Agro-Housing for a Sustainable Urban China

In an era of globalization and significant rural-urban migration, Israel-based Knafo Klimor Architects offer a new ‘urban and social vision that will address problems of chaotic urbanization’. The

Rocio Romero Prefab Home Tour Kicks Off Tomorrow in NY!

Rocio Romero is one of our favorite prefab designers mastering the art of fusing modernist design with affordability. Her LV series articulates her commitment to minimalism with clean, comfortable lines

PREFAB FRIDAY: The Magic Box gets creative with prefab

A new prefab from Jun Ueno brings a fun, modern aesthetic to accessory spaces for garden, courtyard or rooftop. The Magic Box is an extension room that can be used as an office, studio or serve any

Vancouver Convention Center Expands on Green

There are numerous approaches to making greener buildings- from the inside out, from the ground up, density through urban infill, integrating into the landscape, to name a few… but when an existing

London’s Palestra Going Green With New Wind Turbines

Palestra, the stunning home of the London Development Agency and the London Climate Change Agency, is due to have new wind turbines installed after a component failure in 2006. Two new types of turbine

Mile-High London Eco Tower by PopularArchitecture

The term “mile high” isn’t just for airplane action anymore- British firm Popularchitecture has proposed a mile-high eco tower for London that’s sure to be just as exciting. At a

GRAVIA: Gravity Based Kinetic Energy Lamp

Gravia, a gravity based kinetic energy lamp concept, wowed our panel judges and the crowd at the Greener Gadgets Conference, earning a second place accolade in the design competition. Created by Clay

GREEN CELL Universal Battery Sold in Vending Machines

Ever wished you could do away with all those annoying cell phone chargers that are cluttering up your space? Have you ever taken to cursing cell phone manufacturers for their extremely wasteful and

RUSSIA TOWER – World’s largest naturally ventilated building

What is going on with all these gigantic spiky eco towers popping up all over Russia and the former Soviet Union? First it was the piercing Siberian eco-tower in Mansyisk, then the sharp and very

The Suntory Mermaid II Wave-Powered Boat

Wave power is looking like the next big thing in renewable energy, as evidenced by PG&E’s recent announcement about their California wave farm. And now Kenichi Horie, and a little bit of sun.

The Air-Powered MDI Car is Coming to the US!

India’s air-powered four wheel marvel, the MDI Air Car, will be coming to the United States in 2010! The eco-friendly air-powered vehicle will be manufactured by Zero Pollution Motors, who just

New Gazprom Tower To Be Europe’s Tallest & Greenest?

The historic city of St. Petersburg in Russia will soon be home to the tallest tower in Europe. The UK-based architectural firm RMJM was given a go by the Russian gas giant to build the new Gazprom Neft

ENERJAR: Make your own energy meter with the DIY Enerjar Kit!

Sometimes the best designs out there are not ‘products’ that can be purchased — but big ideas made accessible to all through the power of Do-It-Yourself design. The award-winning EnerJar

World’s Largest Solar Power Plant Coming to Arizona in 2011

The lucky sunny state of Arizona is about to become home to the world’s largest Solar Plant! Thanks to a just-announced contract between Abengoa Solar and Arizona Public Service Company (APS), the

INHABITAT IS LOOKING FOR A POWER BLOGGER

Hey readers – Any of you want to write for Inhabitat? We are currently looking for a super-duper power blogger, ideally based in New York City to put his or her excellent writing skills to work in

ESTETHICA ECO FASHION: Mark Liu’s Zero-Waste Designs

There is a lot of eco-chatter these days about ‘adaptive reuse’ and ‘reclaimed materials’ in green design, particularly in the realm of fashion-forward garments and accessories.

WEARABLE COLLECTIONS: Recycled Clothing Initiative

Wearable Collections, a non-profit charity initiative, is leading the crusade to reduce textile waste in a city traditionally known for disposable, seasonal styles. The organization is placing recycling

100 Architects to Design City

If you had to pick 100 architects to build a city, who would you choose? That’s the challenge posed by Jian Yuan Water Engineering, which has commissioned a plan to create one hundred villas in the

Voltaic Now Using Recycled Bottles in their Solar Bags

Just when we thought the idea of solar-powered backpacks couldn’t get any better, Voltaic goes and ups the ante with new recycled materials. The solar bag company showed their backpacks and laptop

‘WHAT IF NYC?’ Competition Winners Announced

“What if….” The two-word phrase can imply both fear and anxiety as well as big ideas and hopeful possibility. And that was the idea behind the What if New York City? international Design

PREFAB FRIDAY: The Rapson Greenbelt

Modernist architect Ralph Rapson has managed this to reinterpret a 60-year old design with the green panache of a 21st century prefab. The Rapson Greenbelt, an articulate series of prefab dwellings, is

CASA OS Spanish Green House by Nolaster Architects

Perched atop a Spanish cliff sits this gorgeous green home, a privately-owned holiday house that’s as lovely as it is sustainable. Located in Cantabria, Spain, and designed by Madrid-based Nolaster

Din-ink Cutlery Retools the Bic-Pen

If you associate the affordable and ubiquitous ‘Bic pen’ with disposable, throw away office culture – think again, as Zo-loft design has added a whole new dimension to desktop utility.

VIDEO: Hymini Portable Wind Charger

Despite it’s suspicious name, the Hymini really has nothing to do female naughty bits! Instead it is an extremely promising new portable wind charger. One of the biggest crowd-pleasers at our

Project H Design Fundraiser- Sponsor a Hippo Roller!

H is for Humanity, Habitats, Health, Habitats, and HIPPO! Project H, an organization that promotes, inspires, and delivers humanitarian product design, is funding 50 Hippo Rollers for a series of 17

Transportation Tuesday: The UltraBattery Hybrid Storage Cell

While the potential of electric cars is obvious, one of the main concerns is battery life, both in its ability to hold a charge, and its shelf life before needing a replacement. But the new =UltraBattery,

Urban Bike Sharing System Coming to London!

We’ve already seen the massive success of urban bike sharing in Paris, but now the super-smart Velib Bike program is taking to the streets of London! 15,000 bikes, 1,000 stations and more than 7.5

Nokia ‘Remade’ Concept Phone Made From Recycled Materials

Nokia has caught our green design attention once again with the recent unveiling of ‘Remade’, a concept phone made almost entirely of recycled materials. The prototype was introduced at Mobile World

New JAXA Technology Captures Solar Energy in Space

Instead of doing the old-fashioned solar power thing, and capturing the sun’s rays as they hit the Earth’s surface, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and Osaka University Institute

Harvest Fuel from the Air with GREEN FREEDOM

Most of us are worried about increasing amounts of greenhouse gases in the air – and if you aren’t yet concerned about this, you should be. However, now there is a reason for hope: researchers