Beijing Archtitect Gets Creative-Practical

I'm always intrigued by alternative living spaces, well here's something new.  Facing an impossible 300 years worth of house payments to own a home in the city, 24 year old Beijing architect Dai Haifei  decided to get creative and make his own little living space.
He constructed this pod-like space using wood, grass seed and bamboo, and included a solar panel on the top.  The structure didn't fly with the city, but a seed was planted, so to speak.  Read more HERE.

Tweet

Garbage Warrior: Michael Reynolds REAL green homes

Last night I got to watch the most exciting documentary--Garbage Warrior. The film chronicles renegade green architect, Michael Reynolds journey to build the ultimate sustainable homes. It's a couple of years old, running on the Sundance channel at the moment and soooo worth a look.  I was captivated and inspired.  And I want to live in one of these remarkable houses!  Imagine being completely off the grid and never needing to go to the co-op.  Imagine banana and avocado trees growing in your own atrium.  Imagine being free to live outside of the eight hour grind and dysfunctional system.  Imagine doing no harm to the planet.

Reynolds uses tires, bottles, cans and other recycled materials to build entirely sustainable homes known as Earthships.  New Mexico based Reynolds incorporates water harvesting, integrated sewage, wind and solar power, food production and thermal mass.  The homes are fascinating, intelligent, intuitive, very affordable, and should be very common.  The homes are also beautiful.  Glass bottles make for a gorgeous stained glass look and the organic lines remind me of Gaudi and Hundertwasser.   I live in a so called green house and it is a joke compared to these.  Watch the trailer and find out more HERE. 

Tweet