Style of Design

Italian firm Studiodosi’s proposed building for the waterfront in Leeds, UK definitely packs a radical punch with its bright green facade, but its sustainable features are just as notable. Named “The Calls Henge,” the design was developed for the 36 Calls competition, which challenged architects to submit proposals for a site by the same address. Situated by the northern bank of the river Aire, the verdant building (which actually looks more like a hedge than a henge) is an eye-popping addition to the area.

Read the rest of Studiodosi’s Henge Adds a Radical, Modern Look to Leeds City Waterfront

Permalink |
Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: geothermal heating and cooling, Green Building, green design, London, rainwater recycling, sustainable archtiecture, sustainable design, The Calls Henge by Studiodosi, UK

There are a lot of things wrong with the way we build our cities, and in these hard times, there is a lot wrong in the way we are rebuilding them, or unbuilding them as the case may be. These activists were out the other night trying to stop the demolition of 41 historic buildings in Brantford, Ontario, that are coming down because some people think that this is better than trying to fix them. But fixing them is greener, and just one of many things we could do to make our cities and buildings better, more efficient and healthier.

Read the rest of Big Steps To Make Our Cities and Buildings Better

Permalink |
Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: “sustainable architecture”, building materials, energy efficient buildings, Green Building, green construction, green design, green renovation, sustainable design

Hey Inhabitat readers! Is your laundry room in desperate need of a clean green makeover? Does your washing machine waste buckets of water and is your dryer a drain your electricity bill? Well you’re in luck – Inhabitat is teaming up with Method to give away an incredible green laundry room renovation worth $8,500! One lucky winner will receive an eco renovation by Method that comes complete with a new energy efficient washer and dryer in addition to a year’s supply of Method cleaning supplies — including their recently released line of laundry products. We’ll also be bringing you a series showcasing tips and tricks to create a smarter, greener, and cleaner laundry room, so enter the sweepstakes today and stay tuned for more!

ENTER THE METHOD LAUNDRY ROOM MAKEOVER SWEEPSTAKES >

Permalink |
Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: cleaning, green cleaning, green design, green interiors, green products, method laundry detergent, sustainable design

Graffiti is one of the most controversial art forms out there since it defaces public property – but what if graffiti artists actually cleaned up the walls they tagged up by etching their sketches into the grime that already exists on them? The delightful process, called reverse graffiti or “scrubbing” isn’t new – we’ve written about it here and here before – but awesome examples of it keep popping up. Case in point: one band of students in Durban, South Africa who’ve been gracing spaces with works of the subversive street art form in their area.

Read the rest of REVERSE GRAFFITI: South African Artists Tag Walls By Scrubbing Them Clean

Permalink |
Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: clean graffiti, durban, eco design, eco street art, green art eco art, green design, green graffiti, green street art, reverse graffiti, scrubbing, Street art, sustainable design

<img
src="http://www.styleofdesign.com/wp-content/plugins/wp-o-matic/cache/87cd8_scraper-city.jpg" alt="

Ocean levels are rising around the globe, so rather than tethering our buildings to the sinking shoreline why not suit them for a life at sea? That’s the approach behind the Water-Scraper, a futuristic self-sufficient floating city. A special mention in this year’s eVolo Skyscraper Competition, the design expands the concept of a floating island into a full-fledged underwater skyscraper that harvests renewable energy and grows its own food.

Read the rest of Underwater Skyscraper is a Self-Sufficient City at Sea

Permalink |
Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: “sustainable architecture”, evolo 2010 skyscraper competition, floating architecture, futuristic city, Green Building, green design, h2o scraper, Sarly Adre Bin Sarkum, squid skyscraper, sustainable design, water scraper

Just in time for spring, Hom, purveyor of stylish, modern, prefab double-wides, furniture, accessories, and lighting, has teamed with eco-friendly LA-based furniture manufacturer Cisco Brothers to announce a new line of sustainable outdoor furniture. Crafted with sustainable materials and environmentally responsible manufacturing techniques, the new line offers up a mix of tables, dining and lounging chairs for California-inspired indoor-outdoor living.

Read the rest of HOM and Cisco Brothers Unveil New Line of Eco-Friendly Outdoor Furniture

Permalink |
Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: “green furniture”, cisco brothers, green design, green furnishings, green industrial design, hom, sustainable design, Sustainable Interiors, Sustainable Materials, Sustainable Outdoor Furniture

The next time your umbrella turns inside out beyond repair, think about mailing it to Taryn Zychal and giving it a second life. Recycling Zychal upcycles rescued umbrellas into hoods, umbrella dog rain coats, and organic cat nip filled kitty toys. Based in Philadelphia, her team takes their rule “No Broken Umbrella Left Behind” very seriously – scouring through trash in search of discarded umbrellas after a hard rain. Her styles have become quite worldly with donations of umbrellas coming from as far as France. For every broken umbrella donated to Recycling Zychal, the company donates $1 to a list of animal assistance organizations, shelters and causes.

+ Recycling Zychal

Permalink |
Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: Cat Toys, green design, Hoods, inhabitat, Pet Coat, Recycling Zychal, Sustainable Cat Toys, sustainable design, Sustainable Pet Coats, Sustainable Pets, umbrella, upcycling

Within the next few months, we hope to start seeing more about an intriguing small-scale wind power technology that was first announced a few years ago. The Windbelt was devised as a wind power generator to meet the very modest power needs of families in third-world countries. The device is revolutionary for being non-revolving — most wind power is produced by something going around in a circle and turning on an axis to drive a generator. Windbelt, however, uses the oscillation of a thin strip of material held in tension with a spring to vibrate a magnet that generates electrical power.

Read the rest of Windbelt: Innovative Generator to Bring Cheap Wind Power to Third World

Permalink |
Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: “wind power”, “wind turbine”, design for developing nations, green design, humanitarian design, humdinger, renewable energy, social design, sustainable design, Windbelt

Read the rest of Gorgeous Green Roofed High School Rises in France

Permalink |
Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: eco design sustainable design, france, freen eco-school, french, green design, green education, green roofs, green schools, Marcel Sambat High School

At Inhabitat, we’ve seen a ton of cool things made of garbage, but never a whole wireless network – until now, that is. That’s right, members of MIT’s Bits and Atoms lab taught locals in Jalalabad, Afghanistan how to transform bits of trash into stuff they could use to create a high speed wireless network for the area. Called FabFi, the network uses reflectors made from discarded pieces of board, wire, plastic tubs and some cans!

Read the rest of MIT Team Makes Wireless Network in Afghanistan Out of Garbage Bits

Permalink |
Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: afghanistan, eco design, green design, high speed internet, jalalabad, massachusetts institute of technology, MIT, Recycled Materials, sustainable design, upcycling, wireless network, wireless network made of garbage, wireless router