Inhabitat » Renovation

Incredible LEGO Kitchen Renovation

A lot of us can recall spending hours upon hours of stacking colorful Legos into shapes and sizes that tickled our imagination as children. While some of us outgrew that phase, thankfully some of us didn’t forget the charm of the little Lego man’s smile or the amazingness contained within every little block. As Parisian designers Simon Pillard and Philippe Rosetti have proved with their chromatic Munchausen Lego Kitchen: you’re never to old to play with Legos!

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Water Pumping Plant Renovated Into Gorgeous Living Space

by Diane Pham, 10/22/09

Berlin is a burgeoning modern city with a compelling history, a diverse culture, abundant art, and distinctive architecture that rivals the likes of Paris, London and New York. But if there is one thing that can set the city apart from its pricey peers, it’s the unbelievably inexpensive property. Not unlike many of the uber-creative expatriates that have taken up residence there, two enterprising artists, Michael Elmgreen and Ingar Dragset, decided it was time to purchase and renovate a place of their own. So what can $700,000 get you in a city like Berlin? An apartment? A loft? Maybe a small house? How about a massive water pumping station!

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Lessons We Can Learn From Old Buildings And Apply to New Ones

by Lloyd Alter, 10/15/09

Buildings consume 76% of electricity generated; they create 48% of our greenhouse gases; a quarter of our waste in landfills comes from construction. Yet we continue to tear down perfectly good ones and replace them with new ones that don’t perform as well and don’t last as long. If we understood what old buildings are saying to us, we would be less eager to rip them down, and perhaps might even emulate them in our new buildings. Read on for examples.

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Sustainable Renovation of Zoo Showcases Conservation Efforts

by Bridgette Meinhold, 10/15/09

A historic zoo in Vincennes, France, originally built in 1934 is looking to complete a major renovation, boosting itself to sustainable park status. Backed by the French government, the Prime Minister pledged to help engage a public/private partnership to complete the project. With a focus on conservation, education and awareness, the renovated zoo will feature six exciting “biozones” to replicate endangered areas of the world. Run partially on solar power, the zoo will showcase several green buildings and sustainable landscape design.

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Gigantic Coal Gasometers Transformed into Thriving Communities

In 1896 the Viennese authorities decided to invest in large-scale gas and electric utilities, so they constructed what became Europe’s largest gas plant. After nearly a century long run the plant was decommissioned, and left behind were four massive gasometers. These incredible structures were cast off, but a recent revitalization project led by Jean Nouvel, Coop Himmelb(l)au, Manfred Wehdorn, and Wilhelm Holzbauer have transformed these four tanks into spectacular and thriving communities.

Bay Line: A High Line Park for San Francisco’s Bay Bridge

San Francisco’s Bay Bridge is currently undergoing a massive renovation as an aging section of the East Bay span is replaced with a new one, and the old conduit has fired up architects’ imaginations for new ways to use the soon-to-be abandoned space. Inspired by the success of New York’s recently opened High Line Park, Rael San Fratello Architects haver proposed a hanging neighborhood and sky park complete with 1.92 miles of bicycle paths, climbing walls, gardens, and meadows.

Ancient Church Renovated into Modern Bookstore

Whether you’re religious or not, this old Dominican church will certainly bring you the enlightenment you’ve been seeking. After months of renovation this magnificent structure originally constructed in 1294 has opened its doors to the public as a “brand new” bookstore in the heart of Maastricht. A superb example of adaptive re-use, the Selexyz Dominicanen infuses rich and historic architecture with plentiful shelves ripe with information.

Stunning Victorian Renovation Showcases Decades of SF History

One of our favorite projects from last weekend’s AIA Home Tours was a stunning historic victorian that was constructed in San Francisco’s Cole Valley in 1896, weathered the trippy 60’s and 70’s, and was recently renovated by Mork-Ulnes Design. The beautiful renovation tempers the warp and warble of the home’s eclectic past with pops of modern scandinavian design, the extensive use of salvaged materials reclaimed from the building, and skylights that suffuse the interior spaces in daylight.

Ames Cottage: A Small Space Marvel with Historic Roots

One trend we noticed in this year’s AIA Homes Tours in San Francisco was how the frugal use of floor space and an abundance of natural light can add volume to otherwise downsized floor plans. Boor Bridges Architects managed to do just this in the adaptive re-use of a 1940s tap dancing studio, formerly used by famed dancer Betty Mae, into a kind of urban luxury cottage marked by modern minimalism and subtle hints of years past.

Warehouse Renovation Showcases Sustainable Materials

When Atlanta based ad agency The Jones Group decided it was time to revamp their image and headquarters, they turned to designer Caryn Grossman of CG Creative Interiors to complete the task. With two early 1900’s warehouses now in her hands and limitless possibilities, the crafty designer decided it was best not to skimp on the green. Her carefully drafted program called for the application of only sustainable materials and low-impact fabrication and construction, and what resulted was a striking environment ready to stir creativity within the new office.

The White House Takes Aim at LEED Certification

The White House is doing its part in leading the way to a more sustainable nation. Not only are they growing their own food on site with Michelle Obama’s garden, but now even they’re aiming for LEED certification! The Obamas are trying to show that reducing energy use and leading a greener life really aren’t that hard. This certainly isn’t the first attempt to green the White House, but it’s definitely the most significant attempt to date. The Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) and the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) are leading the effort to upgrade to more energy efficient equipment, improve procurement, reduce waste and toxins and lower the overall carbon footprint of the complex.

Retrofitted Hotel Revives Past For Eco-Friendly Future

Recover, restore, and reuse. That was the mantra employed by Portugal-based architecture team Ezzo, led by César Machado Moreira, in designing Paço De Pombeiro, a twentieth-century rural hotel in Felgueiras, Portugal. The hotel is located on 24-acres of farmland which are primarily used as vineyards, and had existing sixteenth-century buildings. The architects wanted to revive the old structure, so they designed the hotel to complement and enhance the characteristics of the existing structures — and provide space and amenities for up to 22 guests and an outdoor swimming pool.

Zeppelin House is a Treetop Escape

Magically appearing from the trees along Great Ocean Road, Australia is Cocoon, an incredible weekend getaway by the terrific design duo Bellemo & Cat. One part zeppelin, one part finely-crafted yacht, Cocoon was conceived as a “a matchbox inside an egg, a rectangle within an oval.”

Sky-High House Sits Atop a Water Tower

We love hearing about old structures being converted into comfortable living spaces, but a water tower?! Dubbed the “House in the Clouds”, this architectural marvel was constructed 85 years ago as a water tower to serve the township of Thorpeness in Suffolk, England, but today it serves as a bed and breakfast for anyone searching for a getaway overlooking England’s low lying hills. Read on for the tower’s history, which is just as curious as the tower itself.

Urban Sprawl Repair Kit Offers Simple Plans to Fix Suburbia

The suburban landscape consists largely of endless expanses of paved parking lots pocked with strip malls, gas stations, chain restaurants, and McMansions. Rather than razing these structures with the aim of greening the suburbs, Galina Tahchieva proposes that we retrofit them to create “a more diverse, cohesive urban fabric within a walkable and identifiable public realm.” The winner of the People’s Choice Award in our Reburbia competition with over 2,300 votes, the Urban Sprawl Repair Kit offers a go-to set of solutions for transforming 5 structures spawned from suburban sprawl into mixed-use models of urban efficiency.

ReBurbia Favorite Notable Mentions

With voting on our top 20 ReBurbia finalists set to close in less than 8 hours, we’d like to take a moment to pause and consider some of incredible submissions that didn’t quite make the list. Greening the suburbs is no easy task, and we were thoroughly impressed with the wealth of varied approaches that our entrants submitted. From elegantly repurposed highway overpasses to scorched-earth end of the world parties, to golf courses-turned energy-generating cemeteries, read on for our notable entries from over 400 submissions!

Renovated Seattle Residence Part of Eco-Community Living

Located on a dense shoreline on Portage Bay in Seattle, WA, the Lobster Boat Residence, designed by Seattle-based Chadborne + Doss Architects, is beautiful home that leaves a small footprint. The home was re-modeled from its original state as a 24′ x 26′ residence with a ground floor and basement. As part of a larger shoreline community, the inhabitants of the Lobster Boat Residence shares waterfront access, parking, utilities and a vegetable garden with neighbors.

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 …

Renovated Beach House Gets Ventilated Wood Skin

Home renovations and upgrades typically involve painting the house, re-tiling the bathroom floor or converting the garage into a room for Grandma. But when presented with the opportunity to re-vamp an existing house in Casablanca, Chile, architects Jose Ulloa Davet and Delphine Ding didn’t shy away from taking the route of Extreme Home Makeover. As striking as the views that surround it, the two architects were able to transform a lackluster 90’s beach house into a gorgeous, angular construction overlooking the South Pacific.

Sears Tower Going Green With $350 Million Renovation

Just like the Empire State Building, the famed Sears Tower in Chicago will be soon receiving some major eco upgrades to become more energy efficient. Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture is responsible for the upgrade plans as well as a brand new 50-story luxury hotel to be built right next to the tower. The eco upgrade will reduce energy consuption by 68,000,000 kWh per year or the equivalent of 50,000 barrels of crude oil. Costs for the renovation are estimated at $350 million dollars for tower, which will soon be renamed Willis Tower.

Vote for Your Favorite Comcast Town Apartment Design!

Thousands of you tested out your virtual home renovation skills in our Comcast Town Contest but only 4 talented apartment designs made the final cut. Now it’s time for your vote to decide the winner of a ginormous jackpot, including a 40-inch Sony BRAVIA® HDTV, a Sony VAIO® AW laptop and a Philips digital phone as well as a REAL room remodel worth up to …

Toronto’s Ambitious Tower Renewal Project

Much like every big city, Toronto has an aging array of Post WW-II high rise apartment buildings. When they were built in the 1960’s they were considered the height of modernity and dense urban design, but now as they are close to reaching the end of their intended lifespan, they are hugely inefficient and lack the qualities that make a sustainable, viable, urban community. There are no markets or grocery stores, inadequate public transportation, and little retail or local jobs. Rather than tear the towers down to start anew, the Mayor and City of Toronto want to use this vast resource of buildings and revitalize the city to become a more sustainable, walkable, greener community.

Create a Virtual Room in Comcast Town and Win a Real Remodel!

Have a vision for your dream apartment? Great – Comcast recently rolled Comcast Town, a blue-sky space to live out your wildest interior design dreams! It’s a bit like Google Sketchup, except that you can customize your virtual apartment with everything from Eames-like desk units and Aarnio-esque ball chairs to growing grass carpets, alien rugs… and… squirrel phones. Best of all, Comcast is hosting an online design competition for the best room, and the winner will receive a REAL room remodel to their actual house worth up to $30,000 and done by our very own Jill Fehrenbacher! Getting started is a snap – just check out the video above and head over to Comcast Town to create your dream apartment!

The contest deadline is Thursday May 14th at 11:59 PST, so submit your design today!

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Empire State Building to Receive Eco Renovation

The Empire State Building, once the world’s tallest building and the skyscraper famously scaled by King Kong, is now set for a $100 million ‘green renovation.’ The great symbol of New York and America, which sits in the heart of midtown Manhattan (one of the most efficient cities in the nation with per capita emissions one third the US average), just underwent an eight month modeling and analysis program and will receive a massive overhaul. The Clinton Climate Initiative, Johnson Controls Inc., Jones Lang LaSalle and the Rocky Mountain Institute partnered to come up with a plan to reduce the building’s energy consumption by 38 percent, or $4.4 million, annually!

Re-Cover House Wins AIA Award for Renovations

When the new owners of this beautiful wood-clad home decided they needed to update and add a bit more space to the house, who better to renovate it than the architects who designed the original? Re-enter, New York-based Bates Masi + Architects, who worked out a plan to enlarge the kitchen and dining areas, modernize the bathrooms, and refinish the floors, walls and counter tops. Materials and wood from the house were kept and re-used in the renovation, minimizing the need for new materials.