Beautiful Garden Studio Built from Reclaimed Fence

Here’s a project that will get any weekend warrior excited, especially one tackling the tear-down and installation of a new fence. Occupying a footprint of no more than 8’ x 10’ this little studio/shed in Petaluma, CA was made from rain-screen siding and reclaimed redwood fencing. Plenty of daylight makes it to the interior space thanks to a simple polycarbonate clearstory, and the interior is …

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Kaplan Thompson House: Virginia’s First LEED Platinum Home

Arlington, Virginia recently received its first LEED Platinum home, which simultaneously holds the honor of Best Single Family Residential Project from the Virginia Sustainable Building Network. A collaboration between Metro Green and Kaplan Thompson Architects, the four bedroom family home and loft merges contemporary architecture with a sustainable footprint that leaves even us totally green with envy.

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Studio Shift’s Epic Green Center For Disease Control

Scientific research unites with the public landscape in Studio Shift’s honorable mention submission for Taiwan’s Center for Disease Control. Cited as a gateway to the future development of the Hsinchu Biomedical Science Park, the CDC literally reaches out via its architectural design, through two central arms which welcome the public into its lush garden landscape. The footprint of the building adds nearly as much green space as it occupies, through the addition of a massive landscaped roof, accessible by a recreational path that links to the grounds below. In addition, views from the path invite the public to peek into the inner happenings of the CDC, which is constantly working to be a cooperative with the public it serves.

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Taiwan’s Beautiful Bioshell Center for Disease Control

Inspired by the elegant form of the Nautilus Shell, the Taiwan Center for Disease Control’s BioLab conceals a dangerous riddle within its outer skin. Usually only visible to the naked eye, the structure of the outer skin is laced with geometric patterns that represent the four symbols of the DNA sequence of the dangerous bacteria being studied within. If you’re not in awe of the structure itself, you may catch on to the message that Taiwan is trying to deliver: “Epidemic prevention is a war that we intend to win”.

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Electrolux Vacuum Cleaner Transformed Into Lamp

Ben Light’s namesake shines through in this brilliant lamp born from his resolve to salvage his grandfather’s old Electrolux vacuum cleaner. One of fifteen finalists in our Spring Greening Contest the project is based upon the original casing and retains the vacuum’s automatic cord return while providing an extra cool retro vibe to any interior space. The remainder of the wood is built from oak scraps from a variety of his old woodworking projects. If you’re a fan of the Vacuum light, be sure to vote for it in our contest post!

VOTE FOR YOUR FAVORITE SPRING GREENING DESIGN >

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Foster + Partner’s Sand Dune-Inspired UAE Pavilion

A golden sand dune-inspired structure begins to take shape as Foster + Partners recently broke ground upon their UAE pavilion for the 2010 Shanghai Expo. A showcase of passive environmental design, the pavilion creates a symbolic reference with the desert landscape over which each of the seven emirates presides. As if modeled by prevailing winds, the pavilion mimics the duality between the rough and smooth sides of a sand dune while making the most of its site. The northern façade allows natural light to filter through its porous structure, while the southern façade is enclosed to minimize heat infiltration during the exhibit.

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PREFAB FRIDAY: CitizenM Hotels

Prefabricated design welcomes the weary traveler at CitizenM Hotels, where luxury accommodations are available at economical prices thanks to the streamlined production of the modular units that make up the buildings. The Amsterdam-based company is able to offer affordable prices by keeping their construction costs low through a process called “Industrial Flexible Demountable,” which means modular units or “luxury pods” are fabricated off-site and then stacked together to construct a building. With an ultra sleek look, the hotel offers a hip, youthful vibe that helps keep anyone’s pocketbook full.

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El Japonez: Glass Restaurant Lined with a Living Green Wall

Located in Mexico City, Restaurant Japonez offers hungry souls searching for Asian-inspired dishes a serene landscape seated between a stunning living wall, wood, and an incredible glass enclosure. Designed by Serrano Cherrem Architects, the double-height space allows for tons of natural lighting during the day and lets in the city at night, creating a juxtaposition that brings the city indoors into the organic nature of the restaurant’s interior.

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Mushrooms Ate My Furniture: Biodegradable Bench in Bloom

Designer Shinwei Rhoda Yen is turning furniture inside out with her ‘mushrooms ate my furniture’ chair. A contemporary addition to any garden, the seat of natural wood provides an excellent respite to enjoy your surroundings or take a break from your green thumb, while its underside provides the perfect habitat to grow mushrooms. Left exposed to the elements, mushrooms will grow and live within the chair for years, feeding off of the nutrients of the wood. As with all things in nature, the mushroom furniture will eventually degrade, giving way to the life of its inhabitants.

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Inflatable Diamond Grid Eco-Pavilion by Various Architects

Various Architects recently designed this striking Renaissance Pavilion for a competition to create a mobile performance space for Yorkshire Forward. Based upon a set of structural concepts perfected in their collapsible stadium, the inflatable event space is ultra-portable, generates all of its own energy, and is 100% recyclable. A gridded diamond facade conceals a faceted interior space reminiscent of the coal mines found throughout Yorkshire. The venue can be easily reconfigured to hold both small and large crowds, and it’s versatile enough to host everything from intimate gatherings to outdoor concerts.

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MOD.FAB: Stunning Prefab by the School of Frank Lloyd Wright

Frank Lloyd Wright meets modern day prefab in the stunning Mod.Fab home, developed by students at Taliesin West in collaboration with their Dean Victor Sidy and Inhabitat favorite Jennifer Siegal. The goal of the collaboration was to build a prototype prefab conducive to elegant and sustainable living within the heart of the desert landscape. It only took a single picture for us to become instantaneous fans, and from passive solar design to photovoltaic panels and SIPs we’re thoroughly impressed with the project’s sustainable elements.

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Mushroom Cities: Tropical Urban Rainforests

As cities stretch to accommodate the world’s skyrocketing population, loyal Inhabitat followers are surely familiar with skyscrapers and other vertical solutions to cope with urban densification. Still, an urban ecology modeled after the rainforest, complete with towering mushroom high-rises, is sure to raise some eyebrows. Designed for the heart of Sentul, Kuala Lumpur, TROPICOOL @ KL envisions a series of self-sustaining mushroom skyscrapers that incorporate natural energy sources, rainwater harvesting, and bio-mass support for off-the-grid living in a truly green environment.

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Leicester College Unveils Energy-Efficient Abbey Park Campus

Upfront planning goes a long way when it comes to building for sustainability. In their design for Liecester College’s new £25 million Abbey Park campus, Bond Bryan Architects utilized state-of-the-art thermal modeling software to maximize the structure’s energy efficiency, taking into consideration existing site conditions and passive building strategies such as thermal massing. As an added bonus, the building will generate some of its own power thanks to a wind turbine installed on the roof.

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RITI Coffee Printer Uses Your Coffee Grounds for Eco Ink!

For those of you who enjoy a cup of joe with your morning paper, the RITI Coffee printer offers an ingenious way to green your morning ritual: by turning your old coffee grounds into a sustainable source of ink for your printer! One of fifty top entries in this year’s Greener Gadgets Competition, the RITI printer takes the leftover grounds from your morning roast and plugs them into an ink cartridge to create an eco-friendly source of ink. Who would have ever guessed coffee stains could be be so useful!

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RENOVATION: A Sustainable Addition to an Old Victorian

Increasing densification of urban areas is not a new problem, and unfortunately solutions to this dilemma usually result in the construction of an apartment building where an old, aging house once stood. However, Christopher L. Megowan was keen on finding a solution that would allow for increased density while also maintaining existing structures. And surely enough, he managed to add 1,200 square feet to the backyard of an 100-year-old Victorian home located on the outskirts of the University of Southern California campus. As a student investment, his modern addition comes in at a mere $130 per square foot. What is more impressive, perhaps, is the use of passive, environmentally-friendly efficiencies throughout the renovation which include ample daylighting and ventilation.

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Living Moss Carpet Adds a Touch of Green to Your Bathroom

There’s nothing like the feeling of fresh cut grass under the toes, especially when stepping out of the shower. This Moss Carpet by Nguyen La Chanh brings the outside indoors in an unconventionally natural way by placing it underfoot. The lush green lawn thrives in humid environments, which makes your bathroom a perfect place to grow.

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Singapore Unfurls A Sail-Shaped Green Skyscraper

A luminous sail-shaped skyscraper is nearing completion in Singapore, proving that there’s always room to grow despite the constraints of urban density. Designed by NBBJ Architects, The Sail @ Marina Bay consists of two smoothy sculpted skyscrapers inspired by the sun, wind, and water. Due for completion later this year, the project is expected to earn Singapore’s Gold Standard of Sustainability badge.

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ASU’s Global Institute of Sustainability Revitalizes Old Building

Old bequeaths new in the form of Arizona State University’s Global Institute of Sustainability, situated in the campus’ beautifully renovated former Nursing Building. Conceived by Lord, Aeck & Sargent along with Gould Evans Associates, the $6 million renovation included asbestos abatement and standard modernization for classroom use along with a bundle of environmentally and sustainable enhancements. Their innovation turned a once dreary, old and dark building into a new institute filled with enough daylight to inspire its new inhabitants as they look for ways to improve the environment, the economy, and the social challenges we all face today.

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CES 2009: Flexible OLED Wrist Display Unveiled

We always knew that cutting edge-technology integrated with OLEDs would provide some crazy gadgets in the future - we just had no idea we’d see them take on the form of a fashion accessory so soon. Our friends at Engadget recently got a first glance at this flexible OLED wristband prototype developed by Universal Display Corporation with support from the U.S. Department of Defense. Devices such as this may one day form the basis for a new generation of energy-efficient wearable communications devices.

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Times Square Unveils A Dazzling LED New Year’s Ball

This New Year’s Eve Times Square in New York is set to debut a dazzling new LED-encrusted New Year’s ball! Composed of 32,256 Philips Luxeon Rebel LEDs, the 12-foot wide energy-efficient orb weighs in at 11,875 pounds, making it twice the size of any ball previously dropped overhead in Time Square. A marriage of tradition and new technology, the stunning new sphere will be ringing in the 100th anniversary of the New Year’s Eve ball.

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Make It Right Goes LEED Platinum

Having lost over 14,000 occupants to the floods of Katrina, the lower ninth ward is now tasked not only with rebuilding homes, but rebuilding community. Recently the Make It Right campaign gave an incredible panel at this year’s Net Impact Conference that explored their efforts in rebuilding a growing new community starting with those who were hit hardest by the disaster. We were excited to hear that the foundation has finished construction on 6 homes that are set to receive LEED platinum certification, and that the ninth ward is being steadily shaped into an exemplary role model for a sustainable community!

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GE Unveils the World’s First OLED Christmas Tree

Recently the OLED research team over at General Electric unveiled the world’s first OLED Christmas Tree! Forging ahead of the usual end-of-the-year slowdown, GE’s Global Research Center headquarters in Niskayuna, NY rang in the holidays with a 6-inch-by-15-ft. OLED system all rolled-up into the form of a tree. The radiant source of holiday cheer provides a glimpse of how OLEDs can transform the future of the lighting industry.

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Hearst Tower Wins the 2008 International Highrise Award

Recently New York’s visionary Hearst tower was honored as the winner of the prestigious 2008 International Highrise Award. Constructed by Inhabitat favorites Norman Foster and Partners, the LEED gold-certified structure showcases a stunning array of sustainable strategies that have led to it being hailed as the greenest skyscraper in the New York skyline. We got the scoop on the Hearst tower’s sustainable features at last weekend’s Net Impact conference, where Hearst Director of Corporate Real Estate and Facilities Planning Brian Schwagerl gave an in-depth look at the iconic tower’s innovative solutions.

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Steven Holl’s Stunning Solar Copenhagen Bridge

A welcoming beacon before a shining expanse of sea, Steven Holl Architects‘ LM project will update Copenhagen’s waterfront with two eye-catching photovoltaic-sheathed skyscrapers and a sky bridge studded with wind turbines. The iconic development recently took first place in a competition to design a new gateway for Copenhagen, and it was approved in a unanimous vote by the jury.

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Green Optimism at Opportunity Green

Russ Walker and Matt Kahn

Opportunity Green, a sustainable summit that aims to connect industry and innovation, took place this weekend with an interesting macro-exploration of the current climate for sustainable and social entrepreneurship. A cast of leading keynote speakers from business, economics, media and more offered their experience and insight. Overall, the verdict was cautious optimism.

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The Beautifully Adapted Wing Luke Asian Museum

The new Wing Luke Asian Museum in Seattle, WA is building upon the past, literally. Originally the living quarters and social center for Chinese, Japanese, and Filipino immigrants, the museum’s structure mirrors its exhibits - both preserve the culture and traditions of Chinese and other Asian immigrants while displaying current works from emerging Asian artists. The restoration of the 1910’s building was very well executed with excellent implementation of sustainable strategies, including plenty of re-use and recycling to preserve the old while creating something new.

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Thai Temple Built From One Million Recycled Bottles

The Wat Pa Maha Chedio Kaew temple has found a way to bottle-up Nirvana, literally. The temple, which sits in Thailand’s Sisaket province, roughly 370 miles northeast of Bangkok is made of more than a million recycled glass bottles. True to its nickname, “Wat Lan Kuad” or “Temple of Million Bottles” features glass bottles throughout the premises of the temple, including the crematorium, surrounding shelters, and yes – even the toilets. There’s an estimated 1.5 million recycled bottles built into the temple, and as you might have guessed, they are committed to recycling more. After all, the more bottles they get, the more buildings they are able to construct.

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Part Prefab, Part Custom, All Green: Culver City Hybrid Home

Take prefabricated panels, add a dose of ingenuity, and a desire for an extremely green home and you get this half-prefab, half-custom Culver City home, designed by Sander Architects. Not only does the house play host to eco-friendly details that makes it sustainable inside and out– but its acoustically-tuned-to-concert-perfection interior provides owner Thomas Small the ability to play chamber music with perfect resonance. The 4,200-square-foot home uses a prefabricated structure that was assembled on-site and then outfitted with necessary trim, plumbing, and interior fixings for a grand total of $528,000, about a third of an architect-designed home in the Los Angeles area.

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Knoend’s Bean Rockers Rock the House

Knoend, one of our favorite sustainable designers, is at it again, following the success of their Lite2Go Lamps with the launch of their body-conscious Bean Rockers. I can tell you from firsthand experience that these little wonders are incredibly comfortable - and they should be, considering all of the thought that went into the design and styling of the delightful bean-shaped rockers.

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PREFAB FRIDAY: Six Swedish Passive Prefabs

Swedish architecture firm Kjellgern Kaminsky Architectus has recently unveiled six compelling designs for zero-energy, passive prefab homes; meaning the homes take advantage of passive design strategies so as to consume zero net energy. The passive prefab home designs were shown at the Stockholm Housing Fair, which was open from October 9-12, 2008. The six designs range from 1,076 square feet to 2,045 square feet– accommodating as many as four bedrooms.  That means whether you are a young professional or have a growing family, Kjellergen Kaminsky Architectus has a zero-energy, passive house that can suit your lifestyle.

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Breakthrough Science: Turning CO2 into Fuels

Carbon Sciences recently announced a technological breakthrough that is capable of transforming CO2 emissions into fuel. The development utilizes a highly scalable bio-catalytic process to economically convert one of the most omnipresent causes of global warming, CO2, into the basic building blocks of most fuels used to drive transportation and industry today. This new technology could make a tremendous impact upon the 28 billion metric tons of CO2 released into the atmosphere each year by closing the carbon loop and recycling emissions into useful forms of energy.

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