Felix Jerusalem's Stroh Haus

I complained the other day about not having seen anything really interesting in a while, and then my buddy Justin at Materialicio.us answers the call with this amazing find - the Stroh Haus by Swiss architect Felix Jerusalem. This home has several things going for it that really appeal to me. First, it has a simple, clean plan. Second, that green exterior is my favorite color. Third, I am fascinated with translucent panels, and the Stroh Haus uses them as exterior sheathing to groovy effect. Lastly, the house utilizes a really interesting type of construction material - straw pre-formed into structural elements. That's a slick approach that ought to have some legs.








Thanks Juzz!

Image credits - Stroh Haus site

Rammed Earth is for Everyone!

If you're into rammed earth building, don't miss this blog: Rammed Earth is for Everyone. You can't beat the enthusiasm of that name! The site highlights rammed earth projects all around the world, offers nice Youtube and Flickr finds, and has a great selection of links in its sidebar. It's proprietor is a rammed earth consultant who shares both interesting technical information as well as an intriguing and thought provoking world view. Definitely worth a look if you're an earth building enthusiast and/or you find yourself pondering the nature of man's impact on the Earth on a regular basis.

Via Earth Architecture (of course!).

745 Navy For Sale [sigh]

One of my dream homes is for sale. Sadly, it's in California, is listed for $849k, and only has one bedroom and one bathroom - while I live in Michigan with a family of four and a budget smaller than a postage stamp.

The luscious 745 Navy is on the market. Here are a few pics from the real estate site Curbed LA, and a few more from The Value of Architecture - Los Angeles, a site that showcases architectural properties with the goal of raising awareness of the value of good design. For the best pics, though, check out this excellent slide show from Bulldog Realtors.




745 Navy is a bright and breezy little bungalow of just 700 square feet. It's clean and casual. Just look at that translucent wall! Amazing! I just love that. I also like the concrete floors, the funky carpet treatment in the bedroom, and the fact that it's a remodel of an existing home. It's the kind of place I can easily imagine myself living in.

However, it's not quite the kind of place I can imagine my wife and two kids living in with me, although apparently there's an existing, approved plan for a two-story addition! But for now I think I'll just have to be impressed with it's sunny, groovy design and store away a few ideas for another day.

Tom Kundig's Sublime House - "The Brain"

On Saturday I was hanging around the architecture section of my local Barnes & Noble, looking for something new. I found a nice book on houses by Tom Kundig of Olson Sundberg Kundig Allen Architects. I also just caught this post on Shedworking covering several of the firm's brilliant cabin-like houses.

Tom Kundig: Houses

I resisted buying the book, though I'd really like to have it. It's very nice and Kundig's work is amazing. The house on the cover, Chicken Point Cabin, has been shown everywhere, and for good reason. It's pretty spectacular, and that giant, tilting window and the unusual mechanical folly for opening it are sublime.


Visiting the OSKA site, I found that the house I liked most wasn't one of the groovy cabins I'd spotted in a lot of the blogs and architecture mags. I was taken by the "The Brain," a fascinating concrete monolith built for a filmmaker.

"The form is essentially a cast-in-place concrete box, intended to be a strong yet neutral background that provides complete flexibility to adapt the space at will." - OSKA site

That's wonderful. I love the way the house rests on its site, half hidden, with creeping vines growing all over it. I hate big ugly garages hanging off the side of a house, parasitic, distorting proportions, so I was delighted to see this house with the garages tucked neatly underneath, buried into the slope of the landscape. No yard either - excellent!



The austere concrete exterior belies a more playful space inside: wonderful bookshelves (just look at 'em!), interesting lighting, a fireman's pole, and an amusing custom staircase.




Yes, this is a house I can see myself living in. The only exception I take with it, and with most Kundig houses frankly, is that they all look like bachelor pads. I'm married with children. But I think the wife and kids could adapt. Who wouldn't want to live in a house with a fireman's pole?

_____________________________________________________
Addendum:

I should have pointed out this very good Seattle Times article about "The Brain." I've realized since writing this post that "The Brain" is a garage/studio, not intended to be a residence. Thanks to those who left comments pointing that out. It is also worth noting that Kundig received an AIA award for "The Brain" in 2004.

Oh well, even though it's not technically a house I'm still very inspired by it!

Image credits - Amazon listing (book), OSKA Architects site

Rammed Earth Homes With SIREWALLs from Terra Firma Builders Ltd.

I've admired rammed earth homes for a long time, even though they're not really appropriate for the climate I live in. It's just that rammed earth walls are mesmerizing to look at. I get lost staring at the different layers of soil, in varying subtle shades of earth tone, flowing gracefully along along a wall. To my eye, rammed earth walls epitomize the very essence of natural beauty.

I can't think of any rammed earth builder that does it better than Terra Firma Builders Ltd. They have a way of crafting the most gracefully curved walls. Their designs blend with the surrounding landscape. Inside, massive earthen walls and sturdy timbers comfortably intertwine with delicate, artistic finishing. It's a totally unique aesthetic.










Terra Firma's website is fantastic. There's a wealth of images of their work in their portfolio. There's also a great explanation of why rammed earth is an effective, sustainable building solution.

Probably the most interesting thing I found on their site is that they use an unusual insulated rammed earth wall approach called SIREWALL (SIRE = Stabilized Insulated Rammed Earth). SIREWALL was developed by Meyer Krayenhoff, an environmental builder of over thirty years, who also founded Terra Firma. Here's an explanation from the SIREWALL site:

Stabilized, Insulated, Rammed Earth (SIRE) walls are made using rebar and insulation enveloped with the mass of 14 – 20 inches of rammed earth. This combination, along with SIREWALL®’s system for quality control and soil blending, builds walls that exceed current standards for energy efficiency and compressive strength. SIREWALL’s customizable forms refined over the last fifteen years by SIREWALL’s expert builders, work seamlessly with unique designs and modern finishes that have timeless appeal.

I always thought that would work. We've seen that concept applied to concrete walls, so why not rammed earth too? Actually, reading their FAQ, and noting that they're in Canada and do their building in British Columbia, I've learned that rammed earth can be a solution for climates other than hot, arid deserts, especially with the SIREWALL approach in place.

Note that Terra Firma builds complete homes only on their home turf. But they will build walls elsewhere, and let your builder finish the house. They also train and certify builders in the SIREWALL system, and offer design and consulting services. Wherever you are, whatever type of rammed earth project you might be considering, I think these would be the people to talk to.

I have new hope of living in a rammed earth house yet!

Image credits - Terra Firma site

Invoking Eames - Take Two - LaMiDesign's Steel Case House

A few days ago I was daydreaming of the Eames House and posted up some newer homes that give me the same vibe. I mentioned the 6040 and 6030 EcoSteel houses designed by Greg La Vardera, but somehow I overlooked his Steel Case House. I wanted to bring it to the attention of all you Eames fans out there, because Greg directly references CSH#8 as a point of reference for this design:

The Steel Case House has emerged out of requests from early visitors to the site for a steel house that was a "simple box". This request has been repeated many times. For inspiration we turned to the Case Study houses built in the late 1940s and 50s by Arts and Architecture magazine. Case Study house number 8, the Eames House is probably the quintessential "simple steel box" and is a point of inspiration for this design. When the Case Study houses were built it was hoped that the industrial might of the US built up during WW2 could now turn to producing modern houses of standardized industrial components at a scale that would make them affordable. As we all know that industry never materialized, and stick framed houses remain the status quo. We see this design as an evolution of the Case Study goals. By combining readily available residential building components with a simple steel frame we hope to arrive at a hybrid that makes the house easier to realize.

This image of the house takes me right where my mind's eye wants to go ...




... and I like the floor plan too.




The interior spaces are really roomy for a house of 2,000 square feet. It looks like it would live much bigger than its footprint. Not too many houses that size have three bedrooms and a double height living room. There's a more intimate nook off the main living area too, just like the Eames House. And I really, really like the roomy kitchen and dining space. I could go with this plan with very few changes.





With tons of glass on three sides, this house was meant for a site with good views - maybe not urban infill lots. If you think this design might not be appropriate for your cold climate (like mine in Detroit) take comfort in the fact that there's a SIPS version with much more insulating value in the walls - around R30. And if the steel frame isn't your thing there's also a another version called the Timber Case House that utilizes engineered lumber members. Additionally, the Amount of windows can also be varied to suit the climate and site conditions for optimum energy efficiency. A very well thought out home by Greg, and an option I personally would seriously consider.

The legacy of the Case Study Homes and Eames is very much alive and well!

Image credits - LaMiDesign

Soren Korsgaard's Woven House

I was looking at Soren Korsgaard's MySpace page. His mood is "happy," he thinks TV is "all crap!" (except for The Office), and his Zodiac sign is Aquarius. He's single. He's six feet tall. His architecture is brilliant.

Soren's MySpace page showcases his work, and has some things I hadn't seen on his website. In particular, I was immediately taken with his Woven House concept.





I asked him about it. He said:

Concept

A house designed as a showcase to promote bamboo as sustainable building material, must be unusual and eye-catching.

Bamboo has been used for making everything from kitchenware to buildings for thousands of years in most Asian countries. Among the many beautiful methods of treating bamboo, highly sophisticated weaving techniques have been developed. Woven house is an attempt to take this tradition and use it in modern architecture and in a much larger scale than anyone have ever seen before. Birds are using weaving for making their nest from materials in their habitats.

Using the unique flexibility and strength of bamboo for weaving a vacation house, that appears futuristic and dynamic and gives a unique architectural experience, where walls, floors and ceiling is one continuously surface, that also can be shaped into sitting areas and shelves.

The woven bamboo surface can be a closed surface or open to let in light.

Location:

Can be anywhere in south – and Southeast Asia. Vietnam, China, India, Indonesia. Most importantly in an area where there is a tradition of weaving bamboo, and on a site where Bamboo is growing, so less transport is needed, meaning less impact on nature.

Construction:

Heat shaped construction bamboo is used for making the framework of the building.

Roof is covered with bamboo shingles. Internal walls, floor and ceiling is woven bamboo. And in between there is lots of space for insulation.

It's a nest. For people. Soren, dude, you're blowing me away. That's totally cool.

I only hope a Panda Bear won't eat it. The big, bad wolf has nothing on a hungry Panda.

Great Green Home in British Columbia - The Andrew Powter House

Today I got a huge boost - something to get me posting again! I was so excited to receive a nice e-mail from a reader of this blog, Andrew Powter, who has been kind enough to share with me images of his own house. It's being built in British Columbia, Canada, and Andrew is hoping to break ground later this month!

Take a look at how cool this place is:









But the house isn't just a flashy modern pad, it's loaded with environmentally conscious design features, such as:

• Reclaimed cedar siding
• Concrete floors with hydronic radiant heat
• Recessed compact fluorescent lighting
• Ecosmart fireplace
• Double glazed windows
• Construction with insulated concrete forms
  
• Low-flow toilets, faucets and showers
• On-demand hot water heating
• Good passive solar heat gain
  

Nice, huh! This is a very inspiring home. That's such a good list of green features, and all things that can be incorporated into any style home, anywhere. This home is a great model for the way we should be building all homes.

Andrew is the homeowner. He's working with Mark Simone of Dynamedia. Take a look at the portfolio on their site. Some nice stuff. Some real talent there.

Well, I just feel great. Andrew, thanks so much for sharing these pics and letting me post them up! I can't wait to see how your house progresses. It looks great and you've done a fantastic job including green elements in your home.

Image credits - Andrew Powter

Great List of Ten Things from Good Human

Here's a nice list of ten things you can do to make your home more eco-friendly, from the Good Human.

1. Use only low-VOC interior paints and wood sealants.
2. Go with spray foam insulation
3. Radiant heat
4. Make sure your windows and doors are sealed.
5. Use compact fluorescent lightbulbs
6. Buy Energy Star Appliances
7. Use reclaimed wood as much as possible
8. Open up those windows to improve indoor air quality
9. Build with finished concrete
10. Install Low flow plumbing fixtures and water filters

Great list! Do just a couple of these and you're on your way to a healthier and more efficient home. Do them all and you're my hero!

Ane Weissheimer in Brazil - Modern Stunner

So, the other day I mentioned my friend and colleague Fernando, who is from Brazil. He's the friend I am sending on a mission to find the Slice House, because he lives in the city where it is. Anyway, I was talking to him and showing him my site, when he mentions that his wife is an architect. How cool! And she's just done a house for her sister, who lives in Camaqua, Brazil. Here are some pics Fernando sent me today.








Stunning, isn't it. Fernando's wife certainly has an eye for spectacular modern style. Her name is Ane Weissheimer, and she practices in Porto Alegre, Brazil. I'd like to learn more about her work. It's very interesting to see how houses in different parts of the world are constructed (I threw in some of the construction pics too). You don't see very many concrete houses like this one in the USA. The house is just now about 95 percent complete, and the homeowners are moving in.

It's so fun to meet people from different parts of the world. The company I work for is very international, and meeting nice people like Fernando is a real perk of my job. The training program Fernando and I are on is taking us to some interesting places. We're going to India next month, and possibly Slovenia in August or September. I bet I'll see some really interesting stuff along the way. Maybe something more for this blog. We'll see ...

Image credits - Ane Weissheimer

Great Little Stone House in Texas - Designed by Architect Chris Krager of KRDB

As I often do, I was watching HGTV's show Small Space Big Style (episode HSSBS-410), and was very happy to find this hip little stone house in Texas. Besides its great modern style, modest footprint (1,000 sq-ft), and simple plan, I really like the massive walls. Made of large stone blocks, lifted and set in place by the owner and friends (with lots of determined DIY elbow grease ), the house blends well with the rugged surroundings of the site. It's a very natural construction method that is quite appropriate for the hot, dry climate of the site. It looks amazing too.






Inside, the house has a single great room for living, cooking and dining, and two small bedrooms in the back; one for parents and one for their two small sons. The bathroom is in between the two bedrooms. The large expanse of glass on the great room looks out onto a nice landscape, and combines with a cantilevered patio to melt away the differences between inside and out, and expand the effective living area. It looks like a very casual and comfortable little house. Definitely not short on style.





The house was designed by Chris Krager of KRDB. The firm does slick modernist housing that is also meant to be affordable to people on real budgets. Great looking stuff. You can see more images of this stone house and other awesome projects on the KRDB site - the URL is lividpencil.com - how cool is that!

You can also see a lot more nice pics on the owner's site, Primitive Modern. I was figuring the house to be a vacation cottage, but actually I was wrong. On the KRDB site this house is called the "San Marcos Guest House." When I contacted the owner, Max, he sent me some pics of the house, and the new main house that is being built nearby. Max and his family have been living in their future guest house while their regular house is being built.





Pretty nice, huh? Max says it is almost done, and I can't wait to see what the completed house is like. I see that it has the same great modern style and rugged stone walls. But I'm still most infatuated with the little guest house. I like its natural stone walls, its simple style, and the fact that the owners did so much of the construction themselves. It must be very satisfying to build with your own two hands, using the simplest construction material offered by nature, one that will stand the test of time.

Image credits - Small Space Big Style (HGTV site), Primitive Modern site

Sycamore Ceiling Fan - Inspired by Nature

It's always been wise to study and duplicate nature, and the recent push by designers to do so is wonderful. Results are often quite amazing. Case in point, look at this elegant ceiling fan from Australia. Modeled on the wing-like shape of a seed pod from a Sycamore tree, the Sycamore Ceiling Fan can create the same airflow as conventional flat-winged fans but at much lower speeds. The result is lower energy consumption, far less noise, and great modern looks. Nice.




Personally, I dislike air conditioning for a lot of reasons. A nice fan or two, in combination with good insulation and shading, proper siting of the house, and cross-ventilating windows, ought to do the trick in many parts of the country for most of the time. This nature-inspired fan would be a nice part of that simple cooling strategy.

Via Your Abode .... Environmentality

Image credit - Sycamore Ceiling Fan site

New Video Preview of Building Green - First Full Season Coming Very Soon on PBS

Folks, don't forget to check your local TV listings next week - Building Green is coming soon on PBS. Take a look at this just-released preview of their upcoming first season:





Host Kevin Contreras' house is wonderfully green, and so beautiful. But did you watch the whole clip? Because if you didn't, and if your tastes are on the groovier side (like mine), you'll really like the last few seconds. There are shots of some really eco-hip modern homes that you won't want to miss, and that have me looking forward to catching every episode of Building Green.

I've seen a few of the pilot episodes and they were really good. I'm told they've re-edited the shows for this first full season and that they're even better - plus there are new episodes that didn't air in the pilot run. It's looking like a great first season. The episodes are set to start airing sometime this month on PBS, so check your local listings.

Straw bale walls, blue jean insulation, natural finishes, radiant floors - OH MY!

Tune in to Building Green!

Mell Lawrence Architects' Wild Haire Ranch House

Here's a house that just plain makes me feel good. Bright colors. Simple materials. Vernacular inspiration, modern interpretation. Casual, open plan. Big screened porch.

It's the Wild Haire Ranch house by Mell Lawrence Architects, an eight-person firm in Texas with a flair for fresh, hip buildings including great family homes like this one.




I love the firm's statement of who they are:

"Mell Lawrence Architects is an Austin Architectural firm known for the quality and uniqueness of its design work, and for its attentiveness to client needs. We strive for an architecture that is thoughtful and purposeful. We create solutions which are graceful and embued with whimsy, wit and optimism. Our architecture celebrates: the simplicity of elemental materials, the truth of nature, our bodies' movement through spaces, the inspiration of beauty and the delight of the sun's animating light."

Isn't that beautiful? I just love it, and the Wild Haire Ranch house embodies it perfectly. I love the word optimism in there. Every house should be optimistic. Why would you want to live anywhere that isn't?




I had a house with a little screened porch once, and I miss it so much. I think I'd be right at home in the Wild Haire. I also love the concrete floors, the clean and cheerful kitchen, and the spectacular windows in the living room. Most of all, I like the home's sunny disposition.

See many more pics of this, and other great houses, on the Mell Lawrence site.

Image credits - Mell Lawrence Architects site

Modern Landscaping on Hive Modular House - Rosenlof/Lucas Get it Right!

I get a lot of inspiration from Preston over at Jetson Green. His site is really great, and he's so good at finding neat stuff. Yesterday he had post where he's run across a great blog, Nashville Modern Prefab, and put up a YouTube video of a 3-D model of a new Hive Modular house being built for the blog's author, plus links to some other Hive Modular related videos. Great stuff.

I have to say, I really liked the video of the original Hive Modular B-Line House prototype in Minneapolis (below). It's done as a video invite to an open house featuring the B-Line as well as the cool modern landscaping done by Rosenlof/Lucas Landscape Design and Installation. I love the house, as I've posted before, but the landscaping was what really caught my eye.





I love the low-impact driveway and the gabion fence. Both those designs are now stored away in my mind for use on my family's future home. These guys are doing some cool stuff. You've got to take a look at the photos of their work on their site - 49 pics in their slide show - and click over to the rolu|dsng blog. You will love it. Not to be missed.

Landscaping is so critical. Your house has to harmonize with the site, and your landscaping has to respect the site as well as enhance the structure of the house. All the pieces need to fit together. A big lawn and a long, hard-surfaced driveway can be very high impact. The guys at rolu show how to put it all together, in modern style, with clever green designs. Just awesome.

Natural and Elegant Living in an EcoNest

If you want a truly green home take a look at the work of builder Robert Laporte, a pioneer in natural building, and his wife Paula Baker-Laporte, an architect and healthy home advocate. Together they teamed up to create the EcoNest Company, which delivers some of the most naturally elegant homes you will ever see.

The homes are crafted using traditional timber frame and clay/straw construction, methods researched and refined by Laporte over twenty five years. EcoNest construction uses only natural materials and the homes are very finely crafted. Non-toxic finishes are used throughout. The clay/straw walls, finished with natural plasters, breathe well and the design and construction of the homes make them very energy efficient. The walls have an R-24 insulation value, and perform even better than they are rated due to the thermal mass inherent in this type of construction. The houses all have a good "hat and boots" - generous roof overhangs and carefully designed foundations that protect the natural walls from the elements. The homes are strong, built to last, and they blend easily into the surrounding landscape.





EcoNest designs show great sensitivity to healthy living, both for the occupants and for the planet. They have a very organic feel, and many have an elegant and serene Japanese style. Probably the best word to describe the homes is "peaceful." Houses are sited carefully to harmonize with the land and they're modestly sized to keep a respectful footprint. They are always bright inside, flooded with natural light from excellent daylighting and careful window placement. Again, only non-toxic materials and finishes are used throughout.

Take a look at some EcoNest interiors:




Truly, these homes live lightly on the planet and make every effort to be healthy to live in, both in body and spirit. Each design is very personalized for the owners. They represent a high level of care in design and craftsmanship in construction. Though the building methods are literally old world, they're well proven and very properly done under the expertise of the EcoNest Company. There's no doubt that the house of the future can learn a lot from the past. If you want a very unique and natural home of the highest quality, an EcoNest could be for you.

Image credits - EcoNest Company site

Great Book: Redux - Designs That Reuse, Recycle and Reveal

A key element of green building is reuse or recycling of materials that are already converted. Salvaging materials otherwise destined for the dump can help you save money and reduce the total embodied energy of your home. And it's usually a very opportunistic sort of thing, which ultimately gives each project its own unique character.

That's exactly the point of a fantastic book by Jennifer Roberts: Redux - Designs That Reuse, Recycle and Reveal. I like that a lot, but it's the "reveal" part that I like best. The book gives readers one example after another of eco-hip homes bursting with personality as well as environmentally friendly design and construction.


Redux's three main sections cover Renovation, Adaptation and New Construction. For every project featured there is a specific rundown of what reclaimed materials were employed, a "reuse recap," as well as a list of other green features. Scattered throughout Redux's 160 pages you'll also find little sidebars called the "Inside Scoop" which include real gems of wisdom including, among others, "tips for buying salvaged wood," "old stuff to be wary of," and "tax deduction for deconstruction." The many, many color pictures throughout the book are guaranteed to inspire.

Two firms that feature prominently in the book are Leger Wanaselja Architecture and Arkin/Tilt Architects. Both are masters of green design and make substantial use of reclaimed materials in the homes they do. In fact, I think it's safe to say they've taken it to a high art form, and the result is distinct styles that cannot be mistaken for the work of anyone else.

Here's just a couple examples of the works of each that are featured in the book:

The Dwight Way project in Berkeley by Leger Wanaselja is a remodel/addition urban infill project that features nine housing units. Besides adapting a rundown site on a brownfield property, the architects used old car parts, old street signs, salvaged wood and high recycled content in countertops, insulation, and concrete. Some of that reuse is subtle, but some of it is right in front of you. Not subtle, but not in your face. It looks great. All I can say is that this is one of the coolest places I've ever seen and that I'd move in there in a heartbeat just from seeing the pictures.




Arkin/Tilt's D'Souza / De La Torre Residence is a new construction suburban family residence. You simply cannot look anywhere in this house without spotting recycled materials, though everything looks completely appropriate and tasteful. Wall and bookshelf framing is reclaimed wood. Trusses are from salvaged beams. Old vinegar barrels were deployed as ceiling decking. The garage doors were taken from an old elementary school. The roof shingles are made of recycled tire rubber. Kitchen counters are made from recycled glass. The house also uses solar electricity from grid-intertied PV panels, a most excellent geothermal system, and a unique staircase / cooling tower for natural ventilation. It's also modestly sized at 1823 square feet. Perfect! This is what suburban homes should all be like!




Other great homes featured in the book include OMD's amazing Seatrain House, Locus Architecture's groovy nowhaus 01, and many more.

Redux is a fabulous book. It's definitely in my top three favorites and I simply cannot recommend it highly enough. Pick up a copy. You will not be disappointed.

Image Credits - Amazon.com listing, Leger Wanaselja site, Arkin/Tilt Site

For a Better Abode - Check out Your Abode

I'm having a banner week finding great new blogs dedicated to modern, green housing. Today I came across a great blog called Your Abode .... Environmentality. It's done by the Australian duo of Sharon Hamilton and Darryn Parkinson who have a residential design firm with a "practical environmental focus." Their practice is called, you guessed it, your abode.

I like the team's emphasis on residential work. They have a unique and appealing niche:

"We’re the middle ground between an architect and a builder. Our clients get an integrated and complete residential design service including interior design plus project management and construction. We are here to take the pain out of the process by making
it easier for you, ensuring that you have an enjoyable experience along the way.

We will ensure all of your space works for you, optimising your enjoyment of living in your home. The magic comes when the space you live in actually feels right, just because every part of the space is used to its optimum.
The basis of all our designs is to build upon YOUR needs and wants – using our experience and expertise to ask the right questions and find the best design solutions.
All our designs are unique and individual, we’ll never do exactly the same thing twice
– how could we? every site and every lifestyle is as different as the next. That’s why we view each project as it comes and start from scratch – with a fresh and energetic outlook.

We bring a practical environmental focus to all of our work. Good environmental design is all about creating spaces that are healthy for you to live in, as well as being good for the environment. We do this by designing spaces to be comfortable all year round and by making use of environmentally friendly materials, finishes and fittings."

Sounds great! You'll like what you see on their site, so do click over. The blog is great too. It covers architecture, green design and building products, green energy, books, and more. Definitely give it a look!

Cool Rammed Earth House Wins Design Contest

A long while back, when natural homes first sparked my interest, one genre in particular that I was fascinated with was rammed earth. I spent a lot of time searching for articles on builder David Easton and the elegant earthen houses constructed by his firm, Rammed Earth Works. As far as sustainable and natural building methods go, I still find rammed earth highly appealing. If you live in an hot, arid climate I cannot really think of any better construction method. Unfortunately, though I've always wanted to live somewhere like that, I don't - I live in Michigan. Rammed earth isn't quite right for our wet and cold winters (though some form of earth construction could be), so I had filed rammed earth away for that "someday maybe" scenario.

Not too long ago, however, my interest in earth building was renewed when I came across a great blog called Earth Architecture. Dedicated to earthen construction, the site's title block proclaims "One half of the world's population, approximately three billion people on six continents, lives or works in buildings constructed of earth." It's a great blog, well done and packed with interesting examples of earth buildings of all types.

A recent post on Earth Architecture highlights a housing competition won by UNC Charlotte students who utilized rammed earth construction, solar panels, and great outdoor living spaces all wrapped up in a very elegant modern design. I really like the house. Definitely check out the original post on Earth Architecture for more details and links to the competition's site and info on UNCC's entry.

Here's the UNCC entry board:




My love of rammed earth construction is renewed!


Image credit - Casas del Quinto Sol competition site

PBS TV Show "Building Green" to Air June 5th

A while back I posted about a great PBS TV show called "Building Green" that piloted last year. It's a fabulous show, very well done, and I was really pleased to get a press release from them announcing they've been picked up for a full 13 episodes that start airing on June 5th. I know I'll be tuning in! And, as a bonus, the show's companion website is really great, has tons of good material, and features a lot of pics of the straw bale home featured on the show (pictured below). I highly recommend giving it a click.




This is good stuff. It's a great sign too. When this kind of show does well it means that the mainstream is taking note, peoples' attitudes are changing, and what used to be an "alternative" approach is now being recognized as the better way that everyone ought to be going with. I'm excited! Congratulations to "Building Green!"

Here's the complete press release:

PBS to Air New Weekly Television Series Dedicated to “Building Green”

“Building Green,” a first of its kind, 13-episode series about eco-friendly building techniques and alternatives, helps homeowners discover just how easy, cost-effective and healthy it can be to go green.

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – May 15, 2007 – Building Green TV announced today that its new weekly television series about creating beautiful homes and buildings in harmony with the environment is set to air on PBS affiliate stations across the country starting June 5, 2007. The show takes an entertaining and informative look at ways to “green” homes, and buildings using earth-friendly techniques and materials that are better for people, as well as the planet.

From blue jean insulation to bamboo flooring, Kevin Contreras, host and creator of "Building Green," introduces viewers to every aspect of green building using the design and construction of his own green Santa Barbara dream home as a living workshop. Each week, viewers follow the progress of Kevin’s home through signature segments like “Inside the Design,” “Saving Green,” “The Green Extreme,” “Building Health,” “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle,” and “Easy Steps.” They learn, step-by-step, about a range of topics and discover the best choices and green home products available on the market.

“Many people don’t realize that buildings cause more c02 emissions than cars,” comments Contreras. “In fact, buildings and their construction account for nearly half of all greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumed in this country each year. By providing people access to information about how they can build greener, I believe we can better sustain our planet – one home at a time.”

According to Roper’s Green Gauge Report, 50% of American adults say they would do more for the environment if only they knew how. “My goal is to show viewers just how easy it is to live green,” continued Contreras. “It’s also essential for people to see that an environmentally conscious lifestyle does not mean doing without.”

Building Green’s companion website at www.buildinggreentv.com provides a content-driven destination and more extensive information exchange. By bringing homeowners and homebuilders together, the site connects users with experts and resources to develop a sense of community for people who want to make a difference.

To find PBS station listings and airdates for “Building Green,” visit