HousePlans.Info

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 also don’t [...]

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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, GROW is not [...]

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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 that he [...]

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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 [...]

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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 say that the [...]

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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 into a vegetable oil [...]

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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! Brick making is an [...]

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Al Gore and Anderson Cooper have brought plenty of attention to the Green Topic. Their dismal reports, along with plenty of environmental pioneers like Paul Hawkin, Ray Anderson, etc, have spurred a media frenzy on the need to save our planet. Time magazine recently reported on “51 Ways to Save the Environment”. It’s a good [...]

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I just read an interesting article about New Urbanism, a movement against sprawling cities and our dependence on the automobile. The philosophy claims that we can retrofit our cities into denser neighborhoods where all of our needs, or most of them, can be within walking distance. This includes work, school, shopping, entertainment, etc. Essentially, the [...]

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I just ran across an interesting monthly (so far) blog about green hacking. Never heard of it? Neither had I. Basically, green hacking is modifying ordinary household items into energy saving machines. This is at least a fun blog to read, and at best an exciting way to darken your shade of green and save [...]

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