If you’re interested in the intersection of business, design, and sustainability and will be in the Los Angeles area this weekend, we highly recommend checking out this year’s Opportunity Green conference! Inhabitat favorite designer Yves Behar will be on hand to talk about his FuseProject, Method’s Chief Greenskeeper Adam Lowry will be available to talk about delivering natural home products to the masses, and our very own Sarah Rich, representing Dwell, will be on the stage moderating a panel. Inhabitat readers receive a 30% discount by entering in the code Inhabitat30, so register today!

+ Opportunity Green

When Architect Adi Purnomo of Mamostudio set out to design a live, work, and exhibition space for a photographer/painter client, he knew that maximizing natural light would be a necessity. Purnomo also pushed his studio’s creative design process to maintain the temperature of the home’s interior spaces through passive means whenever possible. The resulting Puri Indah House features an intricate series of slanted walls that reflect sunlight throughout the day, while intermingled gardens and interior pools of water ensure that the house is shaded and kept cool.

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High Density green living is on the rise in Elwood, Australia with Crosby Architect’s new Elwood Green project. Living up to its name, the high-density apartment building will house 25 units that are expected to receive an average 6-star rating – the highest honor currently available from the Green Building Council of Australia. What comes as a bit of surprise is the lack of active systems assisting in the green rating, which just goes to show that old ingenuity and smart design can create buildings every bit as sustainable as the most high-tech structures.

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An abandoned bowling alley finds a second life in this beautiful series of furniture by LA-based designer/woodworker William Stranger. Crafted from reclaimed strips of wood salvaged from a local defunct Tava Lanes Bowling alley, the collection springs to life in a variety of forms including a series of wall hangings and a low coffee table.

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Mesa Community College recently completed work on a stunning physical science building that exceeded LEED expectations when it was awarded LEED-NC Gold. Designed by the award-winning architecture firm, The Smith Group, the building is the first major LEED project to be completed within the Maricopa Country Community College District. The brand new 64,480-square-foot facility houses curriculum for the physics, astronomy, chemistry, geology and engineering departments including classrooms, laboratories, facility offices, an advising center and a 53 seat planetarium. Topping off the new space is an astronomy observation platform.

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A team of students from Penn State recently unveiled their Natural Fusion residence, which has been selected as one of 20 ultra-efficient homes set to make an appearance at this year’s Solar Decathlon. The elegant structure is wrapped in living walls and utilizes a host of energy-efficient features including a green roof lined with photovoltaic panels and large windows that bathe the interiors in daylight.

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Sitting on the outskirts of Beijing, Steven Holl’s eco city-within-a-city is now accepting more than 2,500 new residents. Featured previously on Inhabitat, Holl’s Linked Hybrid Development is a completely self-contained housing complex that features of one of the largest geothermal heating and cooling systems in the world, serving the development’s entire 6.18 hectares (15.27 acres). Five semi-public recreational areas wind their way through the compound, offering residents green space in the midst of high density living. The awards are already coming in and the Linked Hybrid complex has been dubbed the ‘best tall building’ by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH).

+ Steven Holl Architects

Via Bustler

Photos by Shu He

Launched in 2001, Method was conceived by two former roommates to offer eco-friendly, safe and effective home cleaning products. Out to prove that being green is cool, chief brand architect,” Eric Ryan and “chief greenskeeper,” Adam Lowry, created a line of products in attractive, modern packaging that they refer to as “recyclable plastic art” — worthy of being left out on bathroom and kitchen counters. In the past, with Clorox Greenworks, we’ve argued that efficacy is important even when it comes to cleaning products, so we have to ask: Is Method truly green or does it hide behind cool packaging that attracts mainstream popularity?

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With back to school season in full swing, we couldn’t help but wonder which colleges and universities are rated at the top of the green class. And with all the research that high school Juniors and Seniors put into selecting their future higher education institution, sustainable initiatives on campuses are becoming an increasingly important thing to consider. We did a little due diligence of our own with the help of Sierra’s Top Cool Schools, the Princeton Review’s Green Score card, and Greenopia’s University Ranking Guide, to save you the hassle. Here’s our report of the five schools that consistently make the green top 10.

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NASA has planted its flag on planet Earth (for a change) with the groundbreaking of their “Sustainability Base” this week. The new endeavor is located on their Ames campus in Moffett Field, CA just outside of Silicon Valley and has specs that are pushing green building to new limits. In order to deliver in true sustainable style, NASA recruited Inhabitat favorite, William McDonough + Partners, to take on the 50,000-square foot collaborative support facility.

Launched in January of 2008, Clorox’s line of natural cleaning products, Green Works, currently holds more than a 40% share of the natural home cleaning market. The first year success of their product single-handedly grew the natural cleaning product market by more than 80% in one year by selling Green Works through their current distribution chain in more than 24,000 stores alongside their regular household cleaning products. However the question remains, is Green Works truly green? Critics argue that since no industry standard definitions currently exist for natural cleaners, Green Works is simply deeming itself green against its own standards – a dangerous trend to set. Read on to find out more.

ADEX is a system for building self-sufficient prefabricated pod houses that are capable of adapting to different sites while meeting the changing needs of their inhabitants. The modular eco houses are constructed from an interlocking system of prefabricated pieces, are capable of gathering renewable resources from their surroundings, and can be installed anywhere with no site-specific requirements.

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Would seeing exactly where our trash goes change our consumer habits? That’s what a team of MIT researchers set to find out with Project Trash Track. The innovative system uses special electronic tags to track different types of waste in New York and Seattle as it journeys to its final resting place. The ultimate goal of the project will be to monitor the cost and patterns of urban disposal while creating awareness about the impact of trash on the environment.

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Researchers at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) recently announced a breakthrough in OLED technology that shatters all prior efficiency standards, reducing the ultra-thin lights’ energy consumption by 75%! That’s no small number – the development stands to raise the bar for energy efficient lighting by leaps and bounds. Literally (and figuratively) a cool technology, we are already enamored by the skinny profile of organic light emitting diodes, and we can’t wait to see their further integration into our everyday appliances.

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The Herbert Art Gallery recently received a stunning renovation by Pringle Richards Sharratt Architects that fuses a modern extension with the walls of an ancient medieval city that once stood on its site. The £20 million refurbishment and extension incorporates an ancient vault and includes 8 new permanent galleries, spaces for temporary exhibitions and events, educational gatherings and a new History Center along with Herbert Media Studios. The most notable addition is the 500 square meter glazed glass-covered court which lets in plenty of daylight from sunrise to sunset and is supported by the new prefabricated gallery extension.

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Inhabitat favorites William McDonough + Partners debuted their 100% Cradle to Cradle Flow House this past week. The Flow House is the first in a series of duplexes being designed by architects for the Make It Right campaign to revitalize the Lower 9th, an area in New Orleans which was devastated during hurricane Katrina. The Flow House aspires to follow the firm’s Cradle to Cradle mantra, meaning that after its useful life, all materials in the house can be either recycled or returned to nature.

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Old bequeaths new in Varian Designs‘ beautiful reclaimed furniture, which blends found materials and craftsman techniques with a modern aesthetic. Each piece in this sustainably crafted line is finished using all-natural old-world techniques, and extra close attention is paid to the details and joinery. In the Bartizan Desk pictured above, wood and steel are artfully brought together with the addition of a simple box for storage. The overall effect is a modern line of furnishings that celebrates each piece’s unique history, and we were excited to see lead designer Forest Dickey recently debut his latest collection at Dwell on Design.

+ Varian Designs

The United Kingdom’s Hanham Hall Development is the largest eco-village aspiration to date. Designed by HTA and funded by Barratt Developments and the Homes & Communities Agency, there are a rumored 188-195 zero carbon homes in the overall housing scheme. The development will include an onsite biomass CHP plant, strategically placed reed beds, shops for farmers to sell their goods, bicycle storage throughout, and a carefully crafted drainage system. Hanham Hall is the first major eco city underway that is part of the government’s Carbon Challenge Programme. The government has set a goal for all new builds to be zero carbon by 2016. It looks as though they are six years ahead of the curve.

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Woolly Pockets is bringing the Garden of Eden indoors with their incredible planters for your walls and floors. These breathable little pockets of green are composed of 60% recycled plastic bottles and are made entirely in the USA. With containers costing anywhere from $29 for the Wee Woolly all the way to $247 for an entire Woolly Meadow, these little pockets ensure everyone can have their own little piece of green within reach in a container that keeps plants healthier than your average pot.

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Inhabitat favorites Marmol Radziner Prefab and Dwell have teamed together in a joint effort to bring “good design to everyone” with their recently debuted Skyline series of prefabs! Unveiled just this past Friday at the Dwell on Design Conference, the Skyline series comprises four interchangeable floor plans available in six modern configurations that make extensive use of recycled materials, high efficiency insulation, and offer the optional installation of solar panels. Available in sizes ranging from 1 story (1755 sq ft) to two stories (3180 sq ft), the series has been designed for installation in urban spaces and offers the privacy of a residential retreat while bringing the outdoors in through a series of floor to ceiling windows and patio spaces.

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Monolab is aiming to take solar power to extreme heights by designing their sky-high Rotterdam Tower with a skin of photovoltaic panels. At 450 meters, the Rotterdam Tower design is intended to connect Europe’s largest port to the city by reaching into the vertical landscape. The tower, which has been designated as a mixed-use building, will incorporate public, commercial, and residential spaces. An intricate series of gondolas, which move up, down, and diagonally across the tower will leave passengers with a bit of vertigo while affording them an amazing view of the city.

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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 finished with plywood and pegboard to hang all of your gardening tools. Designed and built by Joseph Sandy, the project takes reclaimed wood and turns it into a beautiful building with its own unique story to tell.

+ Joseph Sandy

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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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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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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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!

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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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