Earthship Seminar ~ Building Homes Out Of Trash

This past weekend was spent at a seminar learning how to build sustainable, off-the-grid homes at the Earthship headquarters just outside of Taos, New Mexico.

The homes are not the run of the mill green homes that we are getting used to. Architect Mike Reynolds has been building these structures for about 40 years and they are, in large part, made out of trash – specifically used tires, cans, and bottles.

Since he started back in the 1970s, the homes have been refined to allow for recycling all waste [grey and black water], organic greenhouses, water collection and purification, power generation, and temperature regulation….even in extreme weather locations.

We got hands on experience learning how to pack tires into the load bearing and thermal mass foundation for the homes, can and bottle walls, and how to plaster interior walls with a mixture of mud, sand, and hay. In addition, we got to tour many of the homes on the site in Taos. Mike has developed several models over the years and we were able to get inside and explore the size and benefits of each option.

I recommend anyone interested in green build to visit them and take the seminar. You can find more information here. A good article here. And the trailer for the Michael Reynold’s documentary, Garbage Warrior is here.

Many more photos here.

Remodeling Green

“BRINGING SUSTAINABLE, STYLISH LIVING TO A 19TH-CENTURY CLASSIC, JEFF KING & CO.’S SAN FRANCISCO REMODEL IS INFUSED WITH DAYLIGHT, ENERGY IMPROVEMENTS, AND LOW-MAINTENANCE UPGRADES.”

Our client, Jeff King & Company, was featured in Ecohome Mag. Here’s the full article.

OUTrial House

Polish architects KWK Promes designed the OUTrial House in Ksiazenice, Poland.

A green clearing surrounded by forest was the only context for the proposed small house. Hence the idea to “carve out” a piece of the grass-covered site, move it up and treat it as the roofing to arrange all the required functions underneath. When the whole was ready, the client came up with another request, to create some space for a small recording studio and a conservatory. The latter was obtained by linking the ground floor with the grassy roof through an “incision” in the green plane and “bending” the incised fragment down, inside the building.

This procedure turned the roof into an atrium, as the only way to reach it was through the interior of the house. As opposed, however, to a typical atrium, the newly-created space has all the advantages of an outer garden while remaining a safe, internal zone within the building. This way, a new type of house was created, and its designation – outrial – is to convey the idea of an atypical atrium which is part of both the interior and the exterior of the building.

Visit the KWK Promes website – here. More photos here.

Todd Jersey Architecture ~ Marketing and Collateral Templates

We just finished up a template project for Todd Jersey Architecture, a client based here in Berkeley, CA. They are a green firm….the first in the world to design a LEED gold certified hotel!

The templates were designed to target their vast audience base. TJA’s work covers new homes, schools, commercial buildings, remodels, multi-family homes and developments, churches, retail, historical buildings, hotels, and environmental buildings. These templates, along with their other presentation materials, provide a clear communication of their capabilities.

“Used the templates officially for the first time and they are great. Makes our overall package look so professional. We now have some solid, forward-looking marketing materials.” ~ Susan Andres, Director of Marketing

We also designed MS Word templates [see below] so they can simply add photos and copy and then run these templates thru their office printer. This is an ideal solution for architects and builders who want the flexibility to personalize correspondence for their high-level client base without losing the professional consistency of their brand. In addition, we’ve found a green paper and printing source that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg!

blank printed template

template showing MS Word images and copy in place

Green Homes are Red Hot – Newsweek

Home buyers said they’d be willing to spend an additional $8,964 on a home if it could cut their utility bills.

Click here for an article in Newsweek that explains the boom in Green Architecture.

Skyline Residence ~ we’ll take the outdoor theatre option

Belzberg Architects created the environmentaly sensitive Skyline Residence in the Hollywood Hills under a limited budget.

Employing Carbon Neutral Economics, the team built the home using local goods to save carbon emissions in transportation.

Quite possibly the most beautiful home I’ve ever seen, and yes, comes with an outdoor theatre. Click here to see all the photos.