Slide Show: Top 10 Earth- and People-Friendly Buildings

GISH APARTMENTS--SAN JOSE, CALIF.: A building's environmental impact doesn't have to stop at its threshold. That's why the Gish Apartments are steps from a local light rail and have a convenience store downstairs, so residents don't have to jump in their cars to pick up that gallon of milk or get to work.

To turn a San Jose brownfield into mixed housing for low-income and special-needs families, First Community Housing, a local affordable housing organization, turned to locally based OJK Architecture and Planning to create the 35-unit structure. Although some of the building materials—such as double-glazed windows and rooftop solar panels—were pricier to purchase at the outset, they're already being offset by cheaper operational costs. BERNARD ANDRE PHOTOGRAPHY

From Scientific America:

The American Institute of Architects pick their top examples of building projects that marry form and function for both human and environmental needs

Can a building be as easy on the environment as it is on the eyes? Without a doubt, says The American Institute of Architects (AIA), a professional association based in Washington, D.C. To prove it, for the past 12 years, the organization and its Committee on the Environment (COTE) have awarded the top 10 green projects across the globe.

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'Eco-house' Based On Medieval Architecture Could Be Home Of The Future

Eco-house: The unusual dome-like design is based on a Medieval technique, originating in Spain, known as 'timbrel vaulting' Photo: MASONS NEWS SERVICE

From The Telegraph:

Energy bills will be a thing of the past in the 'eco-house' of the future thanks to a combination of the latest renewable energy technology and building techniques from hundreds of years ago.

The zero carbon building, developed by University of Cambridge architects as a prototype for future living, is based on a 600-year-old Medieval design that retains heat from the sun while cooling naturally in the summer.

Any extra energy needs are provided by solar panels on the roof and a woodchip boiler.

The unusual dome-like design is based on a Medieval technique, originating in Spain, known as "timbrel vaulting".

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Prefabulous: 9 Amazingly Modern Factory Built Homes

From Style Crave:

Factory-built homes have a “trailer park” stigma no more. These amazing modern homes are built in a factory then shipped to site. Not only is the process more efficient and less expensive, it is the green way to build a quality, sustainable home. Process aside, these homes are beautiful, and much cheaper than any comparable site-built home on the market. Here are 9 of the USA’s greatest modern prefab homes…

For those who are new to the world of prefab architecture, the process is basic. An architect develops a plan for a home, but instead of contracting the development to a builder, they build the home in sections in a climate-controlled warehouse. These sections are then shipped to the final worksite where they are joined and finalized into a finished home. This process is more cost-effective as it takes advantage of bulk material purchasing and construction, it avoids weather-induced delays, it maintains a regular staff familiar to the blueprints and allows for a greater level of control over quality. Now that you’re up to speed, here are 9 reasons why your next home might just be a prefab.

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