancouver-based architecture firm Bricault Design’s vegetation-clad house in Venice, California is a sexy study in green. The mod abode incorporates sustainable design in a new residential addition that features a lush living wall on three sides of the house and a breezy roof garden perfect for relaxing in the sun. Read on to see the other eco-conscious touches that make other homes green with envy.

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Post tags: Bricault Design, Brooks Avenue House, California, canada, green additions, green finishes and fixtures, green roofs, Living Walls, Los Angeles, Marc Bricault, sustainable design, Venice

Oregon-based Studio Gorm has created a complete kitchen in which energy is conserved and cooking waste is recycled and used to grow plants. Dubbed the flow kitchen, the design successfully integrates nature and technology into a system where drying dishes helps water plants and composting food waste helps to fertilize them.

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Post tags: compost, flow kitchen, green design, John Arndt, Museum of Contemporary Craft, studio gorm, sustainable design, Wonhee Jeong

Driven by a progressive environmental strategy that will exploit sustainable energy design, Spanish-based firm Moho Arquitectura’s design for a mixed-use tower in San Jose will become a new benchmark for eco-friendly design in Costa Rica. In addition to its eco-conscious features, the unique “peeling” quality of the tower is sure to turn some heads!

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Post tags: Architecture, Costa Rica, Mixed-use tower, Moho Arquitectos, Sabana Park, san jose, sustainable design, Urban design

This sleek modern hilltop residence was designed by Japan-based architecture firm Suppose Design Office to make optimal use of passive solar building principles. Every aspect of the residence’s innovative design has been carefully considered to make the best use of available sunlight and natural ventilation, demonstrating how efficient building practices can inform and give shape to elegant modern architecture.

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Post tags: Japan, Otake House, passive solar building design, Recycled Materials, residential architecture, Suppose Design Office, sustainable design

Bridging the gap between good design and giving back to the community, Canstruction, the annual international design/build competition where architects, engineers, designers, and students compete to design and build gigantic structures made entirely from full cans of food, is coming to New Jersey in October!

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Post tags: AIA New Jersey, american institute of architects, Canstruction, Community Food Bank of New Jersey, exhibitions, Green Design Competitions, Prudential Center, Society for Design Administration

Charlotte, North Carolina-based architecture firm Little Diversified Architectural Consulting has conceived of an incredible project that transforms a vacant parking lot in Dallas into a completely self-reliant eco-city. Dubbed the Entangled Bank, the project features a green-walled citadel emblazoned with solar panels, an agricultural field, and an extensive system for greywater treatment and recycling, providing its residents with sustainable sources for food, water and energy.

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Post tags: "sustainable architecture", "sustainable development", green techology, Little Diversified Architectural Consulting, Re:Vision Dallas

Germany recently joined the ranks of the green elite with the completion of Citigroup’s stunning new Data Center in Frankfurt. Designed by leading sustainable architecture and engineering firm Arup Associates, the 230,000-square-foot facility’s efficient use of energy and resource-conserving design have made it the first data center in the world to achieve LEED Platinum! That’s no small task considering the energy required to keep stacks of servers running smoothly in a climate-controlled environment.

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Post tags: Citi Data Center, germany, green architecture, LEED platinum, sustainable design

Israeli-based architect Zvika Tamari of TeaM Architects recently proposed a conceptual plan for the burgeoning city of Modiin in Israel that takes the form of an incredible grass-roofed eco-dome. Situated at the center of the city and surrounded by a series of green spaces, the Globe Ecological Hub functions as a museum and multi-use urban center that promotes sustainable living. The grass-crowned hub takes advantage of natural ventilation, daylighting, active solar systems, and a host of other green building strategies.

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Post tags: "sustainable architecture", Global Ecological Hub, green roof, Israel, sustainable design, Urban design

Hungary-based design team Urban Landscape Group recently completed an extraordinary summer project that allows visitors to float down the Danube in a portable pool! Dubbed Barge Beach Budapest, the sandy sailing island acts as a contemporary Turkish bath and open air pool situated in the waterways between the river’s edges. The pop up beach is constructed from three recycled barges and provides residents with a brand new public space to bask in the sun.

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Post tags: Barge Beach Budapest, Danube, Floating Pool, Urban design, Urban Landscape Group