Stylish Home Built From Recycled Wood Could Be Seattle’s Most Efficient Dwelling Ever

Aug 21, 2015

The team at Dwell Development has been working on a pretty incredible project in Seattle, building a 2000+ square foot home using mostly recycled and reclaimed material. Focusing on sustainability first and foremost, the team aims to garner a Built Green Emerald Star certification, which would be the first such certification awarded in the whole city.

1 of 8

The roof boasts a large 6.6 kW solar setup, which powers the entire home. Windows were placed to maximize natural light benefits, and nearly every design aspect was built with both aesthetics and energy in mind. Other features they added include the heat recovery ventilation system and a water heating system that uses 78 percent less energy than a normal system.

The exterior and framing of the home includes FSC-certified timber, with paneling from reclaimed Douglas fir. The room was made from reclaimed steel sourced from a cannery in Willamette Valley, and most of the interior finishes like the cabinets, countertops, and tile were made by local craftsmen.

It’s Alive! This Home Uses Compost For Climate Control

Jun 25, 2015

A collection of crafty and clever students at Japan’s Waseda University have developed a way to utilize the natural fermentation process of straw to heat and cool your home. On the interior, pre-fabricated acrylic boxes are stuffed full of common straw. The straw is left to ferment and compost, naturally giving off a staggering amount of heat – up to 86 degrees Fahrenheit!

The design of the home is fairly simple – meant to be more of a shell for experimentation than a display of architectural ingenuity. It serves its purpose well enough to showcase this nontraditional building technology, and the exterior is also clad in straw, showcasing its use as an effective weather barrier.

The fermentation is a result of a low-odor composting technique called “bokashi” (meaning “fermented organic matter”). The process happens over a four week period, so the real downside to this type of system would be the maintenance. If anything, the project is an example of what is possible using natural processes in building tech. The acrylic boxes are placed strategically throughout the interior so as to provide each space with the appropriate amount of heat. In the summer, the dormant straw that has already been composed acts as a natural insulator – keeping the home passively cool. They will even release moisture, which acts as a natural cooling mechanism. This floor plan shows where the boxes are hung on the interior walls.

Designed by Masaki Ogasawara, Keisuke Tsukada and Erika Mikami, the students hope the prototype ushers in new and interesting investigations into natural building technologies. Their “Recipe to Live” house is certainly an example of the possibilities as we move towards a move eco-conscious society.

Images by Waseda University.

A Good Home Is Made Great With An Up-Cycled Spartan Trailer

Jun 25, 2015

A well-designed home with large open spaces, contemporary materials, and plenty of natural light can be a very good thing. But sometimes, there needs to be something truly unique as a focus for the home to be considered great. This is the notion architect Andrew Hinman took to heart when he designed this Texas home around a re-used Spartan Trailer.

The shimmering silvery cladding of the now immobile recreational tube is presented prominently in the composition of the home. Functionally, it operates in much of the same way it always has, only now it acts as a focal appendage to the sleek glass and steel enclosure that engulfs it. The architect wanted to celebrate the use of a recycled component in the context of a well-crafted modern structure.

A massive shed roof towers over the trailer and the interior space adjacent to it. A large sun room occupies this space, acting as an extension of the living quarters of the trailer. An exterior soaking tub ties the home in with it’s desert surroundings, emulating the feel of camping that the trailer once embraced. The space adjacent to the trailer opens up to the sunny desert vista. Looking back at the trailer from the interior, it maintains its original aluminum sheen. As you can see, stepping inside the trailer is like stepping through a portal into the past. The rest of the home feels quite new and contemporary, sitting in contrast to the retro presence the trailer provides.

Photos by Paul Bardigjy.

Sleek Forest Home Where The Forest Is Actually In The Home

Jun 19, 2015

Building a home often means flattening the plot of land set to be developed, effectively destroying what made the site interesting in the first place. However, when trying to design something truly beautiful we find that architecture can only be as good as the land it embraces.

Meet the Casa Corallo by Guatemalan based architecture firm Paz Arquitectura. Rather than uprooting the trees that natively inhabited the building site, they literally designed the home around the natural vegetation. Towering trees flank, loom, and even pierce through the home in a way that blends existing and new in elegant symbiosis.
Two trees frame the entry of the mostly concrete home. The harsh material was used to provide ironic contrast between natural and man-made. The home spill down the natural slope of the hillside as a stone path melts together with low brush. The interiors are highlighted by tree trunks that climb up through the floors. In many cases, the location of the trees dictated the spatial organization.

While the home is large and imposing, the choice to involve the trees so prominently in the design speaks to the sensitivity the architect had towards the land.

An Unreal Renovation Has This Home In The Record Books

Jun 18, 2015

It’s not quite as dramatic as a Medieval drawbridge, but it just might be as massive. This ultra-modern home in Antwerp, Belgium is host to the world’s largest set of fully glazed pivot doors. Local architecture firm Sculpt IT worked with window manufacturers and engineers to realize the one-of-a-kind feature, which are impressive not only in size, but in contemporary design as well.

The doors are part of a fully glazed facade that opens the entire side of the home to an exterior courtyard. When the pivot doors are swung open, the kitchen area naturally spills out across the seamless transition of the monolithic concrete slab.

The installation of the doors was part of a holistic renovation of an existing home. The entire house was gutted and re-fitted with modern finishes, properly organized spaces, and one hell of a center piece.

9 Most Amazing Green Roofs In The World

Jun 14, 2015

Green roofs have plenty to offer. Not only are they architecturally interesting, they have a drastic effect on reducing a building’s carbon footprint. Covering any roof in a thick layer of properly drained vegetation naturally insulates the interior, but also absorbs heat that would typically be reflected back into the sky, preventing all kinds of ecological problems on a large enough scale.

Architects have taken notice, and are beginning to embrace green roofs as a focal point of their designs. Here are 9 green roofs that will knock your socks off (which is good, because no one wants to walk on grass with socks on).

1 | 8 House | Bjark Ingles Group (BIG)

BIG is known for going…well…big! This green roof is no different. The symmetrical shed roofs provide the perfect opportunity for the dual cascading green carpets that meet at an exterior courtyard at the base of the structure. (source)

2 | CR Land Guanganmen Green Tech Showroom | Vector Architects

When a green roof isn’t enough, why no couple it with some green walls? Vector Architects have left no exterior sufrace naked, creating an extruded square shell that naturally protects the interiors from swings in temperature. (source)

3 | California Academy Of Sciences | Renzo Piano

If I didn’t use ‘undulating’ and ‘elegant’ in the same sentence to describe this one I’d have an angry gathering of former architecture professors burning me at the stake (not literally). Mr. Piano is a master of his craft, and this is one of the truly iconic contemporary buildings in the Western Hemisphere. (source)

4 | Marcel Sembat High School | archi5

High school has changed a lot since my day. This beautiful structure is highlighted by the (don’t say undulating…don’t say undulating) faceted curvilinear roof structure (nailed it). (source)

5 | Beijing Capital International Airport | Foster + Partners

In a stroke of perfect irony, visitors to the world’s most industrial, pollutant contributing city are greeted with one of the world’s most sprawling green roof. China is no stranger to environmental paradox, as they are a leader in sustainable development, yet continue to degrade the planet through their bustling industry. (source)

6 | School of Art, Media, and Design | CPG

Two interlocking sloped green roofs wrap around a central public space in this project by Singapore based firm CPG. The roofs are accessilble to visitors, providing a lush carpet to make a picinic and take in a view of the surrounding Nanyang. (source)

7 | Villa Bio | Enric Ruiz-Geli

Spanish architect Enric Ruiz-Geli designed this home intented to reflect the landscape of the area. Even though it’s surrounded by homes that are less-than-camouflage, the green roof acts as a bridge between natural and man-made.(source)

8 | Chicago City Hall | City of Chicago

In 2001, the City of Chicago tasked a team of architects, landscape architects and engineers to design and build a 38,800 square feet of green space. It is an initiative that makes great strides towards covering our cities in well-manicured lawns. (source)

9 | Vancouver Convention Center | LMN + DA with MCM

A lush carpet of green velvet covers this convention center, which sits in a prestigious waterfront site in the heart of downtown Vancouver, BC. The architectural team created a man-made peninsula that mirrors the surrounding landscape. (source)

She Left A High Fashion Job In NYC To Build Incredible Bamboo Homes In Bali

Jun 13, 2015

There comes a time in most of our lives when you need to switch gears, or maybe even swap your entire car; change your job, your relationship, or your outlook. That’s what Elora Hardy did when she left her established career in the NY fashion scene to build bamboo houses in Indonesia.

1 of 8

Elora is a resident of Bali and spent the past five years working with bamboo construction, a sustainable resource that she believes could be used more readily. And when you see what she built, you might agree. Inspired by her father, who used bamboo in the campus buildings he helped create, she has long known the benefits of this highly available resource.

Bamboo doesn’t just look good. It grows incredibly fast, and has a strength-to-weight ratio that rivals steel. Like many woods, it does have one weakness, which comes in the form of damage from insects and moisture. Otherwise, when treated, it can serve as an integral component of building that last’s a lifetime. To learn more about these magnificent homes and Elora’s vision, check out her TED talk video, below.

More: Ibuku.com | Facebook

You Won’t Believe What One Woman Turned This Old Garage Into

Jun 11, 2015

Take a good look at this garage and think about what you see. Pretty ordinary, run-of-the-mill, single door car hole, right?

Wrong.

Contained within that beat up, outdated, poorly painted relic of a structure lives one woman’s inspiration, and the potential to become her dream home. What she transformed that garage into is nothing short of incredible. Take a look.
Meet Michelle de la Vega of Seattle, Washington. Artist, designer, welder and visionary. Michelle put her creative inclinations to extraordinary use when designing and building this 250 square foot sanctuary. Many home-grown renovations have a tendency to look…well…amateur. Not this abode. The details and finishes were planned with meticulous and professional method, resulting in a clean, well-organized space. It may not look like your traditional kitchen, but it’s full of character and charm. The tiny home boasts a full bathroom, living/dining space, and lofted bed area in addition to this modest kitchen. Not bad for 250 SF. The fireplace is a central feature and adds a touch of rustic flair, accompanied by Michelle’s own art work! The bathroom is highlighted by a large soaking tub and an abundance of natural light thanks to the appropriately placed skylight above. Michelle certainly has a knack for finding beauty in discarded items. After transforming a decrepit shell of an old garage into this incredible home, she filled it with up-cycled furniture like this weathered storage locker.

If you’d like to know more about Michelle and her artwork, follow this link: Michelle de la Vega.

Humanitarian Pop-Up School Built With Up-Cycled Shipping Container

Jun 10, 2015

In a small rural province outside of Cape Town, South Africa sits this up-cycled shipping container; fitted and fashioned as part of a humanitarian design competition aimed at providing underprivileged farm children a safe place to learn, study and, of course, play. Woolworths, Safmarine and AfriSam are the three South African companies that sponsored the competition resulting in the Vissershok Container Classroom, which was won by 15 year old student Marshaarn Brink.

Marshaarn’s concept of an outdoor jungle gym space was then handed over to Tsai Design Studio and manifested in the recycled shipping container building. A curvilinear canopy structure is perched on top of the container, providing shaded exterior spaces for kids to recharge their high-velocity motors. The 12 meter (40 foot) container boasts instant shelter and a cool place for kids to focus and learn.

The concept image shows the design intent of the shipping container classroom, which was fully realized in the final product.
The adjacent ‘play’ area has swings, a small play set, and a ton of interesting spaces for kids to expand their imaginations.As seen in this diagram, the project is broken up into four distinct functions: play, learn, gather and grow.
Inside the container is narrow and intimate, promoting collaboration among students who share the learning space. The form of the canopy structure is a nod to the rolling hills that surround the school.

Stunning Solar Powered Offgrid Shipping Container Home

Jun 9, 2015

Anyone can buy a used shipping container for pretty cheap, but it takes a certain amount of creative vision and skill to make it into a place to call home. And yet, this 355-square-foot trio of containers built by Joseph Dupuis proves that not only can you use them to build a home, but a beautiful one at that. Joseph works at Algonquin College in Otttawa as a researcher on renewable energy and built this masterpiece as a sort of experiment. While he currently lives here, he has the home listed for sale at a remarkably low price of $58k, not including shipping.

1 of 10

The cabin is fully insulated, heated by an in-floor radiant heating system (propane fired hotwater tank for heating purposes and domestic water), and a wood stove. The cabin is designed to be dismantled, moved and erected in a new location with limited resources and time.”