Art Stable

Art Stable, by Olson Kundig Architects, was built on the site of a former horse stable in Seattle. It's a seven story, mixed-use building filled with adaptable live/work units.

The way I understand it, there is a crane attached to the alley facing side of the building to move oversized objects in and out of the building; while on the street side there are large hinged windows that open up to provide natural ventilation. 

Let's take a moment and fantasize about being a painter or maybe a sculptor living in one of these spaces. Beethoven blaring, paint stuck to your face, fumes getting you a little high before you remember to open your giant window, really attractive friends stopping by with a bottle of wine... Oh the life...

What makes this place cooler (or hotter) is the geothermal heating system. This is one of the first times this type of geothermal system has been used in the USA. The pump system runs through the structural pilings in the buildings foundation, deep down into the ground where it's nice and toasty. 

top photo: point32

 lower: Benjamin Benschneider

The Prince's Kitchen

Okay, this isn't technically the Prince's kitchen. I doubt he goes in his kitchen that often anyway. However, while I was looking at kitchen cabinets painted in more than one color, I discovered something I thought was fun and interesting. Turns out Prince Charles is a huge advocate for sustainable housing. He founded the Princes Foundation for Building Community, and recently paired with Plain English (a kitchen maker) to build an eco-friendly house model.

What I think is the coolest is that he is passionate about getting these designs to the people. He asked them to come up with lower priced solutions for "discerning folk of modest means."

I think this kitchen is bad ass. It's simple, clean, and a little bit country. Well done Britian. 

via: remodelista

Keeping it Local: Ecoroofs Everywhere

Ecoroofs Everywhere designs, builds and maintains Ecoroof membranes, drainage systems, soils and plant species. Ecoroofs Everywhere began as a non-profit and installed many of the early green roofs in Portland. Each of the early installations involved experimenting with systems, materials and plants to determine the best solutions for Portland’s environment.

"Ecoroofs Everywhere collaborates with architects, landscape architects, engineers and contractors to create innovative storm-water solutions including Ecoroofs, Roof Gardens, Edible Roofs, Living Walls, Stormwater Walls and Green Veneers for residential and commercial buildings throughout the West Coast and beyond."

Why are living roofs awesome? Read about it here.

photos via: Ecoroofs Everywhere

Mini Garage House

Seattle based artist, designer and welder Michelle de la Vega took an old garage and turned it into a little house. It's fully functioning and only 250 sq. ft., but isn't lacking comfort. Most fixtures and pieces of furniture were custom built for the project or salvaged, refurbished and repurposed by the designer/owner. 

I think little homes are great! Especially for those who are aware of and strive to decrease their carbon footprint, living simply and minimally is the way to go.

before...and after

 

via: shoebox dwelling

Spanish Estate

 

A modern Spanish country home tucked into the hills of Cáceres, Spain, was once an abandoned stable.  The architecture firm ÁBATON Architects transformed the building with respect to the surrounding environment. Since the home is fairly isolated it was designed with a system of solar panels with accumulators that collect energy in the summer and settled turbines that feed electricity to accumulators in winter. The stone found in the surrounding area was used to build the house and the swimming pool. The supporting walls in the interior were replaced by light metal pillars, the haylofts in the upper area were converted into bedrooms, the water through became the fountain that is situated in the interior courtyard of the property.
 

 

 

 

 

Life Factory Water Bottle

 

Have I posted about life factory water bottles before? Excuse my forgetful mind if I have.

I own the bottle pictured above and I am crazy about it. It's refreshing to know that you are drinking out of a sensibly designed, eco-friendly bottle that is free of BPA, phthalates, and PVC. Plus, it never smells! You know how water bottles start to get that funky smell if the water sits in there for a little bit or you don't wash it every single day? Well not this one! I am not saying I don't wash my water bottle, I give it a rinse every time I use it, but I can also drink water that has been in there for a day or two without gagging.

You also might be thinking "well, it's glass, it seems like it would break easily.." I have dropped my bottle so many times, even from a height of five feet, and it still looks beautiful. 

Anyways, I just love mine. Their baby bottles and teethers are great too.

Belt Floors

 

Recycled leather belt flooring by Ting London. 

"Each belt is hand selected to ensure a high grade of leather and then the belts are stripped of their metals, hand cleaned with chemical free substances and prepared for use. The vintage belts for each tile are carefully designed in-house as the colour and patterning on the belts is sensitive to each tile. This means no two tiles will ever be the same." 

These are so sexy.

Keeping It Local: Edith Green

The homely, humongous federal building in downtown Portland is currently being transformed into an environmental showpiece and is Oregon's single biggest federal stimulus project. Portland based SERA Architects has taken on the massive job. It is an opportunity to showcase how an existing building can be turned into a high-performance green building.

 

Before.

 

After.

The green on the outside of the building on Southwest Third and Jefferson, is a vertical garden. 250 vertical feet of garden. The plants will grow on ‘fins’ that are set at acute angles and will grow much like plants in a garden climb trellises. 

The idea is that lush foliage will grow during the spring and summer, and will shade the building’s west facade enough to reduce energy bills. In the colder months, the plants will naturally drop their foliage and sunlight can once again penetrate the building to provide warmth. 

For more on what is transforming this into the greenest government building around, click the links below. 

Portland leads the nation in green living and building. With our avid recycling, curbside composting, bicycle commuting, re-purposing, public transit, buy local, organic, solar operated sidewalk trash and recycling cans, farmers market abundant little world. I think it's great the this government project is happening here.

GSA

More Info

Don't Waste Paper

I love this idea! Lately I have been paying more attention to potential project ideas and this is definitely one.

via

LEED Silver

 

173 Park Street Residence in Connecticut, is an impressive cedar-sided and zinc-clad contemporary townhouse designed by Joeb Moore & Partners.

The home LEED Silver certified, has four bedrooms, four bathrooms and two half-baths (that's a lot of toilets), and a breezy 750 square-foot roof terrace with a hot pool and a cold pool. Oh.. And there is an elevator. 

The exterior is super cool looking, however I am not a huge fan of the interior, hence the lack of interior photos. You can check them out by clicking the link at the bottom.

 

 

 via

Stone Creek

 

Set into the sloping landscape in a non-intrusive manner, this remote, rustic and modern home in Bigfork Montana welcomes guests with an intriguing entryway of stone and stacked wood pieces. The living roof is so darn beautiful. I think I have been starring at the image below for maybe ten whole minutes. This place is so good.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nothing beats living on the water. 

 

Anderson Wise Stone Creek Camp

Reclaiming A Parking Spot

 

 

Green Corner: a collaborative piece between Helsinki-based artists Otto Karvonen and Jon Irigoyen. Described as an “urban intervention" the idea was simple: install a grass turf lawn in a parking space creating a temporary park that calls into question the ideas of ownership and use in public spaces.

I think it's genius. Portland has an abundance of parks, one if which is a full blown forest right in the city.. However, this still seems like an interesting idea to bring to our little city's streets. Who has a bbq??

DIRTT

 

DIRTT Walls eliminate the aesthetic, performance and integration compromises design professionals face when considering modular, prefab, demountable partitions for commercial office, healthcare or school interiors. via

As the name implies, they think it is time for doing it right. Their products use less material, create less waste and provide more function and aesthetics, giving customers a long-lasting tool to adapt to their needs as they grow and change.

You can use these walls residentially too. They are acoustically rated (just like a traditional wall) and you have the flexibility to change your living environment as your life changes. Maybe you have more kids, or want to create an office or breakfast nook. Maybe you have a wall of windows and want to change it out for a solid wall. Wasteful tear down of gypsum wall board is no longer needed!

William McDonough

Normandy Passive House

Tucked into the cliffs of Normandy this renovated hunting lodge is now known as the 'passive house.' The house collects rain water, uses solar energy and geothermal energy, and the assembly of the structure was done on site using recycled materials found within 100 km.

Wood and vegetable fibers are used to provide insulation in the walls.

The bedroom looks awfully cozy. They just need a little fireplace in the corner.

Franklin Azzi Architecture

Mini House One+

One+ is a housing concept by the Swedish company add-a-Room that allows users to build their home through prefabricated modules. The system was designed by danish architect Lars Frank Nielsen and uses square rooms as building blocks for dwellings. The units are built off site and assembled on location to streamline the process and keep costs down. Users can use one module or combine multiple ones to create their own design. The system uses local swedish materials and energy efficient windows and doors. Basic units start at around 35,000 USD.

The ONE+ minihouse is basically a lego system for adults.
It would make a great in-law suite, guest house, studio space, office, vacation house, or just a great little home for one person or a couple.