Jackson & McElhaney Architects of Austin, Texas create structures that embody their philosophy of earth-friendly design. We’ve chosen to feature the Blanco Residence – a fine example of their tastefully efficient and unpretentious style.

The 3,200 square foot home retains many of the materials and characteristics of the converted barn that comprises the main residence. The second floor (formerly the hay loft) of the main house features a large open space containing the living room and kitchen. Three bedrooms and two bathrooms comprise the first floor.

Dormers added to the north and south roof walls provide light and ventilation, while also offering expansive views of the surrounding Texas Hill Country.

A gigantic, light-filled screened room connects the main house to the studio, elegantly curving around a large, old oak tree. A catwalk near the tree offers a direct path between living room and studio.

The project is a fitting expression of  Jackson & McElhaney’s goal to “conserve and preserve the earth, water, air and energy as passively as possible.” Their sustainable residential and commercial work has received many local, state, national and international awards.

The Carraig Ridge Passive House is an innovative home designed for those who really want to get away from it all; additionally, the energy self-sufficient prototype has been designed with a potential 300-year, cradle-to-cradle lifespan.

The project is the vision of architects Les Eerkes and Steven Rainville in association with Tom Kundig and Olson Kundig Architects. The prototype calls for nine homes to be developed in a cluster of 3 to 5 acre lots, with the intent that the development of a small portion of the property will partially fund the creation of a 4,000-acre Canadian nature reserve.

Each building is seen meeting the ambitious goal of cutting energy consumption by 90%, with an energy consumption target of 4kbtu’s/SF per year. The home would feature: a large photovoltaic solar array, hot water heat exchange and storage, and other energy efficient components. The building’s design has the additional goal of creating a positive relationship with both its inhabitants and the surrounding landscape.

With multiple design approaches, alternate forms of the building are envisioned as well – either burrowing into the earth and stretching out to the prairie, or hovering above the ground and being sheltered by trees.

Much of the building will be pre-fabricated and assembled on-site to reduce costs, increase efficiencies and reduce environmental impact. The ease of assembly also means the units can be disassembled and removed from the landscape when their lifecycle is complete.

related: more green architecture

This year, New Zealand is happy to be the first finalist from the Southern Hemisphere to make it to the US Department of Energy Solar Decathlon. As New Zealand sees the light of the sun everyday before the rest of the world, they have named the home the First Meridian Light House.

The design concept for the house was inspired by the traditional Kiwi bach, a New Zealand holiday home.

Kiwi culture places heavy value on socializing and being outdoors.  (more…)

Winter will be here sooner than you think. If you plan on using a wood stove to reduce your home heating bill you might want to consider this little heat-activated fan. The stove top Ecofan silently redirects the heat produced by a wood stove via thermodynamics – no electricity involved. The manufacturer estimates that this fan will help make a wood-burning stove up to 30% more efficient by moving the hot air around the room. The hotter the stove, the faster the fan spins.

comes in 2 size @ gaiam

At first glance, the exterior of Blu’s new Lofthouse appears to be a simple box, but that’s just what they were after when they designed this new eco-friendly prefab. According to Maura McCarthy, Blu Homes’ co-founder and VP, sales and marketing, “The charming exterior of the traditional version of the Lofthouse is reminiscent of a New England barn-style home, complete with Colonial-style windows and shutters. The more modern version does away with shutters and expands the windows to provide an uninterrupted view and a true indoor/outdoor living experience.”

But it’s what’s inside that may impress the most: (more…)

A great deal of our modern way of living literally rests on the simple use of cement. Without this useful substance we could not produce concrete, the fundamental ingredient of our houses, buildings and skyscrapers. Unfortunately, one of the costs of making cement is that it is highly damaging to the environment. To obtain the raw materials for cement requires quarrying, which has various impacts on the surrounding ecosystems. During the production process of cement, CO2 emissions come from both the heating of calcium carbonate as well as from the machines needed for production. This production process has also been found to release heavy metals such as cadmium, mercury and thallium into the atmosphere. (more…)

Sustainable living is becoming a top priority for more and more people these days. Advancements in solar technology have allowed for economically efficient ways to save energy. Harnessing the sun’s energy is clean, renewable, and free. So why not?

Investing in green upgrades in your home can pay off in both the short and long run and solar water heaters are among the most economically beneficial improvements you can make. They don’t cost as much as solar panels and they can cut water-heating bills by up to 80 percent. Solar water heaters are very easy to install and they allow for free hot water for years to come.

Federal and state governments across the nation are doing their best to encourage green living by creating aid and incentives for green building.  If you’re looking to improve the energy efficiency of your home, take a look at the Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency to find out how your state can help you.

related: solar and alternative energy products

The construction of modern buildings and houses has contributed vastly to our collective comfort, health, employment opportunities and overall quality of life. Even considering these highly positive effects, the reality of modern construction is that it also lends to environmental degradation. CompoClay, an eco-friendly company in Alameda, California, realizes these negative effects and is working to do something about them.

Whether it’s through deforestation, resource extraction, chemical usage or metallurgical processes, our environment pays a price for our need to create houses, buildings and products. CompoClay aims to offset these damages through the use of abundant and natural building materials.

Be it anything from wall panels and sculptures to mirrors and fireplace mantels, all of CompoClay’s products are fabricated from basic natural ingredients like water, sand grains, sea salt and minerals. The long-term goal of CompoClay is to find a sustainable and healthy alternative to large-scale resource extraction and the use of toxic materials in traditional construction and product design.

We’ve all heard of this idea of living off-grid, but what kind of person would be interested in living in this way? A number different people turn to living off the grid for varying reasons:  Off-grid living can be motivated by anything from a general distrust of the government and corporate monopolies, to a sheer desire to quit the rat race we call modern living. As it turns out, one of the biggest reason why so many people start living off the grid is to lower their personal impact on the environment.

Some feel that the best way they can preserve the environment is to forego using public utilities like power, gas and water.
This may result in going without, what many would call, the “basic necessities” of life. Living off-grid could include buying a plot of land and building a house that is not connected to public utilities in any way. It also may not be necessary to go as far as building a house, as many people have used campers, trailers or pre-fab units for off-grid living. (more…)