Filipinos should capitalize on solar power systems as we are a tropical country after all. Watch this video and keep it in mind for future solar powered system projects.
from: http://www.youtube.com
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Open+Hidden: Space-Saver Dining Room & Kitchen Concept
By: Rent to Own
from: www.dornob.com
Hoover: More space-saving, eco-friendly furnitures!
Conserving energy, reusing and recycling are all well and good sustainable living strategies, but reducing waste in the first place – particularly when it comes to home construction – is perhaps the most important step in saving on power and materials costs. Powered by rooftop solar energy, this transforming kitchen emerges for meals and then disappears at the push of a button to make way for movement and gathering space.Fo
More than most parts of a home, kitchens are places used only during select times of the day – the rest of the time they simply sit idle and empty awaiting preparation and consumption of breakfast, lunch or dinner. So why not clean the slate and hide the cookware and kitchen furniture when they are not in use? Designers Magda Masalska & Marta Pala imagine doing just that in the not-so-distant future.
Designed to rise up from the ground and then disappear below translucent lit-glass panels, the core cooking and dining elements of this kitchen are tucked neatly away under the floor when they are not needed. And as a final futuristic design gesture: a set of miniature garden plots (presumably perfect for growing vegetables, fruits and herbs for cooking) drop down from the green roof area on top of the house on call to provide food for the table.
from: www.dornob.com
Hoover: More space-saving, eco-friendly furnitures!
Conserving energy, reusing and recycling are all well and good sustainable living strategies, but reducing waste in the first place – particularly when it comes to home construction – is perhaps the most important step in saving on power and materials costs. Powered by rooftop solar energy, this transforming kitchen emerges for meals and then disappears at the push of a button to make way for movement and gathering space.Fo
More than most parts of a home, kitchens are places used only during select times of the day – the rest of the time they simply sit idle and empty awaiting preparation and consumption of breakfast, lunch or dinner. So why not clean the slate and hide the cookware and kitchen furniture when they are not in use? Designers Magda Masalska & Marta Pala imagine doing just that in the not-so-distant future.
Designed to rise up from the ground and then disappear below translucent lit-glass panels, the core cooking and dining elements of this kitchen are tucked neatly away under the floor when they are not needed. And as a final futuristic design gesture: a set of miniature garden plots (presumably perfect for growing vegetables, fruits and herbs for cooking) drop down from the green roof area on top of the house on call to provide food for the table.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Sustainable Cabin at Texas Tech
Sustainable Cabin at Texas Tech
By: Renttoown.ph
from: www.smallhousestyle.com
Living in a trailer carries with it a certain stigma but this didn’t stop Urs Peter Flueckiger and his students at the College of Architecture, the College of Visual and Performing Arts, and the College of Engineering atTexas Tech University from requisitioning part of a derelict doublewide and turning it into the prefabricated Sustainable Cabin. Destined for a landfill, the professor et al. extensively remodeled a section to test sustainable architectural concepts in construction materials and techniques, with the end goal of better understanding their methods and applications.
Ascribing to the minimalist living ideas espoused by author Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) who himself lived in a tiny 150 square foot home, the Sustainable Cabin pursues those ideas of a simple life in natural surroundings.
With solar energy as its only source of power, rainwater harvesting and a composting toilet, this design is quite at home in the middle of nowhere, completely off the grid, and serves as a working laboratory for the students and faculty. It is currently up and running in Ford County, 45 miles west of Wichita Falls, Texas. It measures 14-feet wide and 28-feet long and has a composting toilet, battery energy storage, solar panels, cedar and corrugated iron exterior, recycled denim insulation, bamboo flooring, and energy-efficient Morso stove.
The exterior siding consists of corrugated iron and cedar planks.
The interior has a bamboo floor and yellow pine cladding on the walls and ceiling, concealing the recycled cotton insulation made primarily from old blue jeans. The stove is constructed from recycled scrap iron.
Obviously, this unit is one of a kind and is not being produced commercially by the university, but the simplicity of the design and construction process means there’s no real reason a commercial consideration wouldn’t be viable. A self-contained cabin with electricity and water would certainly provide a much more affordable and convenient alternative to current cabins that either have to be expensively connected to the utilities or uncomfortably go without.
Check out these videos:
This one is an interview with Urs:
And this one by Jetson Green, is about the architectural solutions to ecological building issues that Urs and students at Texas Tech University addressed including water use, energy production, and resource consumption — i.e., water harvesting, composting, natural ventilation, and solar power:
Hoover: Ingenious students at Texas Tech create a home that is mostly environment-friendly.
By: Renttoown.ph
from: www.smallhousestyle.com
Living in a trailer carries with it a certain stigma but this didn’t stop Urs Peter Flueckiger and his students at the College of Architecture, the College of Visual and Performing Arts, and the College of Engineering atTexas Tech University from requisitioning part of a derelict doublewide and turning it into the prefabricated Sustainable Cabin. Destined for a landfill, the professor et al. extensively remodeled a section to test sustainable architectural concepts in construction materials and techniques, with the end goal of better understanding their methods and applications.
Ascribing to the minimalist living ideas espoused by author Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) who himself lived in a tiny 150 square foot home, the Sustainable Cabin pursues those ideas of a simple life in natural surroundings.
With solar energy as its only source of power, rainwater harvesting and a composting toilet, this design is quite at home in the middle of nowhere, completely off the grid, and serves as a working laboratory for the students and faculty. It is currently up and running in Ford County, 45 miles west of Wichita Falls, Texas. It measures 14-feet wide and 28-feet long and has a composting toilet, battery energy storage, solar panels, cedar and corrugated iron exterior, recycled denim insulation, bamboo flooring, and energy-efficient Morso stove.
The exterior siding consists of corrugated iron and cedar planks.
The interior has a bamboo floor and yellow pine cladding on the walls and ceiling, concealing the recycled cotton insulation made primarily from old blue jeans. The stove is constructed from recycled scrap iron.
Obviously, this unit is one of a kind and is not being produced commercially by the university, but the simplicity of the design and construction process means there’s no real reason a commercial consideration wouldn’t be viable. A self-contained cabin with electricity and water would certainly provide a much more affordable and convenient alternative to current cabins that either have to be expensively connected to the utilities or uncomfortably go without.
Check out these videos:
This one is an interview with Urs:
And this one by Jetson Green, is about the architectural solutions to ecological building issues that Urs and students at Texas Tech University addressed including water use, energy production, and resource consumption — i.e., water harvesting, composting, natural ventilation, and solar power:
Hoover: Ingenious students at Texas Tech create a home that is mostly environment-friendly.
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Rooftop Gardens From Around The World
By: Rent to Own
from: www.thegrowspot.com
When space is limited, sometimes a gardener must take to the roof. Around the world resourceful gardeners are turning what would otherwise be an overlooked and underutilized area into a place of beauty and serenity. Plus, you'd be amazed at the amount of fruit and vegetable you can coax out of these small spaces.
This garden is part of a spa/health club complex in the Embarcadero section of San Francisco. When there is limited green space in a downtown area, sometimes you've just got to create it.
A playful and sprawling rooftop garden at the Ghibli Museum in Tokyo, Japan.
This is a sixth floor rooftop garden at St. Luke's International Hospital in Akashi, Tokyo.
Waking up to this Seattle, Washington garden can make you forget that you actually live in a bustling city!
A gorgeous herb garden in Southern California. Looks like they're producing enough in this space to keep the whole neighborhood in herbs.
Another beautiful example of carving out some green space in an urban area is the City Hall building in Chicago.
While the garden is not open to the public (except the occasional tour group) it is visible from nearby office buildings.
The growers of this Senegalese garden produce an income by cultivating several varieties of mint, as well as a host of other edibles.
These London residents turned a drab parking structure into a lovely little gathering place. It does an amazing job of breaking up the monotony of brick and concrete while adding some bursts of color to the surroundings.
While this may not be a traditional garden, I couldn't resist including a photo of these trees growing atop an Italian building. It appears to be possible to grow anything on your rooftop!
Hoover: A big or small space, a little creativity, and a little diligence goes a long way in creating your own rooftop garden!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)