“On an old used car lot in Phoenix, architects Brian Stark and Wesley James placed 16 used shipping containers and turned them into 8 one-bedroom apartments. With the goal of creating market-rate rental units, the architects tried to work with the containers rather than altering them.
Month: May 2017
Things Are Coming to a Crossroads
We live in a crazy world, that’s for sure. Many serious problems are now simultaneously coming to a head: groundwater depletion, pollution of groundwater with fracking, mining, industrial and agro chemicals, risk of nuclear war, concerns over Fukushima radioactive fallout. Experts say the oceans are expected to be depleted of sea life in just 30 years. (Most people now live near the oceans and rely on seafood for sustenance and income.)
Earth and Sun Earthbag Workshop, Taos, NM
“A co-creative community building a sustainable earthbag home: MAY 30 – SEPTEMBER 29, 2017 TAOS, NEW MEXICO This workshop: we envision a diverse collective of people, women and men, young and old, experienced and inexperienced in building skills, joining together to build a sustainable and affordable home on the high desert of northern New Mexico. … Read more
She Moved to the Desert to Build Her Dreams
“Lindsey is building an Off Grid Sustainable Earthbag Artist Community in the desert of Joshua Tree, California.”
Plants & rugged materials turn Alpine garage into dream shed
“When architects Gianmatteo Romegialli and Erika Gaggia saw their friend Carlo “Dino” Marchetti’s garage with the gorgeous views of the Italian Alps, “almost as a joke” they suggested converting it into something “fun”. Given Dino’s passion for gardening, they decided to let nature in on the renovation. By creating just a steel frame around the building, they enabled local plants and vines to wrap the home in a second skin of vegetation.
Zoning Destroys Neighborhood Business
Travel the world and you’ll see vibrant, beautiful, old world neighborhoods where small local businesses are integrated with residential homes. I call these ‘mixed use areas’. This is typically the way towns were set up for many years. In the US and some other western countries you see a stark separation between residential and business areas. This is because zoning regulations usually prohibit mom and pop businesses or any businesses at all in residential areas.