PREFAB PLACE Houses

PREFAB PLACE Houses
by Bridgette Steffen

This stunning home in Kirkland, Wash. is one in a series of prefabricated homes called PLACE Houses designed by architect Heather Johnston. The home’s diverse use of sustainably-sourced materials and low-impact energy harvesting — in addition to its fresh, contemporary look — won the series a spot as one of the Top 6 Prefab Designs in the April 2006 issue of Wallpaper magazine. Built with SIP panels, this 2,800 square-foot model home was constructed on-site and has almost every green amenity you can imagine. This PLACE House has the look of a custom-built home, but can be ordered and built as though it were part of a “ready-to-wear” line — making for an easy, streamlined package.

Heather has designed five different versions for the PLACE House series — all of which can be seen on the PLACE Houses website and range from a 470-square-foot studio to a 2,600-square-foot, 3 bedroom home. Each house uses SIP panel construction and takes advantage of sustainable strategies such as rainwater collection, solar passive design, eco-friendly materials, low-VOC paints and cabinetry. PLACE homes are only available in the Northwest right now, but expect to see them sprouting up around the country soon!

This particular 4-bedroom house is a modified L model - big enough for 3 children and yet not too big either. In the backyard, a beautiful pool is heated with solar hot-water panels from the roof. Both pervious concrete and grass pavers are used instead of traditional concrete to improve water filtration on the site. A rainwater catchment system collects water with the help of a butterfly roof, similar to mK’s prefab designs.

Inside the home, antique and vintage furniture creates a chic and comfortable home. Recycled aluminum chairs with custom fabrics from Emeco are paired with a dining table equipped with wheels — allowing the entire dining experience to move outdoors. The beautiful green couch is a vintage 1973 sofa designed by Michael Ducaroy, while the leather chairs were made in the 1950s by Paulo Mendes da Rocha and were found at Design Within Reach. The downstairs floor is concrete, while the upstairs is cork flooring. To improve the passive solar design of the home, a large fir tree was felled, but was then milled, dried and used to complete windowsills, stair treads and the top of the dining table.

Make sure to check out all of the designs for these fabulous prefabs. The fresh look of these homes, combined with sustainable materials and contemporary design, is sure to make these homes popular in the future.

+ PLACE Houses

via Jetson Green

photos courtesy of Metropolitan Home

EGGLING: Grow Your Own Herbs!

EGGLING: Grow Your Own Herbs!
by Olivia Chen

The adjective cute doesn’t usually cross our minds when it comes to kitchen gardening — but that certainly changed when we saw these egg-shaped containers sprouting green leafy specimens. Called an eggling for the shape of its container, each little ceramic egg is shipped whole — requiring its owner to lightly crack open the top to create an opening for the plant to grow through. Seeds available are basil, cactus, red pepper, mint, strawberry, or lavender. Containers are roughly 2.25 inches tall and 2 inches in diameter and rest in a terra cotta dish — making them small enough to fit snugly on a windowsill or in a cozy corner of your desk.

Solar Bird House: Late Night Bird Hangout

Solar Bird House: Late Night Bird Hangout
by Bridgette Steffen

File this under - sure, but why? This cute-but-totally-gratuitous solar-powered birdhouse is made by OOOMS, Dutch designers of products like the Twig USB drive. During the day, a solar panel mounted on the roof charges a small interior battery. At night, the landing perch lights up in anticipation of bugs who are addicted to the glowing brightness of nightlights. The idea is that birds can use the light to attract their prey close to their bed for a nighttime snack. Sounds like a good idea, because who says birds shouldn’t enjoy some nighttime outdoor lighting? We think this thing should be on a timer though — keeping a perch lit after 2 am is asking for a flock of birds starting some trouble. Strangely enough, these solar birdhouses are hot-ticket items at Charles & Marie (sold out when we checked!), but you can find them for sale at the OOOMS website.

Japanese Treetop Tea House is “Built Too High”

Japanese Treetop Tea House is “Built Too High”
by Bridgette Steffen

The Japanese certainly have a penchant for out-of-this-world tree-top architecture, and this incredible Takasugi-an tea house is no exception. Designed by architect Terunobu Fujimori, the tree-bound tea house stands precariously perched upon the trunks of two timbers erected on a plot of family land in Chino, Nagano Prefecture.

In Japan, tea masters have traditionally maintained total control over their construction of their tea houses. Their main concern for these “enclosures” was simplicity, and in order to keep things simple, tea masters preferred not to involve architects or craftsman to help them with the construction.

Building upon this tradition, Fujimori’s tea house is quite small and compact, and can accommodate four and a half tatami mats (29 sq ft). The architect describes the small building as though “it were an extension of one’s body, like a piece of clothing.” However Fujimori’s main concern is not necessarily the art of tea making, but pushing the limits and constraints of a traditional tea house.

Two chestnut trees were felled on a nearby mountain and brought to the site, where they were used as the supports for the structure - Takasugi-an literally means “a teahouse [built] too high.” Guests must climb a freestanding ladder, which leans against one of the trees, in order to reach the little house. Midway up the ladder, guests must remove their shoes and leave them on the platform.

The interior of the tea house is constructed from simple materials such as plaster and bamboo. Once inside, you can almost forget that you are in a tree house high above the ground due to the serene and calm interior. Three windows frame the views of the surrounding valley and the town in which Fujimori grew up. Visible through the large picture window is Fujimori’s first project, the Jinchokan Moriya Historical Museum. To Fujimori, the tea house is “the ultimate personal architecture,” and that can be seen in his handmade creation set in a landscape he knows well.

Via Dezeen

Photos by Edmund Sumner

LOTTO TURM: Stuttgart’s Shipping Container Skyscraper

LOTTO TURM: Stuttgart’s Shipping Container Skyscraper
by Bridgette Steffen

In the center of Stuttgart, Germany, lies an odd roundabout called Oesterreichischer Platz. Speeding traffic circles around it, and for the last 40 years no one has found much use for it, except as a parking lot. Now German designer Lars Behrendt has conceived of an incredible tower for the unused site that is comprised of 55 shipping containers stacked up like blocks. The Lotto Turm would function as a mixed-use development with a sphere at the top, which would be used to announce the city’s lotto numbers.

The Lotto Turm tower will be constructed of 55 shipping containers stacked on top of each other, and will be designed to include a noise-free courtyard as well as a spiral pathway that circles around the building. Balconies, terraces, and stairs accent the tower from top to bottom, giving the stacked block structure a fantastical quality, and Gardens and plants will accentuate the varied vertical landscape. The public may enter and go all the way to the top of tower for a view of the city through the lotto sphere.

The tower may be used for office space and perhaps even residential apartments. One shipping container will be used as a swimming pool, with a sunning deck right beside it. The description also suggests that local prostitutes may also find a home for themselves here at the Lotto Turm. It certainly is an intriguing building, and its uses and inhabitants are likely to be every bit as interesting.

+ Lars Behrendt

LIGHTS OUT: Earth Hour Goes Global on March 28th!

LIGHTS OUT: Earth Hour Goes Global on March 28th!
by Jorge Chapa

Earth Hour is a worldwide event that encourages individuals to unite in the fight against global warming by turning off their lights and spending sixty minutes outside with friends and family. Over the past two years the simple idea has grown into a monumental movement, and this year’s event is aiming for 1 billion participants. Earth hour 2009 takes place on March 28th at 8:30pm local time, so save the date, flip the switch, and see how this simple individual action can make a profound collective statement!

Organized by the World Wildlife Fund, this year’s Earth Hour is seeking to sign up 1,000 cities and one billion people to participate in the event. So far, they have signed up 1,189 cities across 80 countries. The ferries in Sydney, Australia will sound their horns at 8:30pm, Melbourne will host a pedal-powered concert, percussionists will play in Athens, and in San Francisco the Golden Gate bridge will go dark for one singular hour.

Many of us have had the pleasure of participating in previous Earth Hours, and we can safely say that it is some of the most fun that we’ve had with our lights out. The best part about Earth Hour? It requires your participation. Not bad for a simple idea that began in Sydney.

You can get more information of local events in your area by visiting their website. Those of you who follow us on Twitter may wish to follow them at Earthhour.

+ Earth Hour