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Green Materials + Techniques Make Passive Home Shine
Looping Lounge Chair Wraps Like a 2-Seat Roller Coaster
Backpack House: Portable Addition Hangs from Buildings

Green Materials + Techniques Make Passive Home Shine

Posted: 06 Jun 2012 10:00 AM PDT

[ Filed under Green Homes & in the Architecture category ]

The time-worn adage “form follows function” may bring a groan to the lips of everyone who has heard it repeated ad nauseam in architecture or design classes. However, it is so time-worn because it is a wise approach to these pursuits.

The Cannon Beach Residence designed by Nathan Good Architects was meant, first and foremost, to be both durable and earth-friendly. The owners wanted a net-zero energy house. It just so happens that it turned out to be extremely beautiful as well.

As an award-winning home that has received accolades across the board, the Cannon Beach Residence is undeniably gorgeous. But its true strength lies in its use of natural materials and sustainable building practices.

Huge south-facing windows let in ample natural light and reduce the need for artificial lighting. A 5.9kw photovoltaic system provides electricity to the home and is also connected to the local grid, meaning that the electricity meter can at times spin backward when the home produces more energy than it uses.

Thermal collectors provide the home with hot water, using the sun to heat it. Part of the home’s roof is green, planted with sedum and other perennials to provide the home with natural insulation and fire resistance.

Wind-fallen trees were used for the timber-frame construction, while the cherry wood used in the kitchen fixtures came from certified sustainable sources.

Recycled and salvaged materials were used wherever possible, contributing to a home that with a healthy indoor environment and a positive impact on its surroundings.

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[ Filed under Green Homes & in the Architecture category ]

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Looping Lounge Chair Wraps Like a 2-Seat Roller Coaster

Posted: 05 Jun 2012 04:00 PM PDT

[ Filed under Furniture & in the Couches category ]

Sometimes an idea just looks better on paper, or at least when elegantly rendered in three dimensions without all those troubling structural details. Other designs are even more impressive when they go from concept to reality.

The Loopita was conceived as a kind of corkscrew – seating the spirals to create more adjacent seating while maintaining a visual and physical separation, and providing chair as a bonus.

The real versions are not the glossy segmented bent wood first imagined, but a more practical, permeable, and light-weight stick-frame shell that only has cushioning where needed (along the bottom), and filters rather than blocking light above, creating shade instead of impermeable shadow. In effect, the concept was cleaned up in the process of creation, adapted to real-life materials and actual needs.

Keep Going - Check out this Great Related Dornob Article:

Secret Seat: Soft ‘Fake Sofa’ Cover Hides ‘Real Hard’ Chair

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[ Filed under Furniture & in the Couches category ]

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Backpack House: Portable Addition Hangs from Buildings

Posted: 05 Jun 2012 10:00 AM PDT

[ Filed under Architecture & in the Additions category ]

So you are stuck in the middle of the building – not on the top, where you might build up, or on the bottom, where you could sprawl out. Your unit faces out in only one direction. There is nowhere else to go.

Stefan Eberstadt claims otherwise, with his Backpack House project that has now hung from the sides of multiple residential structures to expand occupiable space.

The idea comes as a response to cramped quarters the artist/builder has experienced in major cities including London and New York, where at times you are limited to as little as one outward-facing window. By way of contrast, all kinds of viewing ports are sliced into the sides, bottom and top of this curious cube, affording neat views (at least until your neighbor expands with his own cube, that is).