re: look back at the week of interesting stories from across the web. Stories covered by the blogs I enjoy daily and hopefully ones you are not aware of. Please show’em your love for Offbeat by reading the original stories!

If we want to reduce consumption, whether it is oil, water, or coal, it would be beneficial to start with the future generations. The Greens at MeetTheGreens.org are doing just that. Me and my daughter spent 20 minutes at their site. She is only 5 (5 1/2 going to be 6 on July 13, as she tells people when asked how …read more

Tree houses are awesome, and these ’sperical tree houses’ are no exception. So what are these spherical tree houses all about? Let’s check in with the people behind the concept to see what they have to say about it:

The “Spherical Tree House” concept borrows heavily from sailboat construction and rigging practice. It’s a marriage of tree house and sailboat technology. Wooden spheres are built much like a cedar strip canoe or kayak. Suspension points are similar to the chain plate attachments on a sailboat. Stairways hang from a tree much like a sailboats shrouds hang from …read more

Well, it looks … cozy. I guess. Sort of. Kind of. Original, anyway.
Let’s head on over to Linz, Austria, where luxury awaits you inside your very own sewer pipe. Dasparkhotel will be happy to provide you with foam mattress double beds, sleeping bags, and a wool blanket. Not to mention other essentials such as lighting and storage. What more could you want?

It’s not all dark inside your pipe-dream room, either, for a small circular hole at the top lets in a bit of light (and who knows what else?)
Unfortunately, you will be forced to forego such things as a toilet …read more

Well, I admit it, I like rotating homes. Well, I think I do. I’ve never actually lived in one to say for sure, but I like it in theory. I don’t think I’m the only one that likes the concept, because rotating homes are springing up, more and more.
So here’s another one to add to the list: Sunspace Rotating Homes. It’s all about being in tune with the environment.

Sit back and think for one minute how all the powerful elements of nature occur in circles. The Sky and Earth are round, the Wind at its strength swirls in a circle. …read more

Sometimes, all I have to go by is a picture, and that picture is to follow:

 
I really like the fact that it looks like it’s tipping over. I just wish I knew more about it. Anyone have the history on this one? Drop me a line at idiaz@b5media.com
In the meantime, I’ll just continue to go, “Hmm…”

While not exactly an example off an Offbeat-anything, I thought some of the visitors to this site would be interested in this particular book.
The book, The Perfect $100,000 House: A Trip Across America and Back in Pursuit of a Place to Call Home, chronicles the adventures of Karrie Jacobs, Founding Editor in Chief of Dwell magazine, as she tours through the United States in search of the perfect (by her standards) $100,000 home.
The journey leads through 14,000 miles of houses, architects, builders, and architectural visions for the future.
If you’re interested in the book, you can purchase it right from amazon …read more

Okay, so we’ve covered hotels made out of salt, and hotels made out of recycled materials, but what about one made out of ice?
Indeed, the ICEHOTEL is world famous by now. The people behind the ICEHOTEL have built and rebuilt the hotel every winter for the past seventeen years!
The hotel rests in Sweden, in a village by the name of Jukkasjärvi. At the heart of the hotel is the River Torne, whose pure waters provide the perfect source for the ICEHOTEL.

 
If you’re planning a stay at the ICEHOTEL prepare to bring warm clothes. Despite its beauty, it’s rather cold! Inside, …read more

The John Richards Octagon House in Wiscosin is said to be the largest pre-Civil War single family residence in the state, if not the entire Middle West of the country. It has, after all, fifty-seven (57) rooms! Well, that’s if you include the halls and closets. I’m not sure how many standard “rooms” it has. Less than 57.
The house was built by John Richards sometime between 1854 and 1856, and his wife and children moved in. For the next 80 years, despite deaths and losses, the house remained occupied by at least one member of the Richards family.
Since …read more

In middle of the Uyuni Salt Flats sits a very interesting structure, now known as the Salt Palace & Spa. This ’salt palace’ is actually a hotel … made mainly out of salt!
The Salar de Uyuni is a prehistoric lake of salt which resides near the Chilean border. Bordered by volcanoes, geysers, and even flamingos, this Bolivian landmark has become quite the tourist attraction.
It is here that four years ago, Juan Quesada, a tourism operator, used blocks of salt to build his hotel.
Today, the Salt Palace & Spa features twelve guest rooms, twenty-four beds, and a shared bathroom.
If you want …read more

I think I’ve just figured out where I want to live someday: Suite Vollard, the only revolving building in the world! How cool is that? Suite Vollard features eleven apartments that offer residents a 360º panoramic view of the city.
Set in Curitiba, Brazil, Suite Vollard is made of reinforced concrete and gigantic metal platforms. Vinyl-framed glass panels change shades every 90º, and the remote-controlled engine spins residents right-round, round-round, clockwise and counterclockwise with a touch of a button. Each apartment revolves individually, so no need to call all of your neighbors to schedule a spinning session (that could get messy…)

Via …read more