Style of Design

Facebook has announced plans to power a huge new data center in Oregon with dirty coal, which means that if you’re one of the hundreds of millions of people who uses the social networking service (and who doesn’t) you’re complicit in the creation of those carbon tons! If you’d like to speak out against the company’s coal-powered center, there’s petition at Change.org asking Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook CEO) and Jonathan Heiliger (Facebook VP of Technical Operations) to reconsider renewable energy. So far the petition has gathered about 2,500 signatures out of its 5,000 signature goal, so if you’re a concerned facebook user check it out and let your voice be heard!

KEEP FACEBOOK OFF COAL >

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Post tags: change.org, data center, facebook coal, facebook petition, green design, keep facebook off coal, Policy, renewable energy, sustainable design

When it comes to home audio systems, a bumpin’ subwoofer is a key part of the listening experience. However subwoofer cabinets can be hard on the eyes, which is why we like the Automan 500, an eco-subwoofer made entirely from a recycled tires. The chic concealed subwoofer is one of 18 finalists in this year’s Greener Gadgets Competition.

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Post tags: automan 500, eco design sustainable design, green design, green subwoofer, greener gadgets competition, greener gadgets design competition, multifunctional furniture, Recycled Materials, recycled tire subwoofer

DARPA, the well known research arm of the Pentagon, has just announced that they will soon be able to transform algae into biofuel at costs that are competitive with fossil fuels. The agency is on track to achieve a cost of $3 dollars a gallon for jet fuel, and their plan is to then develop a large-scale refinery that can produce around 50 million gallons per year. Is this the beginning of the biofuel revolution?

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Post tags: algae jet fuel, darpa, eco design, green design, green transportation, pentagon, pentagon biofuels, sustainable design

Although telecommuting and virtual conferencing are becoming more and more commonplace, for most of us it’s still the norm to walk, drive, bike or take public transportation to get to work every day. Regardless of what mode you use, the good news is that there are a ton of ways to make your ride to the office greener. Read on for our top 7 picks for websites, gadgets, and gizmos that can slash your commute’s carbon footprint.

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Post tags: Avego, car share services, carbon footprint, CarpoolConnect, carpooling, chevy volt, Commute Greener, commuter link, Craigslist, eco driving, electric cars, electric vehicles, Erideshare, Ford electric vehicle, ford focus, Google maps, green commute, green commuting, green iphone apps, GreenRoad, GreenRoad 360, Hopstop, Kiwi fuel saver, Nissan electric vehicle, Nissan Leaf, Nuride, public transportation, zimride, Zipcar, Zipcar iphone app

It’s not easy walking on a prosthetic foot. Aside from the obvious difficulty of adjusting to an artificial limb, dragging around the weight of the foot exerts a lot of energy — 23% more than walking on a natural foot, to be exact. But a prototype foot developed by researchers at the University of Michigan makes it easier for amputees to move around normally by recycling kinetic energy generated while walking.

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Post tags: Ann Arbor, artificial limb, eco design, green design, power, prosthetic foot, renewable energy, university of michigan

The 2010 Vancouver Olympics has yet another feather to add to their cap – they now have the greenest neighborhood in the world. Yesterday, Millennium Waters, the Olympic Athlete’s Village located on Southeast False Creek across from the BC Place Stadium, received LEED Platinum Certification for the entire neighborhood as well as LEED Gold status for all of the buildings included. Millennium Water is only the second neighborhood to receive LEED Platinum status, with the first being Dockside Green in Victoria, British Columbia. With super energy efficient residential units, close proximity to the city center, a renewable energy heating system and a net zero energy building, this village is sure make other eco-developments green with envy.

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Post tags: “leed”, 2010 Winter Olympics, athlete’s village, leed certified, leed gold building, LEED platinum, LEED Platinum neighborhood, millennium water, net zero, olympic athlete’s village, olympics, vancouver, Vancouver Olympics

In an effort to spur the United States towards a new age of nuclear power, President Obama announced yesterday that Southern Company would receive $8 billion in federal loan guarantees to construct two new reactors in Georgia. It’s been over 30 years since a nuclear plant has been constructed in the US, and these federal guarantees are essential to the creation of new reactors due to the high initial cost involved. President Obama cast the loan guarantees as economically essential and politically attractive, however we have to ask — why aren’t such significant investments being made into cleaner renewable energy solutions such as wind and solar?

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Post tags: barack obama, Climate Change, energy policy, federal loan guarantees, global warming, green design, nuclear power, southern company, sustainable design, us government

The clean modern lines of this newly constructed waterfront home are a rare and perfect match for the person looking for simplicity and a zen-like quality in a home. Striking and progressive materials are utilized throughout in this smart and edgy design. Featured in a recent Seattle AIA exhibition, the architect/builder has been recognized as one of the top twelve firms that will shape the future of Seattle architecture with their forward thinking. The home’s exterior is comprised of clear tongue-and-groove cedar that is vertically mounted to the roofline and a rainscreen siding system made of Cembonit panels. The Cembonit panels shield a waterproof membrane that allows an exchange of inside and outside air. The purpose is to create a healthier interior air quality by allowing the home to breath while still providing insulation.

As you turn the corner to the great room, you are greeted with an overwhelming view through a dramatic wall of windows reaching clear to the ceiling and seemingly bringing nature directly into the living space. The architect designed the ceiling and outdoor soffit as one continuous line so as not to distract the eye from the immensity of the clouds, water & greenery. Between windows, a sleek, tall column houses a two-sided, see-through propane fireplace that provides definition of living spaces, but does not distract from the view. Sliding doors open to one of three ironwood decks. The home is sited on approximately 1/2 acre and offers nearly 90 feet of sandy waterfront that is an accessible setting for swimming, kayaking and long walks on the beach. Yet, the home is located only minutes from the Bainbridge Island-Seattle ferry in a quiet, cul-de-sac neighborhood. For more information about the green architecture visit: Bainbridgeislandmodernhome – Thanks Conor for the suggestion.

We’ve shown you a lot of weird looking homes lately. Upside-down ones, weird-shaped projects from unconventional materials, built in strange places and on unusual terrains. It would be a little out of line to say that this place was inspired by something in the culinary area, however the Sandwich House follows our list of original living spaces. The residence was designed by Ryoichi Kojima and it is located in Tokyo. The actual living area is suspended between two giant white walls a few feet above the ground. How is this for unconventional? We really like how the place looks and also the wood and concrete combination. The interiors are modern and staircases connect the three floors. Would you like to live in a home like this or do you find it to be too out of line?- via Totonko

Stefan Strumbel is an artist from Germany, whose creations are well known national-wide. He combines a strong details in his works, coming up with items that make a statements. Most of the elements used are German images with great meaning for the citizens. His style was also connected to pop art, a current which challenges tradition and emphasizes mass production. Here is a better interpretation of Stefan’s work from Wicked Halo:  “Although his work includes cultural artifacts such as cuckoo clocks or the traditional costume of the Black Forest, he isolates and recontextualises using everyday objects such as tree-shaped air fresheners and shopping carts and giving pieces of his work titles such as “What the fuck is Heimat”? Heimat is a quintessentially German concept, which roughly means homeland. “There is no English word for Heimat,” Strumbel explains. “Some people link Heimat to a place, for others it is a feeling.”- via Psfk.com