Design Corner » Items by Ali Kriscenski

Items by Ali Kriscenski

Inhabitat

City of Silk Rail Network to Link Middle East & China

Posted: August 4th, 2008, 6:00am PDT by Ali Kriscenski

Tags: Urban Design [edit]

A massive urban masterplan has been approved for Madinat al-Hareer, or City of Silk, in Subiya, Kuwait. With a budget of £66 billion ($132bn USD), the project is an ambitious endeavor that will provide a rail network between major Middle East cities and China. Kuwait, Damascus, Baghdad, and Iran are all along the intended railway route, which will link these cities to Israel and China. Boasting a new tower that will become the world’s tallest, the design for City of Silk will also include numerous recreation and business attractions, including a National Wildlife Sanctuary.

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Los Angeles Bans Plastic Bags!

Posted: July 28th, 2008, 4:30pm PDT by Ali Kriscenski

Tags: Materials [edit]

Welcome Los Angeles to the growing list of countries and municipalities that are taking a stand against plastic bags. Following in the footsteps of Australia, China, Israel, Melbourne, San Francisco and others, the City of Los Angeles has jumped on the plastic bag ban bandwagon to stop the persistent environmental hazards from entering the LA waste stream by 2010.

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Could your granite countertops be leaking radon gas?

Posted: July 28th, 2008, 12:45pm PDT by Ali Kriscenski

Tags: air quality [edit]

A large part of the green building focus is on healthy indoor air quality – eliminating toxins, emissions and pollutants that can cause indoor air to be more polluted than outdoors. One common and potentially dangerous health risk inside buildings has recently been found in high levels in granite finishes. This highly popular countertop choice has become suspect as an emitter of radiation and an entry point for high levels of radon gas inside the home.

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Tate Modern’s Energy Efficient Redesign by Herzog & de Meuron

Posted: July 23rd, 2008, 6:08am PDT by Ali Kriscenski

Tags: Architecture [edit]

Herzog & de Meuron set about designing the Tate Modern Extension in 2006 with a modern, glass-filled aesthetic that contrasted the museum building’s origins as a former power station. A recently unveiled redesign of the addition has brought a pyramid shaped brick structure to this anchor point of the museum. The new program not only fits the museum’s needs better, it is poised to set a new standard for sustainability in the UK.

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MAZDA Unveils Fuel Efficient Crossover Car

Posted: July 22nd, 2008, 1:56pm PDT by Ali Kriscenski

Tags: TransportationTuesday [edit]

Mazda recently announced that it will unveil it’s Kazamai crossover vehicle at the Moscow International Motor Show in August. Specifics on the sporty vehicle’s environmental performance will be revealed next month, but to date the car maker is touting this ride as a car that will “deliver exciting driving dynamics, frugal fuel consumption and greatly reduced CO2 emissions.”

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Al Gore Challenges America to go Carbon-Free in 10 years

Posted: July 21st, 2008, 2:50pm PDT by Ali Kriscenski

Tags: Energy [edit]

Al Gore recently appealed to the competitive nature of the US as a market driven society with an energy challenge that calls for a complete shift to renewables in the entire electricity sector. The former Vice President and Nobel laureate is raising the bar with the goal of total carbon-free wind, solar and geothermal power by 2018. Part of the vision includes powering electric vehicles (as truly emissions free), but the ambitious plan would transcend through transportation and ripple throughout the green building industry and beyond. With elections on the near horizon and a push to drill for yet more oil, Gore’s challenge is as timely as it is clear: in order to transcend an unsustainable existence, we need to transform our energy outlook.

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New Sustainable Landmark for London’s Southbank

Posted: July 21st, 2008, 7:01am PDT by Ali Kriscenski

Tags: Architecture [edit]

London-based Sheppard Robson architecture firm is bringing a new green office building to the shore of the River Thames at One Westminster Place in Southbank. With sustainability driving the design, the structure’s eye catching glass facade will reflect sunlight in a rainbow of colors creating a crystal like effect. The layers of glazing will also give occupants great views of the surrounding city, including Parliament Square and Westminster Bridge, and boost the building’s energy performance to an excellent BREEAM (BRE Environmental Assessment Method) rating, the British environmental standard for buildings.

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BEAUTIFUL BUILDING REUSE: The Barn House in Belgium

Posted: July 18th, 2008, 2:01pm PDT by Ali Kriscenski

Tags: Architecture [edit]

Building reuse is often overshadowed by the long green shadow of new high performance architecture. But the intrinsic nature of repurposing and bringing second life to an otherwise discarded structure is a sustainable idea we can’t ignore, especially when it’s done as gracefully as this old barn redux in Belgium. Architect Rita Huys of Buro2 skillfully transformed this agricultural icon into a beautiful, modern dwelling known simply as The Barn House.

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PREFAB FRIDAY: Greensburg 547 Community Art Center

Posted: July 18th, 2008, 6:02am PDT by Ali Kriscenski

Tags: Architecture [edit]

We checked in on the green rebuilding efforts in Greensburg, Kansas when Planet Green’s docu-series premiered last month. We found plenty of interesting developments, but this prefab from Studio804 of the University of Kansas School of Architecture is definitely one of the most memorable. Built as the community art center, this innovative building uses modular design with the length of long truck trailers as the defining width component measure - an outside the box thinking that makes larger prefab buildings possible.

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Modern Eco Villa for Southern Spain by Diseño Earle

Posted: July 16th, 2008, 3:21pm PDT by Ali Kriscenski

Tags: Architecture [edit]

Diseño Earle is an international architecture firm known for unique, and often ecologically minded, projects around the world. Their latest design responds to a brief “to design and build a large and modern zero carbon footprint villa” in Southern Spain. The result is The Eco House, a modern luxury villa that holds up its name with a variety of environmentally friendly features including a chemical free canal that facilitates cooling.

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PREFAB FRIDAY: Prefab Takes Up Residence At The MOMA!

Posted: July 11th, 2008, 6:00am PDT by Ali Kriscenski

Tags: Architecture [edit]

Prefab is taking center stage this summer at The Museum of Modern Art in NYC with the Home Delivery: Fabricating the Modern Dwelling exhibit opening on July 20th. As part of the exhibit, five renowned architects will bring a mix of existing and prototype prefabricated designs to full form on a exterior lot adjacent to the museum. The exhibit has been in construction for several months and the full scale prefabs are almost ready to deliver on what is one of the most talked about prefab events of all time.

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ARCH DAILY RANKS ARCHITECTURE SITES: Inhabitat is #1

Posted: July 9th, 2008, 7:06pm PDT by Ali Kriscenski

Tags: Announcements [edit]

We’re blushing a bit this week from some welcome blog world praise. Arch Daily recently compiled Yet Another Most Popular Blog Ranking (YAMoPo 2008) and, with complex calculations involving things like traffic and Google page rank, decided that Inhabitat is number one in both the Architecture & Related website category, as well as overall popularity (Architecture Only and Architecture & Related).

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SHIPPING CONTAINER PLAYGROUND by Phooey Architects

Posted: July 7th, 2008, 10:00am PDT by Ali Kriscenski

Tags: Architecture [edit]

We’re always impressed with creative design reuse, but this children’s playground made from recycled shipping containers takes the cake for one of the most imaginative examples of shipping container architecture we’ve seen. Known as the Skinners Playground, this kidscape puts four discarded shipping containers to use as the primary spaces for childhood adventures. Designed by Melbourne-based Phooey Architects, the children’s activity center reconfigures the containers, as well as plenty of other recycled and salvaged materials, into a fun-filled park for the young imagination.

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U.S. Freeze on Solar Energy Projects Lifted

Posted: July 4th, 2008, 2:03pm PDT by Ali Kriscenski

Tags: Energy [edit]

Just as things were really heating up in the solar energy sector, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) pulled the plug on new solar power plants. Last week the New York Times reported that “the federal government has placed a moratorium on new solar projects on public land until it studies their environmental impact, which is expected to take about two years.” Headlines like world’s largest solar array in California or world’s largest solar power plant in the Mojave desert promised to be few and far between as the BLM decided to take its time to assess the more than 130 proposals filed by solar companies in the past three years. Just days later, after an uproar of voiced concern, the moratorium was reversed. Not fast enough to avoid drops in stocks, but quick enough to avoid fatally derailing the renewable energy sector off the tracks.

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SUMMER SUN GIVEAWAY: LAST CHANCE to Enter & Win!

Posted: July 2nd, 2008, 11:40am PDT by Ali Kriscenski

Tags: accessories and Fashion [edit]

INHABITAT FUN IN THE SUN Greener Gadget Giveaway!
Okay, this is it! Today is the last day to enter the Inhabitat Fun in the Sun Greener Gadget Giveaway! We are giving away a ton of great green goodies this week, including a Voltaic Solar Power Backpack (valued at $250). We’re announcing the winners tomorrow, so today is the last day to get your name into the drawing for one of many super hot summertime prizes. All you have to do to be eligible to win is be an Inhabitat newsletter subscriber, so what in the name of renewable energy are you waiting for?

SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER HERE for your chance to win >>

Prizes include the ultimate summertime sidekick Voltaic Solar Power Backpack, hand-cranked LED lanterns by Freeplay, truly green (not to mention stylish and super comfy) Inhabitat T-shirts and eco-friendly Inhabitat totes for all your beach time, summer market and eco-styling days in the sun. There are lots of great prizes to go around but YOU MUST BE ENTERED TODAY TO WIN. Only Inhabitat newsletter subscribers will grab these hot giveaways so don’t wait, sign up for our newsletter by midnight EST tonight and read it tomorrow to see if you are one of the lucky winners!

Read on for more about the contest prizes and how you can win…

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TESLA Announces New 225 Mile Range Sedan!

Posted: July 1st, 2008, 10:30am PDT by Ali Kriscenski

Tags: TransportationTuesday [edit]

We get revved up whenever we hear any news about Tesla Motors, and the latest just sets the maker of electric-powered roadsters into an all new green vehicle fast lane. Tesla Motors just announced plans to start building the Model S - an electric sedan with a 225-mile range - in the Bay Area with plans to get the five passenger vehicles on the road in two years time!

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VOLTAIC’s Super Solar Powered Backpack

Posted: June 30th, 2008, 3:30pm PDT by Ali Kriscenski

Tags: Energy [edit]

There’s nothing quite like renewable energy on-the-go, and Voltaic makes solar power a stylish accessory with a hot lineup of solar powered bags to charge your mobile gadgets. We’ve been impressed with Voltaic’s products from the get go, and with their ongoing efforts to amp up the sustainability factor in their bags like boosting the power in their Generator laptop bag and going to 100% post-consumer recycled PET plastic based fabrics. One of our all-time favorite bags is the durable Voltaic Backpack which just may be the ultimate sustainable summertime sidekick and a must have for the eco-geek on the go. And this week, you can win a free Voltaic solar backpack, just for reading Inhabitat!

ENTER TO WIN A FREE VOLTAIC BACKPACK by signing up for Inhabitat here >

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PREFAB FRIDAY: La Reserva by Sebastián Irarrázaval

Posted: June 27th, 2008, 6:01am PDT by Ali Kriscenski

Tags: Architecture [edit]

This stunning prefab in Colina, Chile, is the work of Santiago-based architect Sebastián Irarrázaval. Despite its unique form, it is not meant as a custom design but rather a housing solution that can take shape repeatedly. Constructed of concrete, steel and timber, the 120 square meter structure (1290 sq ft) lives large with a simple geometric that is at ease with the surrounding landscape.

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Solar Energy Cogeneration Solution from SolarWall

Posted: June 23rd, 2008, 5:07pm PDT by Ali Kriscenski

Tags: Energy [edit]

Solar photovoltaics are, depending on the day, between 8-15% efficient meaning much of the sun’s energy’s is lost as heat. While solar thermal systems offer a way to harvest this heat energy for heating water or interior spaces, this option has usually displaced the electricity generating PV on rooftops. A new system from SolarWall, the SolarDuct PV/T, offers a combination of solar photovoltaic and solar thermal in one assembly providing a means to heat and power from the sun with one product.

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Coal Fired Power Plant Turned “Eco-Dome” in London

Posted: June 23rd, 2008, 11:55am PDT by Ali Kriscenski

Tags: Architecture [edit]

There is nothing quite like a creative redux on a post industrial site. When done right, innovative reuse and repurposing of obsolete structures can set some pretty amazing examples for a sustainable future. One such model conversion is taking root in the newly unveiled plan for Battersea Power Station in London. Once a coal-fired electric plant (and defunct for near 25 years), this industrial icon is getting a 21st century makeover to become a mixed use development that produces renewable energy.

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