Inhabitat


Garden Sheds Are an Explosion of Architectural Experimentation

by Lloyd Alter, 11/04/09

sustainable design, green design, architecture, building, prefab architecture, garden sheds

Mark Twain had a garden shed; he called it “the loveliest study you ever saw…octagonal with a peaked roof, each face filled with a spacious window…perched in complete isolation on the top of an elevation that commands leagues of valley and city and retreating ranges of distant blue hills. It is a cozy nest and just room in it for a sofa, table, and three or four chairs, and when the storms sweep down the remote valley and the lighting flashes behind the hills beyond and the rain beats upon the roof over my head—imagine the luxury of it.”

But in recent times, the humble garden shed has become an outlet for designers to experiment in small spaces that often slide under the radar of zoning bylaws, providing extra room for study, relaxation or just getting away from everyone else.

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Colossal Green Volcano Building Rises in Italy

by Mike Chino, 09/14/09

sustainable design, green design, volcano buono, renzo piano, green roof, sustainable architecture, building, energy efficient architecture

A jaw-dropping feat of architecture has risen in the Italian city of Nola, just a stone’s throw away from the cataclysmic Mt. Vesuvius. Designed by Renzo Piano, Vulcano Buono is an epic cone-shaped commercial center crowned with a gorgeous sloping green roof. Piano’s “good volcano” contributes a vital new space to the southern edge of the Nola commercial district, which is the most most important freight terminal complex in southern and central Italy.

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LIFECYCLE BUILDING CHALLENGE: Pavilion in the Park

by Jorge Chapa, 10/15/07

Pavilion in the Park, lifecycle, building, winner, prefab, architecture, dematerialization, demountable, transportable

The winners for the Lifecycle Building Challenge were just announced last week with Seattle’s ‘Pavilion in the Park’ building taking top honors, and for good reason. The building, designed by Miller|Hull, is green in purpose and material, but sets itself apart in its cradle-to-cradle nature- it can be completely disassembled and transported to a whole new location! The system exemplifies the issues of construction and deconstruction with minimal waste that the Lifecycle Building Challenge hoped to address.


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UNITED NATIONS HQ GOES GREEN

by Jorge Chapa, 08/27/07

United Nations, UN, headquarters, green, building, landmark, energy efficiency, solar panels, sensors, lighting, asbestos

If there ever were a building in the world that should be as green as possible, the United Nations Headquarters in New York would probably be it. The good news: the UN seems to agree. The almost-60-year-old building, one of the most influential and iconic buildings on the Manhattan skyline, will be undergoing extensive renovations that will transform the building into a model of energy efficiency for all to follow.

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STEVEN HOLLS’S HERNING CENTER OF THE ARTS

STEVEN HOLLS’S HERNING CENTER OF THE ARTS

A few days ago we got word that the Herning Center of the Arts building, designed by Steven Holl, broke ground in Denmark. As with other projects by Holl, this building is a playful combination of light, shape and meaning that manages to work both as a museum and as an architectural showpiece.

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PREFAB FRIDAY: Macarthur Gardens Sales Office

PREFAB FRIDAY: Macarthur Gardens Sales Office

Supple Designs of Australia was given a unique brief by a residential client developing 900 lots west of Sydney: a building was needed to be a showcase to entice future homeowners. The developers wanted this building to make a bold architectural statement, highlight both a sustainable lifestyle and construction, and to be sturdy enough to be disassembled and relocated for the same purpose in the near future. Using prefabricated components, Supple Designs produced a well blended mix of modernist ideals, warm “homey” moments, structural expressionism, and a visible eco-friendly statement to serve as a prototype for a more environmentally friendly suburbia.

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LOTS MORE GREAT GREEN DESIGN STORIES HERE... KEEP READING!