With off-site construction, homeowners can benefit from things like accelerated construction, controlled construction, construction without the elements, reduced construction waste, access to a skilled workforce, etc.  So it’s no surprise that the prefab industry continues to expand — we’re tracking that!  In fact, here are 22 built projects that we mentioned in the last year (with high hopes for several more next year, too): New Porch House Prefab by Lake Flato Porch House is an eco-friendly home that combines factory-built modules and custom outdoor elements, such as porches, breezeways,...

The Passive House movement in the US was on a major tear in 2011 but for that awful split between PHIUS and international PHI.  The standard seemed free of maneuvers and politics and infighting, yet now there’s something about PHIUS+ certification and a ban on spray polyurethane foam insulation.  Oh boy!  Notwithstanding all of this, let’s not take anything from the following incredible, high-performance, completed projects discussed in the past year that sought or achieved Passive House certification. Traditional Style Passive House Built in Ohio This isn’t a home with drafts, cold windows,...

I’ve pulled together projects, mostly homes, of all kinds — new, old, modern, traditional, etc — that we discussed in the last year.  These projects either obtained or sought LEED Platinum certification from the USGBC, and they’re some of the greener homes you’ll find most anywhere.  Click the links below for hours and hours of reading. HGTV Green Homes Earns LEED Platinum This year’s HGTV Green Home is in the popular Stapleton infill development of Denver, Colorado and took LEED Platinum for the show. Read the article: 16 Leading LEED Platinum Projects of 2011

Our team had the great opportunity to report on hundreds of green building innovations in the form of new technologies and advanced materials.  We see these innovations as contributors to a world where it’s important to reduce waste and resource consumption.  I hope you enjoy this unordered review gathered from our archives of the last year. Arctic Plank Makes a Unique Upcycled Floor Arctic Plank upcycles junk wood from used shipping pallets into herringbone and parquet pattern flooring lines.  Read more . Read More: 20 Green Building Innovations of 2011

I’ve seen the tiny house thrive in 2011 like none other.  People behind these structures — whether a tiny home, shed, backyard office, ADU, or off-season retreat — seem to have a little Thoreau inside.  Nonetheless, please keep this in mind: only about 5% of the population would ever dream to live in a tiny house.  Is this for you?   Here’s a little round up of the built projects that we covered in 2011, in no particular order.  Click the text below for more and use your tabs for hours of reading. See more here: 15 Terrific Tiny House Projects of 2011

Happy holidays and all the best from Jetson Green! As always, I hope you’ll stay healthy, keep warm, and enjoy family. We’re going to publish some year-end coverage over the next week that will be great. View the original here: Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

For your Friday viewing , check out what California architects Karl Wanaselja and Cate Leger used to make a backyard office.  They split a 40-foot, refrigerated shipping container and placed the two parts in a T shape with a crane.  Then they cut windows into the ends and covered the floor with soy-based, formaldehyde-free Purebond .  And the container only set them back $1800. [+] Architects’ Backyard Office by *faircompanies Read more here: Cargo Container Home Office from $1800

SUNY’s Centennial Hall , a student dorm completed this summer, has earned LEED Gold certification, according to gbNYC , making it one of the largest modular construction projects in the state of New York.  It’s not the only modular student building — The Modules is but another modular project on my mind — though The Centennial showcases what’s good about off-site construction with a total of about 184 wood modules. The Centennial was designed by WTW Architects and HKK & Associates and built by Hueber Breuer .  On their website, HB said the modular construction method enabled a...

A while back, I mentioned The Crib , an “ enviresponsible shelter ” by Broadhurst Architects that can be used as a weekend cabin, backyard office, exercise studio, or guest house — you name it.  Well it’s time for a short update from our last article , if you haven’t already noticed, that a 250 square-foot Crib was built on the grounds of the Strathmore in Bethesda, Maryland.  It’s being used as a visual arts studio, a lab, and a gallery and is open to visitors during certain events and various other times. The Crib is built as a kit of parts with SIPs (R32 walls and floor) and other...

When Aquafil began manufacturing carpet fiber almost 50 years ago, sustainability wasn’t an option but a must.  Doing business in the Lake Garda region of Italy, where environmental protection has always been top priority, meant constantly innovating to keep up with strict mandates on noise, water, and air pollution. “Preserving the environment is in our DNA ,” says Giulio Bonazzi, President and CEO of what is now the second largest worldwide supplier of Nylon 6 yarn for carpet producers like Interface and Desso Read More: Carpet Gets Greener with Econyl Project