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Germany’s Solar Coated surPLUShome Wins Solar Decathlon!

by Bridgette Meinhold, 10/16/09

solar decathlon, solar decathlon 2009, winners, winner, Team Germany, Illinois, net metering, solar power, net zero, pv panels, energy efficient design

The final results just rolled in from this year’s Solar Decathlon, and team Germany’s sleek surPLUShome finished first in an incredible upset victory! The German team took top honors in the Net Metering and Engineering categories this morning, steamrolling the competition to secure their second Decathlon win. This year’s home features a sleek, dark facade that is almost completely covered in photovoltaic panels and can provide more than twice the amount of energy it needs. Check out our cool video from America.gov about the house after the jump!


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urbanSHED: Design a Better Sidewalk Shed and Win $10,000!

by Mike Chino, 09/14/09

sustainable design, green design, urbanshed, public space, competition, architecture, urban design

Heads up all engineers, architects, and designers in NYC! The urbanSHED design competition is looking for a better sidewalk shed, and they’re giving away $25,000 in prizes plus the chance to construct the winning design! Anyone who’s every visited a dense city is likely to be familiar with these unsightly scaffolded spaces – sure, they may protect your head from falling construction debris, but they tend to be plastered with posters, blot out the sky, and are downright fugly. If you have an idea for a better sidewalk shed that’s sustainable, economical, meets safety requirements and makes New York City a better environment for it’s residents then submit your design today – there’s only three days left to register and submissions are due on October 2nd.

+ urbanSHED Design Competition


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Rotterdam Plans Most Sustainable Building in the Netherlands

by Bridgette Meinhold, 09/10/09

rotterdam city-hall, rotterdam, city-hall, extension, competition, sustainable building

The city of Rotterdam recently released a bevy of gorgeous green designs for a new mixed-use city hall building that will become “the most sustainable in The Netherlands”. The city challenged designers to create something spectacular, something that will be super energy efficient, use sustainable materials, be useful for various people and events, generate its own energy, recycle and take out its own trash. Well, ok maybe not take out its own trash, but you get the drift. Read on for a look at the five stunning finalists – Claus en Kaan Architecten, Mecanoo Architecten, Meyer en van Schooten Architecten, OMA and SeARCH, all whom were chosen to display their designs at NAI until September 13th to receive public feedback.


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There’s Still Time to Win an Eco-Friendly Cobi Office Chair!

by Kevin Dalias, 08/23/09

Cobi Eco Office Chair, cobi competition, eco office chair

Now that I’ve spent a bit of time with my Cobi chair, I feel it’s only fair that I tell you all a little about my experience. Long story short, I love it. It’s improved my working posture, comfort, and most importantly, my ability to sit at my desk for the entire workday. Most surprising of all, its balancing mechanisms, which are intended to focus on center of gravity rather than weight, actually work well. The chair comes in just about any color you could want, and SmartFurniture.com’s 3-Minute Design Tool makes it easy to get a little adventurous. Read on to see how you can win a Cobi chair of your own for free!



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REMINDER: Enter the ReBURBIA Design Competition!

REMINDER: Enter the ReBURBIA Design Competition!

CALLING ALL ARCHITECTS, DESIGNERS & ECO-EVANGELISTS!
In case you missed it, last week we announced a design competition with Dwell Magazine called ReBURBIA: which asks you how you would redesign the suburbs for a more sustainable future. For example, how can we transform vacant big box stories, foreclosed McMansions, and empty cul-de-sacs into vibrant, living, breathing, walkable communities? What are the energy and transportation …

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Announcing: The Comcast Town Design Contest Winner!

Announcing: The Comcast Town Design Contest Winner!

You may remember that back in April we announced a design contest to do a virtual room makeover in Comcast Town. The prize was a collection of sweet new home entertainment electronics and a green room makeover by our editor-in-chief (and green designer extraordinaire) Jill Fehrenbacher.

Well, it is our sincerest pleasure to announce that the winner of the Comcast Town Interior Design Contest is… …

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Registration Open for the 2010 eVolvo Skyscraper Competition

Registration Open for the 2010 eVolvo Skyscraper Competition

As the world’s population shifts from rural areas towards dense urban cores, skyscrapers, urban infill, and redevelopment will become even more important in the structure of our lives. Now In its 6th year, the eVolo Skyscraper Competition is currently accepting entries for future-forward skyscrapers that redefine how we envision urban design. They’re looking for buildings which examine the relationship between the skyscraper and the natural world, the skyscraper and the community and the skyscraper and urban living, so if you have a project that pushes the envelope in these areas register today!


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300% More Efficient Saturn VUE Wins EcoCAR Challenge

300% More Efficient Saturn VUE Wins EcoCAR Challenge

Ohio State University recently took top honors in the 2009 EcoCAR Competition, which challenged students across the US and Canada to redesign a standard Saturn VUE into an ultra-efficient vehicle. Their winning EcoCAR utilizes a lithium battery and an ethanol-fueled engine to achieve an incredible 300% increase in fuel efficiency over its standard model counterpart! The vehicle took plenty of man hours, good design and well-honed math skills, but the end result proves that future-forward vehicles can be built with the technology of today.


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ECO-VIS CHALLENGE: Imagining Better Ways of Living

ECO-VIS CHALLENGE: Imagining Better Ways of Living

After the very exciting 2007 Conflux Festival in Brooklyn, NY, we are excited announce a new competition that challenges designers to improve the visual representation of eco-statistics. Check out Eyebeam’s sponsorship of the Eco-Vis Challenge- you can submit an eco-icon or a graphic representation of a set of important environmental data. This is a great way for graphic designers to play an integral part in the eco-dialog.

Deadlines are November 5th and December 8th.
Check out all the details here>>>


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SOLAR DECATHLON: Solar house design competition

SOLAR DECATHLON: Solar house design competition

How difficult is it to design a house fully powered by the sun? That’s what the U.S. Department of Energy is trying to find out. To do this, they have staged, once again, the Solar decathlon, a competition challenging 20 college teams from around the globe to design, build, and operate an energy-efficient, fully solar-powered house that will be able to satisfy the needs of a typical family, and look good doing it.


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