Super awesome house!

In case you’re thinking that 600,000 lbs of recycled junk is good for not much more than saving our landfills, the house above is a great example of an alternative. This 3,400sf house is made, in part, of steel and concrete discarded from Boston’s Big Dig and saved 600,000 lbs of salvaged materials from being trashed. Not only did this project turn one one amazingly bling house, but the home demonstrates a huge untapped resource for deconstructed buildings and other infrastructures. This is a great way to save money and go green at the same time.
To learn more …read more

Looking for some down time with some chill and mod homes? Look no further than the Ultimate House website. In case you haven’t heard of this show; Building the Ultimate House is a newer television series produced by i2i television for Discovery RealTime.
The show looks at, “Looks at how modern homes are being designed and built to meet the needs of rapidly changing contemporary lifestyles.”
You can watch videos at the site about….

Lighthouse, the first net zero carbon house in the UK.

The amazing Emilio Ambasz designed CASA de RETIRO ESPIRITUAL
And more…
Many homes to see – all are …read more

It’s been a while since I’ve posted anything by Arkin Tilt Architects – over a year maybe. I really like their work though, especially their commercial structures; a rare thing for me to say (I’m more a residential kind of girl), but they always add a little pop of unique to their office and other commercial structure work.
This is not a commercial structure below though, it’s a really nice sustainable house, or more a compound I should say.

The Dar Residence has so many amazing features:

The compound is split into 2 shifted bars, a studio building and main living space.
The home …read more

[image via Highland Craftsmen]
I recently got the book, Bark House Style: Sustainable Designs from Nature from the library, and it got me thinking a lot about bark in design. I used to think of bark design as more just a rustic beach house look, but this book was cool; it shows a lot of different ways in which bark can be used for home design; from rustic to contemporary. I also didn’t know how sustainable bark could be. Of course there are ways it might be unsustainable, but if you work with a decent company, you could have a home …read more

I keep thinking, if you happen to be a skateboarder, this might be the roof for you. Don’t you think? This home, off the southeast coast of Tasmania, was designed by the very hip 1 + 2 Architecture. According to Dwell, this home’s roof is actually making use of solar panels – slanted to absorb the best of the sunshine. Rain water collection, small size, bath and kitchen waste reuse (in the garden), and native landscaping are some of this home’s green perks. Of course, it’s a beautiful home to boot.
See some amazing daylight shots of this home and read …read more

Green Homes for Sale! This site rocks. Of course, I can see myself spending WAY too much time browsing and dreaming at the site, but it might be worth it. Some of the homes featured are amazing. Many are a little off the beaten path; both literally and figuratively. I’m actually considering buying a home next year, so maybe I’ll find my house (right – many are a little bit costly). Still I gathered some nice choice homes up for you, just in case you’ve got some spare cash and a love of green hanging around.
This first off grid lake …read more

This house is so not me – but it literally took my breath away when I saw it. It’s so fresh, so clean cut… it’s just your basic overall slice of house delight.

[via Inhabitat]
According to Inhabitat, where I saw this gem, it has “smog-eating” photo-catalytic concrete
Sometimes I think my taste in homes, which used to run hippie rustic, are changing. Sometimes I think, “dang, do I really like mod style oh so much now.”  It is a problem. I will eventually build another house. What exactly do you think I’ll build? Some straw bale / mod / orange / tree …read more

Yesterday I mentioned the new Earthship Coffee Table Book that’s coming out soon. Then I noted we should look at some. Frankly, we don’t look at near enough earthship structures here. Not only are they earth-friendly, but some are very unique.

Earthship Biotecture is a company in Taos, NM. They specialize in, what else, earthships. We’re going to look at them, because one they contacted me; plus, while I don’t have personal experience with them, I heard great things about them when I lived in New Mexico. Their complete company description is, “A global company offering proven, totally sustainable designs, …read more