The AMD Open Architecture Challenge launches TODAY- Architecture for Humanity’s biggest and most ambitious design competition to date. The open, international design competition is co-sponsored by AMD, which hopes to connect 50% of the world to the Internet by 2015. The Challenge aims to develop not one but many solutions—for building sustainable, multi-purpose, low-cost technology facilities for those who need them most.

Three community sites have been announced for the competition, and designers of all types have until January 15, 2008 to submit their visions. These will be real solutions, not just ideas and concepts—the winning designs will actually be built. And the communities, not a celebrity panel, will help choose the winners.

Edward Burtynsky’s stunning photographs manage to be both beautiful and simultaneously horrifying, and film director Jennifer Baichwal has managed to capture both the aesthetic and concept behind Burtynsky’s ground-breaking photography in her recently-debuted documentary film Manufactured Landscapes. The film was shown at the Seattle Film Festival, showcasing Edward Burtynsky’s photography through Baichwal’s aesthetic eye and and Peter Mettler’s artful cinematography. Burtynsky’s work highlights the effects of human interventions on the land, in such a stunning yet critical way that he was awarded the TED Prize for his art in 2005.

Chris Bartle saw a demand for green living in San Francisco, yet he admits the supply of eco-friendly buildings is minimal. So how does his company, Green Key Real Estate, pass Economics 101? Similar to GreenWorks Realty in Seattle, Bartle’s team concentrates on helping buyers and sellers green their existing homes. While new green housing is arriving slowly, Bartle knew he could work with the current stock to help meet the demand for healthier and more efficient homes.

Here at Inhabitat, we’ve covered many green building concepts, highlighted specific green homes, shown the latest in pre-fab projects, and introduced programs such as EcoBroker, LEED-Homes, Built Green and Energy Star. But it’s also important to acknowledge the people who help us future homeowners find and be aware of these green homes. This is the first in a series of green real estate highlights—firms from around the country that are helping homebuyers choose green. Our first stop is Seattle, a hotbed for green housing, where GreenWorks Realty is supporting a vision to create a more sustainable world.

STYLE AND FUNCTION MEET IN THE RECYCLE BIN
Waste equals food for Eli Reich and his company Alchemy Goods, which turns old bike tire tubes, advertising banners, and seat belt straps into messenger and tote bags. Reich started the company in a quest to create a hip, stylish, waterproof, and environmentally-friendly bag after his old messenger bag was stolen. Alchemy Goods espouses a “turning useless into useful” tagline, and denotes the recycled content percentage (by weight) within the Ag label on every product, ala the periodic table.

What does sex have to do with sustainability? This is a question posed by a new book coming out called Women in Green: Voices of Sustainable Design. It’s an issue that resonates heavily with the staff at Inhabitat – an organization that is 90% female. Despite the fact that architecture, building and construction have long been male-dominated fields, a lot of women are joining the sustainable design movement and we are wondering what this means… Are women more interested in environmentalism in general? Or is there something about the confluence of design and environmentalism that particularly appeals to women?

READ MORE >

The USGBC’s Greenbuild Conference kicked off bright and early Wednesday morning as several speakers took the stage for the opening plenary. Some were expected, like the USGBC President Rick Fedrizzi. Others, like Ira Magaziner of the Clinton Climate Initiative were a pleasant surprise. But we all know who we were really waiting for: the current sage of global sustainability, Bill McDonough – and he didn’t disappoint.

For a few of the highlights of the opening session, read on…

READ MORE >

As a follow up to this summer’s Green Building 101 series, we thought we’d take a look at ways to locate green homes that have already been built. We’ve covered lots of strategies that go into sustainable home design and construction, but how can you find a green home in your area? And how can we raise the demand for these properties?

Here at Green Building 101, we’ve looked at many ways that you can design, build, and renovate your home with more attention to your health and the environment. This is the tenth installment in the series, and now that you’ve been thoroughly educated, we’re going to dig into the nitty gritty details. Get ready for glamour; we’re talking today about plug loads.

Ah, plug loads! Very exciting, you say…but what are they?! Let’s simplify. We’re talking about everything and anything that you plug in—major appliances, task lights, consumer electronics, home office products and a variety of miscellaneous tools and devices. Minus the lights, which Jill featured two weeks ago, we’re left with nearly 50 percent of an average home’s electricity bill. Lighting commonly adds another 15-20 percent. Space heating and cooling, cooking, and water heating make up the rest, and also comprise your natural gas bill. So let’s investigate the primary energy suckers.
READ MORE >