Green & Sustainable

GreenSource Magazine, a great resource for environmentally and eco-friendly architects and builders, releases photos of a new green home each month to show new innovation in the industry. The latest design has a whimsical touch to it that makes it almost cute: Lakewood House’s signature brise soleil is made from whole, locally felled logs, adding in …

There’s a new product and trend in architecture that’s positively infatuating: Accenting indoor architecture with plant-infused green walls. These walls are literally walls of plant life to help bring the outdoors in, to infuse more urban spaces with plant life, and to help filter the air indoors. Rather than placing a ficus in the corner, wouldn’t you …

It’s impossible to watch the news these days and not be affected by the horrifying disasters that have hit Japan, and are still unfolding. We were interested to see the very innovative response from acclaimed Japanese architect Shigeru Ban. He’s famous for using paper to build extremely sturdy buildings that are also inexpensive to erect. The …

Responsive architecture, or buildings that adapt to different environmental conditions, was a hot topic at the 2010 Solar Decathlon, the annual collegiate competition that focuses on solar power and green building techniques. Held this year in Madrid, Spain, Virginia Tech’s Lumenhaus took top honors for its innovative 100% solar-powered, zero-energy model home. How did they do it? Smart use of …

Could adapting office buildings to residential be a viable solution in downtown Seattle? That’s a questionPublicola.com recently asked given the city of Seattle’s goal of bringing more housing to downtown. The one recent example of a large-scale conversion from office to residential in Seattle that the author cites as working: The Cobb, at 4th and University. …