Archive for the ‘housing’ Category

Jetson Green: GreenMobile

Doctors cialis in us also have some concerns that taking nitric oxide supplements could buy cheap estrace online make some conditions worse. Cymbalta withdrawal and dependenceCymbalta may cause purchase atrovent online withdrawal symptoms if the drug is stopped suddenly. There are atrovent discount buy online info no high quality studies assessing whether chiropractic is a safe purchase vibramycin online or effective treatment for RA. Radical surgery is the standard discount drops no rx treatment for bladder cancer that has spread to the underlying discount artane bladder muscle. An accurate diagnosis can help a doctor recommend generic advair side effects and alcohol appropriate treatment to help prevent further complications. Weight loss can purchase estrace also be a sign of depression, as many people experiencing flagyl sale the condition find they have a lack of appetite. Sometimes, a.

greenmobile2.jpg

Preston, green ninja master over at Jetson Green writes:
GreenMobile was a Lifecycle Building Challenge winner in the Professional Unbuilt category.  Now, mounting success upon success, Michael Berk, creator of the concept, has a prototype in the works to be unveiled in March 2008.  Can’t wait to see that!  GreenMobile was awarded $5.8 M from FEMA to further develop the prototype and roughly 80 units are in the pipeline right after that prototype comes through.

Click here to read read the rest of this article [this is just an excerpt ] over at Jetson Green.

::article written by Preston, founder and editor of Jetson Green – original article entitled GreenMobile: Ultra-Affordable, Modular Green Homes. These articles from Jetson Green on MNP’s Green Tuesdays are part of a feature you can find here every week – just click any Tuesday in the calender and enjoy! And for more ‘green’ news + info, head on over to Green.MNP::

Posted: January 22nd, 2008
at 5:00am by orangemenace


Categories: architecture,green arch,housing

Comments: No comments


VS 20.01.2008: NextHouse

For this week’s Video Sunday we’re featuring Dwell’s NextHouse, by Empyrean. Designed for Empyrean by architect Joel Turkel [who also lectures at MIT’s School of Architecture and Planning], the NextHouse is the premier showcase for the Dwell Homes by Empyrean – and you can track progress of the model home in Hillsborough, NC here.

More videos featuring the NextHouse can be found here – over at Dwell’s video section.

::Video Sundays, or VS, is a weekly feature here on architecture.MNP. For more architecture-related videos, click on any Sunday in the sidebar calendar – or on the ‘videos’ category in the ‘archjutsu’ section. Additional videos that have been featured on any of the MNP sites can be found here on our YouTube page::

Posted: January 20th, 2008
at 10:20pm by orangemenace


Categories: architecture,pre-fab,green arch,housing,videos

Comments: No comments


Neil M. Denari Architects: U+A House

ua_house-1.jpg

One serious problem with housing [especially the suburbs] is sprawl – or, simply put, the fact that we’re taking up an ever increasing footprint on the land. Not only is this an issue because of lack of space [Earth is plenty big, but we will run out of land, my ninjas], but it’s also forming a disconnect between people [you live in a house, on your property, drive to work alone in a car passing everyone/thing at 40mph, work, then go back to your personal space] as the population spreads.

One answer? Build vertically. This solution has already been presented in our cities, as we see everyday in skyscrapers and highrises – but what about on a smaller scale? Enter the U+A House, a mini-highrise designed by Neil M. Denari Architects for Useful and Agreeable [U+A].

ua_house-2.jpg

consider the desirability and precision engineering of great car design; the exploration and challenge of contemporary art; and the bold expressiveness of avant-garde fashion. where are the architectural equivalents?

useful + agreeable offers one option in this regard, the opportunity to purchase a pre-designed house by world-renowned architect, neil m. denari.

the u+a house is a flexible, universal product, designed for a variety of contexts and climates around the world, including: small-lot or cluster housing, remote vacation property and rooftop penthouses among other possibilities [via U+A].

ua_house-3.jpg

I have to admit, I’m not sold on the design exactly – something about the aesthetic is a little dentist’s office meets time capsule for me – but the concept is pretty ill. Prefab housing that can be customized like any car, and shipped out in the fraction of the time of a typical house is always cool – but turning them upright to preserve space? Brilliant in its simplicity, if you ask me.
::Info + images from u+a, via MoCo Loco::

Posted: January 15th, 2008
at 11:01pm by orangemenace


Categories: architecture,my ninja, please,pre-fab,green arch,housing,featured ninjas,towering pagodas

Comments: 2 comments


3XN : ‘Buen’ Cultural Housing

buen-6.jpg

An MNP favorite, 3XN [featured as architecte de la semaine a while back] has proposed a masterplan for a cultural center and new residential units in Mandal, Norway – entitled “Buen” [the arch]. The project is described by 3XN as ‘a green blanket that elevates and makes room for the cultural center, and thus integrates it in the surrounding landscape‘.

buen-1.jpg

The masterplan focuses on reflecting the characteristics of the ‘classic’ Norwegian wooden house, through the scale and proportion of the stepped housing units. The cultural center is pushed towards the water, opening up to the rest of Mandal on the other side of the river.

buen-3.jpg

The undulating roof of the cultural center appears as a rolling hill, sloping upwards from the landscape – giving residents and visitors a usable, central outdoor space on the waterfront. This allows for the the center to occupy the land right on the water, without blocking access to the views and waterfront pedestrian experience. Underneath this artificial hillside the center will contain a café, library, gallery spaces, and [I believe] the hotel restaurant. The design also incorporates a hotel into the plan – giving guests easy access to the center’s library + exhibitions, and therefore further insight into the local culture.

3xn-buen_view.jpg

Whereas the cultural center is a signifier of the area, the hotel and the surrounding housing form a coherent low-dense area referring to the scale of the town. The master plan tries to keep motoring traffic at a minimum and establish instead the narrow pathways and greens characteristic of the garden city [via 3XN].

buen-2.jpg

I’ve got to admit, I’m not really sold on the ‘ticky-tacky boxes‘ feel of the housing – seems like something that sounds like a good idea [sort of], but wouldn’t play out all that wonderfully. That being said – the cultural center itself is pretty siiick – and that’s pretty obviously the strength of the project. I really like the idea of a public building that doesn’t take away from public space – but instead becomes both.

More 3XN on architecture.MNP:

Danish Light*house
3XN: Tangen VGS
3XN: Museum of Liverpool
3XN: Thor Heyerdahl VGS
3XN: architecte de la semaine

::All images + info from 3XN’s website::

Posted: January 14th, 2008
at 10:51pm by orangemenace


Categories: architecture,green arch,housing,urban/master planning,featured ninjas

Comments: 2 comments


RES4: House for an Artist

res4_artist-6.jpg

The Artist’s Retreat, a recently [Fall, 2007] completed project RES4, is a 2550 SF prefab project in Southampton, NY. Manufactured by Integrity Building Systems, the ‘sustainable‘ residence takes advantage of it’s natural surroundings through the integration of a solarium and a large roof deck into the design – highlighting the views of the ‘breathtaking natural landscape’. The 3-Bedroom house is shared by an artist + mother, and includes an office/study, art studio,combined kitchen/dining/living. 3 baths, and the previously mentioned solarium + roof deck.

res4_artist-2.jpg

Sustainable‘/‘green’ technologies used in the house include geothermal heating + cooling, three arrays of high efficiency photovoltaic modules have the capacity to produce 10,500 kwh/yr[their first electric bill was actually a credit], modular prefab construction and maintenance free materials, natural ventilation, and the use of local Southampton ground vegetation.

res4_artist-plan.jpg

The design is based on RES4’d investigation into the ‘Modern Modular‘ – a type of ‘kit-of-parts’ that RES4 uses to develop their projects. Variations on 7 different building typologies – Single Bar, L Series, Double Wide, Courtyard, T Series, Triple Wide, + Z Series – have been created by RES4, and are expanded upon and built based on site conditions and client needs/preferences.

res4_artist-4.jpg

res4_artist-3.jpg

res4_artist-5.jpg

Prefab and ‘green’ or not – seems like a pretty big house for two people, doesn’t it?

More RES4 on MNP:

RES4 : Dwell Home

Posted: January 8th, 2008
at 3:09pm by orangemenace


Categories: architecture,pre-fab,green arch,housing,featured ninjas

Comments: 1 comment


Jetson Green: 2007 Sunset Idea House

sunsethouse-1.jpg

Preston, green ninja master over at Jetson Green writes:

This is the San Francisco Sunset Idea House for 2007, and it’s one of the first LEED Certified residential remodeled homes in the nation. This home is unique from other Sunset Idea Houses in that it’s in a dense urban area on a compact site. There are two-units and the smaller one, which is about 1,200 sf, is reportedly on sale for $1,089,000. No word on whether the larger, 3,600 sf unit will be for sale.

Click here to read read the rest of this article [this is just an excerpt – more info + great images available] over at Jetson Green.

sunsethouse-2.jpg

::article written by Preston, founder and editor of Jetson Green – original article entitled 2007 Sunset Idea House, a Super Green Remodel. These articles from Jetson Green on MNP’s Green Tuesdays are part of a feature you can find here every week – just click any Tuesday in the calender and enjoy! And for more ‘green’ news + info, head on over to Green.MNP::

Posted: December 18th, 2007
at 7:00am by orangemenace


Categories: architecture,green arch,housing

Comments: 1 comment


ModCell : BaleHaus Straw Bale Construction

modcell-4.jpg

[Image: Rendering of the BaleHaus]

As you may have realized – we here at MNP are into straw bale construction, and enjoy being able to bring you interesting/innovative examples of the construction method being put to work. Here we have featured a project by ModCell called the BaleHaus – a proposed straw bale home that the company describes as a ‘domestic carbon bank’, a house that stores carbon credits because of its being built from renewable materials [straw and timber], in addition to other integrated sustainable technologies.

modcell-5.jpg

[Image: Exploded axon of the BaleHaus]

Interesting about the ModCell project is that it appears to be set up for mass production – and the company even has plans for a Balehaus-based eco-community. The pre-fab kit of parts that ModCell has created could possibly make for the creation an interesting development – and even if the homes are all the same, the idea of uniformity for nature’s sake [not just for $ – let’s face it, new developments in the US are typically awful – and NOT ‘green’] is an interesting one.
modcell-2.jpg

[Image:ModCell straw bale panels]

modcell_balehaus-3.jpg

[Image: perspective of proposed BaleHaus community]

While environmentally friendly, the project raises what I feel is an ever-increasingly important issue in green design: why does it have to look like that? Now, I understand that aesthetics are subjective, and we could debate the value of having green homes VS having innovative design solutions – but at the end of the day we’ll just be talking about a project like this one proposed by ModCell the same way we talk about current suburban developments, green or no green. Straw bale construction in particular seems to fall into the ‘it’s green so it’s good’ trap [some projects excluded], which is just ridiculous since the projects are typically constructed with prefabricated elements that could be built to any number of specifications [in short, prefab is ill lately- why isn’t this?]. All that being said, the idea of building an entire development using this construction method is interesting for it’s PR capabilities, advertising it as a valid and green alternative to what might be considered more standard building materials [really though, that’s all the more reason to make the houses look nice].

modcell_balehaus-2.jpg

[Image: plan of proposed BaleHaus community]

::Press Release + details, via ModCell::

::more straw bale construction at Green.MNP::

Posted: December 11th, 2007
at 8:00am by orangemenace


Categories: architecture,pre-fab,green arch,housing,tech

Comments: 3 comments


Andrew Maynard Architects: Tattoo House

maynard_tattoo_house-11.jpg

[Image: Night few of the Tattoo House – a kitchen+living space addition]

I should start by saying that Andrew Maynard – with the lofty goal of ‘complete tyrannical world domination’ [sounds familiar…] – has already reached 9th dan ninja status, and I’m pretty sure he’s not even thirty [so in architecture terms, he’s basically a child]. The Aussie architect has a unique and thoughtful approach to design, and should be watched closely by all those interested in quality, green, and seemingly low-cost buildings.

Here we have the Tattoo House – an addition to an existing 3 bedroom home in Fitzroy North [A suburb of Melbourne] providing the current residents with new living and kitchen space, opening onto a new deck.

maynard_tattoo_house-7.jpg

[Image: Close-up of the house’s ‘tattoo’ and the shadows it creates]

Many of the design decisions behind the Tattoo House were based on the budget, along with local building requirements – truly using the project’s restrictions to drive the design. The addition is therefore simple square – where each element serves multiple functions for ‘maximum return’. More design for your buck.

maynard_tattoo_house-8.jpg

[Image: View of the kitchen – in particular the counter in the back as it becomes the landing for the stairs to the second level]

The new kitchen, located on the ground floor, is an open plan with large sliding glass panels that allow the space to be opened to the outside – merging with the deck to form an even larger interior/exterior room, which is accentuated by the double-height area created along the exterior wall.

maynard_tattoo_house-13.jpg

[Image: View of kitchen/dining area’s double height space, which opens onto the deck]

Above, on the second level, a new family room overlooks the kitchen’s double height space and is given a nice level of privacy by the house’s ‘tattoo’ – UV stable stickers in the form of tree supergraphics, based on images of trees from a local park. More than a simple decoration, the tree graphic is a response to the local building council requiring that the second storey spaces be at 75% opacity. The solution screens the inside – eliminating the need for curtains, reflects heat and glare away from the expansive windows – controlling solar heat gain, and [last but definitely not least] creates an incredible play of light + shadow on the additions interior surface. Pretty siiick.

maynard_tattoo_house-6.jpg

[Image: View showing kitchen opening onto exterior deck, forming a new, large open space]

maynard_tattoo_house-10.jpg

[Image: View of the addition within its context]

My only negative comment about the project: who would want to spend any time in the pre-existing house? If I had a regular home, and Maynard came along and created something this beautiful as an addition – I’d have to knock the rest over and see what else he could do [yeah, that defeats the purpose – but so what?]. Also – I wonder how much it would cost to just build the addition – I don’t need that much space anyways…
Head on over to Andre Maynard Architects’ website for more images [pages 1, 2, 3, 4, sketches + info on the ‘tattoo’] and an array of noteworthy projects.

More Andrew Maynard on architecture.MNP:

Poop House

::Images courtesy of Andrew Maynard Architects – photography by Peter Bennetts::

::MNP would like to thank Cara from Andrew Maynard Architects for dropping us an email about this project::

Posted: December 10th, 2007
at 6:00am by orangemenace


Categories: architecture,green arch,housing,featured ninjas

Comments: 10 comments


Green.MNP: Building a Straw Bale House

straw_bale.jpg

This week our green ninja Jessie hits us with the second installment in myninjaplease’s series on straw bale construction: Building A Straw Bale House: Clearing the Site. Here’s an excerpt:

When Anissa first laid out the house on a topo drawing of the site (a little $1400 survey cost) she suggested that floor joists over a crawl space might be cheaper than a slab on grade, due to the slope of the site and the amount of fill we would need to bring in for the slab. I was reluctant at first about losing the thermal mass in the slab, but I talked it over with Cadmon and he said that a two inch layer of lightweight concrete over the wooden subfloor works well for holding the radiant heating tubing. He did a top-of-the-head cost estimate that indicated this approach would be a bit cheaper than the slab and fill.

Building a Straw Bale House is an original MNP series by Jessie from the green page [Green.MNP], documenting the design + construction of her father’s straw bale home [which he is designing himself]. Head on over to Green.MNP for more.

Posted: December 4th, 2007
at 4:00am by orangemenace


Categories: architecture,green arch,housing,tech

Comments: 1 comment


Jetson Green: Jackson Place

jg-jackson_place.jpg

Preston, editor of Jetson Green writes:

Cascade Built recently finished construction on Jackson Place Townhomes, a two-unit, urban infill project built to LEED Silver certification (currently only registered). As you can tell, it has that undeniable modern appeal, which is stylishly intertwined with green construction and design. For $485,000, you could walk away with one of these 2 bedroom, 1.75 bath, 1260 sf townhomes. Good design is a like a square footage multiplier — the better the design, the smaller your space requirements.

Click here to read read the rest of this article [this is just an excerpt – more info + great images available] over at Jetson Green.

jg-jackson_place_interior.jpg

::article written by Preston, founder and editor of Jetson Green – original article entitled Jackson Place Townhomes, Green Infill Luxury. These articles from Jetson Green on MNP’s Green Tuesdays are part of a feature you can find here every week – just click any Tuesday in the calender and enjoy! And for more ‘green’ news + info, head on over to Green.MNP::

Posted: November 27th, 2007
at 12:19pm by orangemenace


Categories: architecture,green arch,housing

Comments: No comments