Globe and Mail
TreeHugger readers will know of the Pacific Gyre, the "island of garbage twice the size of Texas" slowly spinning in the ocean. Like everything in life, it can be seen as a serious problem, or an opportunity. Michael Barton, in his graduating thesis at the University of British Columbia, proposes to gather it together for "the construction of a synthetic land commodity." He won an award of Excellence from in the Annual Canadian Architect Awards for "The Enthalpy of Empty Space."

Image via ExtremeCraft

ExtremeCraft.com is working on a project, gathering 1,000 creative ideas for reusing materials, and your ideas are wanted. But the deadline is fast approaching.

Read on for how you can contribute.

Here is a neat demonstration of good packaging design. You take the crappy coarse 100% recycled pulp that egg cartons are made of and you mould it around the shape of shoes so that you still have packaging to protect the shoes, but because it is the shape of the shoes rather than the shape of the box. Like an egg carton, the moulding adds strength so you can probably stack them pretty high.

And why fill the shoe with disposable tissue? Newton Running sticks a pair of socks in one and a reusable shoe bag in the other.

Don't know anything about the shoes, but love the box.Via PSFK

Photos: AndresRemy.com.

The Orchid House is one of the first to be built under environmental concerns in Buenos Aires. Designed by architect Andres Remy, it is certainly beautiful and loaded with neat energy saving features, but, Can a house in the middle of a private neighborhood about one hour from the city be green?

Click through for more details and great pics in the extended.

Recent Comment by mehulkamdar : "Personally, I think that with telecommuting possible, there is no reason why, as Mitch ..." [read]

All images by Naomi Beal via Kaplan Thompson Architects

Perhaps I should just rename these design posts the "Jetson of the Day" since I am getting so many from Preston at Jetson Green. Back in September he introduced us to the Bright Built Barn; Now Naomi Beal's latest pictures of it almost completed are up and it looks great. The designers are very proud of the "light skirt" around the building; I think it makes it look pimped out like a tuner Honda. However they serve a purpose:

Recent Comment by Jesse : "As to the air conditioning in Maine, we don't need it. We only have 2 hot weeks every ..." [read]

insulating a soffit: Steve Ruark for The New York Times

How many cliches can we throw at this subject? It is truly the low-hanging fruit, the cheapest negawatt. Matthew Wald of the New York Times describes how 140,000 houses will be weatherized this year, with a goal of doing a million,

to reduce energy consumption and cut energy costs for households and taxpayers, who often absorb those costs for the poor. This would represent a historic shift in emphasis for the federal and state governments, reducing poor people’s energy bills instead of helping to pay them.

When energy experts periodically promote combined heat and power (CHP) (sometimes referred to as "cogeneration" or "district heating,") generally speaking, it 'don't get no respect.' This needs to change, as CHP's potential to increase energy efficiency is very high; and the technology offers returns for investors and municipal taxpayers.

Perhaps CHP is commonly overlooked because it lacks novelty and is hard to explain in a sound-byte. Also, because the engineering and layout requirements for CHP often require collaboration among public and private sectors, the US media has no celebrity figure to characterize it with (like the Pickens Plan does, for example). Finally, CHP historically has been more of a downtown thing, rarely found in the exurban setting. Hopefully with US President-elect being from Chicago, where there are plenty of CHP examples, like this one, there will be a greater follow up. Look below for details.

image: empyrean

After World War II, many designers tried to apply the techniques developed for wartime industry to housing; Fuller with the Dymaxion House and the Lustron houses were attempts in steel; in 1947 Acorn structures tried it in wood. Their first experiments were in a form of sandwich panel; Like almost every other builder who has attempted that since, they ran into trouble with the inspectors. Soon they were building kits, with small, Scandinavian-modern designs. They expanded, merged with Deck House, got into sustainable efficient design early, joined up with Dwell Magazine to introduce new architects and ideas into their mix. Now, 61 years after the first little cabin, they are bankrupt and closed.