Inhabitat










Mike Chino

Mike is a writer, researcher, and musician based in San Francisco. He left sunny UC Santa Cruz with a B.A. in French and Modern literature and delved into publishing through a stint at ReadyMade Magazine. Inspired by the impact that forward thinking can have on the present, he has cultivated a voracious appetite for developments in sustainable architecture, design, and technology. Mike likes to bike, blog, and build things, and in his spare time he also cooks, produces music, and rocks out.
Mike Chino
May 8, 2008

SOLAR ENERGY AS CHEAP AS COAL!

by Mike Chino

Sunrgi solar power, sunrgi xtreme concentrated photovoltaics, renewable energy costs, renewable energy technology, solar technology, energy efficiency, cost-effective solar, sunrgi1

Energy company Sunrgi recently announced an astounding new solar system that will break our grids free from the fossil fuel lockdown. Their Xtreme Concentrated Photovoltaics promise a low-cost, high-efficiency system with an incredible projected energy pricing of 5 cents per kilowatt. This breakthrough puts solar on par with the cost of coal, natural gas, and other non-renewable energy sources.

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May 7, 2008

RAINPOD’s Beautiful Water Harvesting System

by Mike Chino

rainpod water storage system, landscape irrigation, rainwater harvesting, outdoor sculpture, yard irrigation, greywater harvesting, rainwater collection system, irrigation design, rainpod_1.jpg

Rain barrels, garbage cans, corrugated tanks… most water collection systems have a problem: they’ve got ugly written into their DNA. An unfortunate evolution, granted that rainwater storage has been practiced for more than 2,000 years. One would have hoped for a more elegant design by now! David l’Hôte’s Rainpod prototype rises to the occasion, pledging to better your battered cans with a simple, sleek design that uses only one operating principle: gravity.

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May 7, 2008

Next Gene20 Project: Cutting-edge Architecture in Taiwan

by Mike Chino

Next Gene20 Taiwan, architecture Taiwan, sustainable design Taiwan, green building Taiwan, environmental design Taiwan, architect competitions Taiwan, architect Taiwan, nextgen11.jpg

We have a passion for following future-forward architecture that pushes the envelope of environmental design. Imagine our excitement when we saw these recently released photos of Taiwan’s Next Gene 20! The project challenges 20 acclaimed architects to design 20 villas along the north-east coast of Taiwan. The selected architects include big international names such as MVRDV, Graft, Kengo Kuma, and Julien De Smedt as well as 10 up and coming Taiwanese architects. The designs showcase an impressive array of styles ranging from minimalist modules to elaborate biomorphisms, yet they are all united around the common goal of integrating seamlessly with their environment. These results are the fruit of an exciting cultural exchange, and they provide some cutting edge concepts for the future of architecture.

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May 6, 2008

BKLYN SNEAK PEEK: Lotta Jansdotter Soft Toys

by Mike Chino

BKLYN Designs toys, BKLYN Designs Lotta Jansdotter, BKLYN Designs children's products, eco-friendly children's toys, Scandinavian design, sustainable design toys, sustainable design linen, natural children's toys, natural toys, Jansdotter4

Forget Habby and Inhabipuppy, and get ready for the next round of eco-cuteness! Lotta Jansdotter’s adorable sustainable soft toys are the latest eco-apples of our eye with their beautiful color palette, smoothly shaped designs and environmentally friendly composition. The line consists of a blissful green whale, a sagacious herringbone owl, and a vibrant vermillion giraffe, each lovingly crafted by Scandinavian born Lotta Anderson. Her store, Lotta Jansdotter, is named after her daughter Jan, and carries a stunning selection of warm wool knits, playful prints, and pristine stationary. We love Lotta’s modern, natural aesthetic that stems from her childhood spent on the island of Åland (between Sweden and Finland) and her travels throughout the globe. We’ll be getting our hands on these sweet, sustainable toys at BKLYN Designs this weekend, and you can be sure that Abigail and Jill will be hitting this booth in the upcoming Mother’s Day Green Design Walking Tour on Sunday.

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May 5, 2008

METROPOLIS NEXT GENERATION 2008 Winner Announced!

by Mike Chino

2008 Metropolis Next Generation design competition, Next Generation design competition, Metropolis Next Generation, San Francisco architect Eric Olsen, architect Eric Olsen, Solar Water Disinfecting Tarpaulin, potable water solutions, drinking water solutions, drinking water purification, solar water disinfection, humanitarian design solutions

The 2008 Metropolis Magazine Next Generation design competition challenged young architects and designers to create a sustainable solution to make the world better, and safer, with ideas related to the theme of ‘water.’ We are thrilled to announce that this year’s $10,000 prize was awarded to San Francisco based architect and CCA professor Eric Olsen! Olsen’s winning design is a Solar Water Disinfecting Tarpaulin, a revolutionary design that promises to provide portable and potable water anywhere that it is needed.

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May 1, 2008

Cutting-Edge Cardboard Interior in Greece

by Mike Chino

Yiorgos Eleftheriades Athens, Papercut interior sculpture, dARCH Studio Athens, eco-friendly materials, recycled materials, sustainable interior design, cardboard paper sculpture, Yeshop1

We love this beautifully sculpted cardboard mille-feuille that lines the walls of Yiorgos Eleftheriades‘ Yeshop in Athens. Dubbed “Papercut”, the project was a collaboration between the fashion designer and dARCH Studio. It takes a multidisciplinary approach to interior design, synthesizing elements of fashion and architecture into a streamlined, self-illuminated, biomorphic installation that was handmade using all eco-friendly materials.

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May 1, 2008

Smog Eating Eco House in Cyprus

by Mike Chino

Iosa Ghini Associati, Cyprus, modern architecture in Cyprus, photo-catalytic concrete, anti-smog architecture, Mediterranean architecture, modern architecture in Cyprus, sustainable design, Iosa2

This striking modern structure cuts a profile every bit as sleek as it is streamlined for efficiency. It is composed of four single family units joined by a flowing fusion of glass and “smog-eating” photo-catalytic concrete, creating a series of separate yet structurally connected spaces. Italian architects Iosa Ghini Associati designed the residence to integrate seamlessly into its sweeping Mediterranean landscape, and its airy day-lit interiors benefit from a slick set of green features including adjustable solar panels, rainwater recycling, and a heat storage system.

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April 30, 2008

The World’s First LEED Platinum Museum

by Mike Chino

Water+Life Complex, Water+Life museum, LEED certified musuems, LEED certified buildings, LEED buildings California, LEED buildings CA, Michael Lehrer Architects LEED, Michael Lehrer Architects Hemet, green building, green architecture, eco building, eco architecture, Michael Lehrer Architects Los Angeles, Hemet1

The Water + Life Museums complex in Hemet, California, has just become the first museum to break the LEED Platinum barrier, beating out the California Academy of Sciences and scores of other hopeful projects. The stunning $40 million campus runs 72,000 square feet and was constructed by LA based Michael Lehrer Architects. The iconic cultural complex has done an incredible job of keeping a light footprint while adapting to a challenging desert climate that runs from freezing in the winter to more than 100 degrees in the summer.

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April 29, 2008

DINKINS GARDENS: Harlem’s First Affordable Green Housing

by Mike Chino

NYC green roofs, Harlem, New York City, Congregations for Community Improvement, Jonathan Rose Companies, green building in Harlem, recycled materials, social responsibility, sustainable architecture, community garden, David & Joyce Dinkins Gardens, sustainable building, dinkins3.jpg

Spring is off to a fresh start in New York as Harlem’s first affordable green community blossoms to life. Situated on West 153rd Street, David & Joyce Dinkins Gardens offers 85 units of affordable housing in addition to a 25,000 square foot youth center and a community garden. Jonathan Rose Companies and Harlem Congregations for Community Improvement developed the $19.5 million community to help repair the “physical, economic, cultural, and spiritual fabric of the neighborhood.” Towards these goals the project has kept costs low while integrating a noble set of social and environmental ideals governed by principles of diversity, interdependence, and environmental responsibility.

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April 28, 2008

Los Angeles Passes Ambitious Green Building Law

by Mike Chino

Los Angeles, green building, California, sustainable design, urban planning, CEC green building report, Commission for Environmental Cooperation, CoStar green building report, LEED in California, la.jpg

The past month has seen shock waves resonating throughout the world of sustainable architecture with two monumental reports on green building backed by some serious changes in public policy. First, the CEC released “Green Building in North America: Opportunities and Challenges”, which lauded sustainable buildings as the quickest, cheapest, and most substantive way to cut down on North American greenhouse gas emissions. Next, CoStar released a comparison report stating that LEED buildings consistently outperform their peers in terms of occupancy rates, sale prices, and rental rates, with demand far outnumbering their supply. And, last week on Earth Day, Los Angeles approved a green building ordinance that signifies a significant shift towards a policy and market-driven era of economically and environmentally viable building.

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April 25, 2008

PREFAB FRIDAY: PLUS HOUSE in Sweden

by Mike Chino

Arkitecthus, Swedish Barn House, Swedish prefab, green prefab, Claesson, Koivisto, Rune, Plus House, Plus prefab house, prefab friday, Sweden, barn, modular architecture, prefabricated housing, prefab homes, new prefab

Tending away from the industrious (and eponymous) prefabricated square, the Plus House embraces its Nordic roots and rural setting as a thoroughly modern take on the Swedish barn house. The two-story prefab is situated in Tyresö and was designed by the award winning Claesson, Koivisto, and Rune architects for Arkitekthus. We love how their distinctive design melds a classic wood-paneled profile with ethereal day-lit interiors, synthesizing traditional structure with the best in ultra-efficient modern construction.

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April 22, 2008

Sunken Subway Cars To Replace Eroding Barrier Reefs

by Mike Chino

MTA, subway, oceans, artificial reef, coral reef, Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environment, reef1.jpg

It’s a condo boom for sea creatures as retired New York subway cars are being hurled into the ocean deep. The initiative, headed by the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, has deposited hundreds of the vacant vessels in an effort to jump start a new reef 16 miles off the state’s coast. The concept has already shown great promise, transforming “a barren stretch of ocean floor into a bountiful oasis, carpeted in sea grasses, walled thick with blue mussels and sponges, and teeming with black sea bass and tautog.”

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April 21, 2008

World’s First OLED Lamp from Ingo Maurer

by Mike Chino

Ingo Maurer OLED, Ingo Maurer, eco lamp, green lighting, OLED, OLEDs, Osram, energy efficiency, energy efficient lighting, eco lighting, eco lamps, environment lamps, eco design, green design, green technology, Osram3

It’s an exciting time for OLED technology as it finally begins to integrate into the home and designers start to realize its potential for efficient and inexpensive lighting solutions in a variety of stunning new applications. Resembling a tiny tree blossoming with lucent leaves, Ingo Maurer’s Early Future lamp is the world’s first to pack energy efficient OLED lighting into a tabletop form factor.

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April 19, 2008

MILAN 2008: Fethi Atakol’s Functional Artwork

by Mike Chino

Fethi Atakol, Milan, Furniture Fair, recycled materials, Salone Satellite, Salone Internazionale del Mobile, reuse, materials, found objects, Fethi3

One of our favorite finds at this year’s green-themed Salone Satellite was the work of ascendent Swiss “redesigner” Fethi Atakol. His design debut would do Duchamp proud, as it showcased a wonderful assortment of “functional artworks” made from found objects. Atakol’s designs are funky and fun, joining together a disparate set of everyday items to extraordinary effect.

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April 18, 2008

MILAN 2008: Stephan Siepermann’s Leaft Lamp

by Mike Chino

lLED Milan, 2008, Salone, Furniture Fair, Stephen Siepermann, Lamp, lighting, Leaft Lamp, recycled materials, upcycling, Leaflamp1

The first day of Milan’s Salone Internazionale del Mobile was an exciting affair that showcased some of the the finest names in sustainable design. We were particularly captivated by the soft atmospheric glow cast by Stephan Siepermann’s Leaft lamps. Each luminescent leaf is composed of recycled (or ‘upcycled’) plastic casts that wind together into a binding branch. The effect is magical, weaving fine lucent lines into a delicate interplay of light and shadow.

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April 17, 2008

MILAN 2008: TRØKK16 Frøy Chair

by Mike Chino

Milan Salone 2008 Milan Furniture Fair Froy chair Furniture Scandinavian design TROKK16, froychairsalone1.jpg

TRØKK16 are turning heads left and right at this year’s Milan Furniture Fair with an elegantly engineered line of prototypes including the graceful Frøy Chair. A modern update on the side chair, it makes smart use of natural materials with a slim design that seamlessly joins ergonomic angles with distinctive stature. A set of elegantly tapered back legs bloom into the chair’s split backrest that is made from laminated wood. Frøy is composed of solid ash and addresses the modern model of “good design” that is beautiful and built to last.

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April 14, 2008

Transparent Solar Windows Set to Energize Homes

by Mike Chino

Queensland University of Technology, John Bell, solar, energy, transparent, windows, renewable Dyesol, technology, solarglass1.jpg

The Queensland University of Technology recently announced that it has been working with Dyesol to develop an innovative solar cell technology that re-envisions windows as clear, clean energy providers. Professor John Bell has said that these dye-infused solar cells would significantly reduce building energy costs, and could even generate surplus energy to be stored or sold. The development has been touted as the most promising advance in solar cell technology since the invention of the silicon cell.

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April 10, 2008

BEIJING BIRDSNEST: New Pics of Herzog + deMeuron’s stadium

by Mike Chino

Beijing Birdsnest, Beijing Olympic Stadium, Herzog + deMeuron, Herzog and DeMeuron, Herzog & deMeuron, Chinese Olympic Stadium, stunning news photos, Andy Ryan photography, photography by Andy Ryan

The 2008 Olympics have found China caught in the center of a heated nexus of political and social controversy, with human rights and of course the Tibet issue popping up to disturb Olympic revelers’ idealist visions for the celebration. While originally commissioned as a monument to Beijing’s might, Herzog and deMeuron’s stunning Bird’s Nest Olympic Stadium, (looking as spectacular as we imagined it), perhaps now better symbolizes the complex web of problems and paradox assailing modern China. Photographer Andy Ryan has recently released a eye-catchign set of photos depicting the structure silently weathering its storm-ridden cultural context. Divorced from scenes of social turmoil, these frames capture the architectural marvel’s complex and implacable beauty.

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April 10, 2008

SOLAR BALLOONS: SunHope Renewable Energy

by Mike Chino

Joseph Cory, Cory Solar Balloons, Geotectura Solar Balloons, Geotectura, SunHopes, SunHope solar balloons, solar balloons, Israeli architect, Technion, Pini Gurfil, photovoltaic, renewable energy, remote energy, solar concept,

What could be more refreshing than casting off your carbon shackles with a bunch of solar balloons? Our favorite environmental architect visionary, Joseph Cory, of Geotectura has seized this dream with an award winning way to take solar energy to the skies. He’s teamed up with Technion aerospace engineer Dr. Pini Gurfil to develop an an array of helium filled platforms constructed from a new fabric coated with photovoltaic solar cells. Dubbed Sunhope, the project is showing great promise as a low-cost deployable system that would harness solar energy while maintaining a minuscule environmental footprint.

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April 10, 2008

World’s Largest Solar Power Plant Coming To CA Mojave Desert

by Mike Chino

Solar Power Plant, World’s Largest Solar Power Plant, Solar Energy, Photovoltaics, PG&E, Solar Power, solar-thermal energy, Brightsource Energy, distributed power tower, mojave desert, Pacific Gas and Electric

With California utilities expanding rapidly into renewables, the Mojave Desert is one of the hottest spots for solar energy. Last year, plans for the world’s largest solar array got underway in this ideal energy harvesting setting and the latest news is just as groundbreaking. Pacific Gas and Electric recently signed the world’s largest solar deal to date, teaming up with BrightSource Energy to produce three new solar-thermal electric plants for a whopping 500 megawatts of clean green power. The $2 to $3 billion dollar deal provides options for additional plants (up to 900 megawatts total), which would be enough to power 375,000 Californian homes!

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April 9, 2008

Paris’ Orly First European Airport to Use Geothermal Heating

by Mike Chino

Orly Airport, France, Paris, geothermal heating, geoexchange, Aeroports de Paris, Pierre Graff, travel, energy, renewable energy, orly1.jpg

Orly Airport has recently announced that it plans to provide more than a third of its heating needs via geothermal energy. Slated for completion in 2011, the $17 million dollar project will cut annual CO2 emissions by 7,000 tons from the current level of 20,000 tons. As France’s second busiest airport, Orly aims to be its greenest by launching of a vast program intended to increase its energy efficiency by 20% by 2020 and 40% by 2040.

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April 9, 2008

New Liverpool Observatory Aims for Carbon Neutral

by Mike Chino

Crosby, Duggan Morris Architects, Mersey Observatory, sustainable architecture, Green building, England, Mersey Observatory2

Invoking the shape of myriad objects, this futuristic architectural design is shortlisted in an international contest to create a new observatory in Liverpool, England, reminding us that space-age proposals have a great way of stirring the imagination. Charged with reinventing the Mersey riverbank, Duggan Morris Architects‘ structure will supplant an obsolete radar tower with a luminous cathedral-like shell that offers unparalleled views of the heavens while keeping its environs in close consideration.

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April 8, 2008

BOO HISS! Legislature pulls plug on NYC congestion pricing plan

by Mike Chino

New York City, Traffic Congestion Plan, New York City Assembly, pricing plan, legislature, nyctraffic1.jpg

In a deadening blow to a breathe-easy future for New York, the State Assembly has just shot down Mayor Bloomberg’s implementation plan for congestion mitigation. The proposal would have mobilized $354 million in federal grants to simultaneously tackle two dire transportation problems, alleviating inner-city traffic while providing a steady source of income for the funds-starved Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Early last week New York’s City Council had approved of the plan with a 30-20 vote, but it was snuffed by a secretive vote conducted by State Assembly higher ups.

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April 7, 2008

ANNOUNCING: One Good Chair Competition!

by Mike Chino

One Good Chair Competition, Lance Hosey, Cradle to Cradle, eco design, green design, sustainable design, green chair, eco chair, sustainable chair, eco furniture design, environmental furniture, green furniture design, sustainable furniture design, Chair design competition, chair contest, Annie recycle shopping cart chair from reestore designimage shows ‘Annie’ - the recycled shopping cart chair from Reestore Design

Calling all eco furniture designers!

All green ID geniuses! All chair connoisseurs! Here’s your chance to conjure up an innovative armchair in keeping with the tenets of “good” (ie “green”) design. The One Good Chair Competition is looking for some smart new designs that balance beauty with comfort while letting sustainable forms shine through. The winning team will receive $4,500 to help realize their design as a prototype.

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April 7, 2008

Solar Desk to Liberate Cubicle-Bound Hordes

by Mike Chino

green furniture, Mathias Schnyder, solar desk, solar workspace, sustainable energy, renewable energy, solardesk3.jpg

Office Workers rejoice! No longer shall sweet Spring breezes and the splendid Summer sun tempt thy shade-drawn domain! Shirk off thy cubicles, thy mouse and keyboard manacles! Too dramatic? Well, at any rate, this solar powered outdoor workspace by Mathias Schnyder offers an attractive office alternative for desk-bound drones seeking to brighten their work environment.

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April 7, 2008

Tiny Pill-Sized Plasma Bulb is Brighter Than Streetlight

by Mike Chino

Luxim, Pill bulb, tiny pill light bulb plasma bulb, halodes, super bright light bulb, eco lighting, green lighting, sustainable lighting, energy efficient lighting, lumen, pill-sized plasma bulb, argon gas, super-bulb, LED, light bulb

Luxim labs recently unveiled an incredibly energy efficient light bulb that packs more luminosity than a street lamp into a pill-sized form factor. Each bulb is filled with argon gas, which turns to plasma when electricity is focused through it. The energy is driven to the bulb without electrodes. The resulting light is intensely bright and mirrors the quality of light radiated by the sun, yet is produced by one of the smallest, most energy efficient light sources we’ve seen.

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April 4, 2008

OLD STONE HIGHWAY HOUSE: Modern future forward design

by Mike Chino

Berg Design, energy star, John Berg, kynar, low-e glass, mid-century modern, Old Stone Highway House, saline pool, sips, structural insulated panels, sustainable architecture, Highway1

Founded in 2001, Berg Design offers gorgeous sustainable solutions to residential projects. Their Old Stone Highway house was designed by John Berg as a “Single Family Residence with Environmentally Low Impact Building Technology”. We totally dig their uncompromising approach to housing that is luxurious, super green, and chock full of mid-century charm.

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