House Plans.info

I wrote about using old shipping containers to build houses with a few weeks ago. Well here is a great example of a proposed project in Detroit. Designed by architect Steven Flum, in partnership with developer Leslie Horn, the project is waiting city approval. Once received, the condos will end up near […]

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We’ve featured Michelle Kauffman before. Her work is pleasing to me, so I thought I’d share some vidoes. These are inside looks into some of her homes, the Glidehouse and the Sunset Breezehouse. Enjoy…
MKD video 1
MKD video 2
MKD video 3
thanks michelle and preston

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Agilewaves Inc, a California based IT company, has created the Resource Monitor (shown above) which displays a building’s performance. Their first client, Nueva School in Hillsborough, CA built green, incorporating such things as solar-electric panels and a living roof. When they wanted to measure the performance, they went to Agilewaves.
Keeping track of performance […]

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Though it may not be the hot topic of the century, building residences with storage containers is getting a lot of attention right now. Let me tell you why.
Structure: The biggest reason the idea has caught on is that the structure is already done. No need to worry about structural support. You […]

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SMIT, a sustainable design start-up company, has developed an interesting, potentially ground breaking, and completely simple idea called GROW. Solar energy scientists have been trying to imitate photosynthesis for a while now. They’ve done an excellent job of it, and I’m continually impressed with newer techs and better availability. In this sense, […]

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I write here fairly often, but my main job is with the bosses over at www.theplancollection.com, where I answer questions about residential design and construction. I received an interesting email the other day. It was a slightly critical young man who claimed that all the designs on our website were “old school” and […]

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useful + agreeable house by Atelier Tekuto is available exclusively through useful + agreeable (www.ua.tv).
useful + agreeable (u+a) is a multimedia company that specializes in travel and design. Their purpose is to “present a useful + agreeable world.” As part of their quest, they have recently paired up with Japanese architect Atelier Tekuto to bring […]

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The senate keeps forgetting to include important tax breaks for renewable energy projects. Last year, senate passed the Energy Act which raised the bar on miles per gallon, and other household efficiency issues. It seems that we’re still stuck with the idea that it’s okay to harm the environment… less. Industry proponents […]

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CNET reported on a paint under development by researchers at Rice University and City College of New York. The trick is an ancient remedy that my unlce used to swear by (and probably still does). It’s silver. Nanoparticles of silver, to be exact. The trick is to insert these tiny particles […]

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Popsci.com gives out invention awards every year. I stumbled across their selections from May and found a great product made from a coal by-product, fly ash. Once part of the problem, retired civil engineer Henry Liu turns fly ash into an effective solution, and he’s planning on releasing it this year!
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