After receiving her B.A. from Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Tafline led “eco-friendly” camping trips throughout North America. It soon dawned on her that she was instead leaving behind a trail of gas fumes, plastic bottles and Pringles. In fact, wherever she traveled – whether it was Viet Nam or South Africa or England – it became clear how inefficiently the mandate to re-think our consumer culture is reaching the general public.
So she has picked up her mighty pen to bring better exposure to environmental issues. At other times, she waxes philosophical about culture and travel on her personal blog. Tafline was born in Iran and raised in the United States, and is currently based in South Africa. She also blogs for www.greenprophet.com and her work has appeared in Africa Geographic, The Ecologist, Urban Green File, and other publications.
Tafline Laylin
XishuangbanNa Residence is a Sustainable Modern Bamboo High-Rise in China
China's massive population needs housing, but Tokamarch Architects have proposed that it's not necessary to construct ugly residential buildings that all look the same. Additionally, they are
Team Rhône-Alpes’ Modular Canopea House Wins the Architecture and Operations Competitions of the Solar Decathlon Europe!
Both vertical and horizontal stacks of Canopea homes can produce nanotowers that respond to the dearth of urban space in France. Each level is a fairly spacious, complete home, and only the very
Gigantic Slugs Made From 40,000 Recycled Plastic Bags Crawl Through the Streets of Angers, France
The Slow Slugs project that was in display until early September is not all serious, of course. Even though Hofman addresses some somber situations such as too much plastic, the corruption of
The Grounds Cafe is a Thriving Vintage Throwback to the Pre-GMO Era in Australia
Caroline Choker wanted to retain as much of the industrial chic flavor of the original building as possible. As such, much of the original infrastructure such as wooden trusses and cement beams
Tsai Design Imagines Soaring High Line Park for Cape Town’s Unfinished Highway
One of South Africa's most celebrated architecture studios has designed a High Line Park for Cape Town. Winning the Re-Imagine Cape Town design competition with this bold proposal, Tsai Design
Massive Fala Park Brownfield Reclamation Project Has a Rooftop Tennis Court in Poland
Funded in part by EU grants and private equity, the two level recreational center is a wonderful community center that not only restored a former brownfield site, but also promotes health and
PICS: DUS Architects Unveils Giant 3D Printer That Can Print Entire Rooms in Amsterdam
Because the KamerMaker is taller than it is wide, the pavilions or rooms that it prints have a small footprint. Not only that, but it uses recycled plastic waste as its main building material,
Poetic Cosmos of the Breath is an Inflatable Solar Dome by Tomas Saraceno
Saraceno is renowned for his conceptual work with floating cities, all of which to date have married art and architecture in some astounding ways. The Poetic Cosmos of the Breath was made of
Germany’s Hemp-insulated ECOLAR House Scoops the Solar Decathlon Engineering Prize!
ECOLAR's basic construction, comprised of beams and columns, essentially stays the same but can be configured differently based on the homeowner's preferences. In keeping with the mandates of
Tesla Unveils Six FREE Solar-Powered Electric Vehicle Chargers in California
Electric vehicle company Tesla has unveiled six solar-powered rapid Superchargers in California that will provide Model S owners with a free charge! As reported by Katie Fehrenbacher at GigaOm,
Solar-Powered Georges-Freche School of Hotel Management has a Recyclable Anodized Aluminum Skin
Massimiliano and Doriana Fuksas originally won the rights to design France's newest public building through the 2007 Région Languedoc-Roussillon architecture design competition. Their
Team Unizar’s Prefabricated, Circular Casa PI Solar Decathlon Home has an Elevator!
Let's put the elevator aside for a moment in order to recognize the value of Unizar's unique Casa PI home, which relies on geometry to reduce overall surface size and therefore slash the home's
Swooping Astonyshine Solar Decathlon House Boasts a Bold Combination of Stone and Wood
The Solar Decathlon competition is designed to foster creativity and innovation, not winners. As a result, we admire the teams who have risked their chance of winning in order to experiment with
Hungary’s ODOO Solar Decathlon House is Wrapped in Photovoltaic Panels
Hungarians don't enjoy a lot of great weather, but when they do, the ODOO house terrace will ensure they can make the most of it. The day-lit interior is comfortable too, heated as it is by
Slender FOLD Solar Decathlon House Boasts an Extra-Thin Rooftop Solar System
Only 86 mm thick, the rooftop RAcell PVT system developed specifically for FOLD also covers a hot water system placed directly beneath it. The overall framing is thin too, but that doesn't mean
Portugal’s Modular Casas Em Movimento House Rotates to Follow the Sun at the Solar Decathlon Europe
The last time we checked, the Casas Em Movimento House is not actually rotating, but its performance scores are climbing despite some delays in construction. Conceptually, the robust envelope of
Prefab Ekó Solar Decathlon House is an Awesome Sustainable Housing Solution for Brazil
Team Brasil chose wood as the main construction materials for their solar-powered Ekó House since these are more readily available in their home country and because they help to raise awareness
Supersolar Fresnel Lenses Power Team ABC’s Green-Roofed Sumbiosi Solar Decathlon House
Although one of the lower scoring teams at this year's Solar Decathlon Europe competition in Madrid, the Sumbiosi house has extraordinary potential and shouldn't be discounted just yet. Not only
Super-Efficient MED in Italy House Takes the Lead at the 2012 Solar Decathlon Europe
MED in Italy is a clever play on words that refers to the fact that the home was made in Italy, but it also refers to the Mediterranean climate around which the home was designed. In order to be
A Revolving Curtain Shades Germany’s Counter Entropy House at the Solar Decathlon Europe
Counter Entropy also experimented with a range of unique energy generating and saving systems, including the transfer of heat flow through carrier-fluids. As a result of this innovation, no
Team Romania Sells Their Solar Decathlon Plus-Energy PRISPA Home
The PRISPA's envelope has a dual function: not only does the photovoltaic array produce twice as much energy as the home can use, but it also provides solar protection. Albeit a rather expensive
Green-Roofed Punibach Hydroelectric Plant Melts Into the Landscape of Italy
From afar, all that is visible at the Punibach Hydroelectric Plant is a curvy landscaped roof with a wooden facade. Located in the southern Tyrol province of Italy, the plant was built using
Earth-Covered Subterranean River Sauna Heats up a Sizzling View in Norway
The subterranean sauna has a mild industrial feel to it thanks to the raw concrete and rusted metal wall, combined with a minimalist Japanese aesthetic and a view that will make a grown man
Steel-Clad Studio for a Composer is an Ethereal Portal to the Woods of Wisconsin
A simple one story volume, the composer's studio in Wisconsin is clad in weathering Corten steel. In addition to harmonizing with its surrounding environment, this and the remaining materials
Cinderella-Inspired Pumpkin Room Transforms EDG Creatives into Fairytale Brainstormers
The award-winning pumpkin room comes in two different varieties: either a complete mini-room that can be installed in just about any office, or partitions comprised of just two of the
Hungary’s Szathmáry Palace Ruins Renovated With L-Shaped Corten Steel Lookout
Tettye Park is one of Hungary's most revered historical sites and now visitors will be able to experience the site with a new and inventive Corten addition. After stabilizing the site, the
Gandía’s Experimental Kid University Nurtures Creativity and Six Mulberry Trees in Spain
The Gandía Kid University was organized around and protects six existing white mulberry trees scattered around a central courtyard. All of the learning activities and workshops take place here
Keiji Ashizawa Transforms a Dark and Dumpy Tokyo Home into a Light-Filled Skycourt
Whereas most of the existing double story was left alone, Keiji Ashizawa topped off the home with an angular glazed addition that established a third story that opens onto an expansive rooftop
Team Zaragoza’s Cylindrical Casa Pi Solar Decathlon House Produces Twice as Much Energy as it Uses
In addition to its unique circular shape which results in a heat reduction loss of 11%, Casa Pi is the only home made of concrete. Reinforced with glass, this material has a high thermal mass
Plus Energy FOLD House by Solar Decathlon Team DTU Can Be Erected in Multiple Configurations
To the team from Denmark that is presently working around the clock to finish the Fold House in time for the official SDE 2012 opening, sustainability entails a collective mindset that requires
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