Going Green With Geothermal Heating
04.01.2011
By Mark Mizrahi | Are you are planning to put up a new “green” building, or retrofit an existing building with new green technology? Make your life easier and your project greener by considering the most efficient heating and cooling technology available today: geothermal heat pumps (GHP). For the average commercial building in the US, […]
Building The Resilient House
03.31.2011
By Chris Barton | “It is not enough to design purely for life safety,” says Auckland architect Barry Copeland. “A resilient house, as well as surviving structurally through an earthquake, needs to continue its function as a family home.” In response to the Christchurch earthquake, Copeland, working with seismic engineer Barry Davidson and wastewater systems […]
Tile and Stone Trends from Coverings 2011
03.30.2011
Coverings 2011, the International Tile and Stone Exposition, was held earlier this month in Las Vegas and revealed the latest trends in tile and stones. According to Editor at Large, new technology has had a great impact on the latest innovations, bringing about an abundance of unusual textures, shapes, and sizes. Porcelain tiles that mimic […]
Popularity of reclaimed materials rises
03.30.2011
It ain’t exactly hugging a tree. But it’s pretty darn close. While solar, wind and hybrid technology typically get most of the attention for going green, using reclaimed lumber and construction materials is one green trend that tree huggers still will appreciate. And apparently, it’s a trend that’s growing. Scott Gillespie, principal designer for […]
A Sustainable Design Pyramid
03.29.2011
How not to lose sight of the big picture. Photo: Artful Magpie/Flickr By John Brown, Slow Home Studio founder | Designing a house is a complicated task. Anyone who has ever built a home knows that there are literally thousands of design decisions to be made, ranging from the smallest detail (what color of grout do I want […]
Haiti Update
03.28.2011
It could be that as you read this I’m headed to Haiti via Dallas and a night stay in Miami. Turns out it’s spring break time and most of the flights to Haiti are booked. So the only flight I could get was an early a.m. from Miami to Haiti which meant the overnight in […]
Strategic Steps To Take When Building A Home
03.28.2011
Most people dream of owning a home. Some people go beyond just dreaming; they make it happen by building their own home. It may be an enormous project, but it can surely be rewarding. Constructing a house can be very exciting simply because for most people, it is a once-in-a lifetime endeavor. It’s not every […]
Design in Action – Japanese Tatami Dining Rooms
03.27.2011
Japanese style dining is something that many of us have experienced. At many Japanese restaurant one dines while sitting on tatami mats on the floor at a low table. In Japan the Tatami Room is not only the place to dine, but the place to socialize, play cards or board games or just plain relax. […]
New Green Building Products Are Great, But Make Sure They Work
03.26.2011
T. CAINE – Given how much room for improvement we have in making our buildings more sustainable, we should certainly welcome the efforts of companies to release more green building components. Recently, business has been good. The slow permeation of sustainability into the culture of design and construction has brought new products to market every year […]
