Taz Loomans | Inhabitat - Sustainable Design Innovation, Eco Architecture, Green Building - Part 2

Taz Loomans

Taz Loomans is a licensed architect who is the principal at an architecture and development company called Blooming Rock Development. She is also a writer and publishes the award-winning Blooming Rock blog which focuses on urbanism, sustainability and architecture. Taz writes for other publications as well, including Modern Phoenix, the Firefly Living blog, Arizona Community Contractor magazine, Java Magazine and the Atlantic Cities. She serves on Phoenix's Historic Preservation Commission, is co-chair of the Phoenix Post-War Architecture Task Force, co-chair of the American Institute of Architect's Advocacy Committee and also serves on the Phoenix General Plan Update Task Force. Along with being involved in a variety of community-building projects, she partners with Women Design Arizona to curate and organize the Sustainable Communities Lecture Series that brings together experts and the community to talk about how to make Phoenix a more sustainable city.

Taz Loomans

Aether’s New San Francisco Store Takes Shipping Container Architecture to New Heights

Aether’s New San Francisco Store Takes Shipping Container Architecture to New Heights

High-end clothing store Aether Apparel just launched its first standalone retail shop in San Francisco - and it's made from three recycled shipping containers stacked one atop another! The

Melbourne’s St. Alfred’s Church Boasts Highly Sophisticated Passive Heating and Cooling Systems

Melbourne’s St. Alfred’s Church Boasts Highly Sophisticated Passive Heating and Cooling Systems

St. Alfred's Anglican Church consists of a main worshipping auditorium, a gathering foyer, meeting rooms, offices and a commercial kitchen as well as an outdoor play and barbeque area. One

Mayor Thomas Menino Prepares Boston for Climate Change After Hurricane Sandy

Mayor Thomas Menino Prepares Boston for Climate Change After Hurricane Sandy

The damage wrought by Hurricane Sandy on New York has put the fear of climate change in the hearts of other coastal communities in the US. Having narrowly averted the worst of Sandy, Boston's

$700 Billion Investment in the Global Economy Could Curb Climate Change, Spur Economic Growth

$700 Billion Investment in the Global Economy Could Curb Climate Change, Spur Economic Growth

A new report released by the World Economic Forum shows that climate change is arguably the most pressing threat to the world economy. And with the world population set to increase from 7

U.S. Army Installs the Largest Low-Concentration Solar Photovoltaic System in the World

U.S. Army Installs the Largest Low-Concentration Solar Photovoltaic System in the World

This week, the US Army dedicated the world's largest low-concentration solar photovoltaic installation on its White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. The installation will generate 10 million

New Report Shows Canada, the U.S. and Australia Come in Last in Sustainability Rankings

New Report Shows Canada, the U.S. and Australia Come in Last in Sustainability Rankings

With images of vast forest lands and wild geese flying in the air, you would think that Canada is doing pretty well when it comes to environmental sustainability. Not so! It turns out that

California Installed a Whopping 1 GW of Solar Power by the End of 2012

California Installed a Whopping 1 GW of Solar Power by the End of 2012

California is leading the country when it comes to customer-side solar installations, and it has a lot to be proud of in the solar energy sector. Just recently, the California Public Utilities

UK Drivers Trade Their Old Cars for New Trees Through the ‘Scrap Car Plant Tree’ Program

UK Drivers Trade Their Old Cars for New Trees Through the ‘Scrap Car Plant Tree’ Program

Cars accounted for a whopping 21% of the total greenhouse gas emissions in the UK in 2009, but a creative new program from Giveacar and Trees for Cities aims to repair some of the damage caused

Pharrell Announces Collaboration with Zaha Hadid on a Prefab House Concept

Pharrell Announces Collaboration with Zaha Hadid on a Prefab House Concept

As if it wasn’t full enough, multifaceted artist Pharrell is adding architecture to his wheelhouse, which already consists of being a rapper, singer, record producer, composer, writer, radio

Liquid’s Peer-to-Peer Bike Share Program Makes Renting a Bike Easy

Liquid’s Peer-to-Peer Bike Share Program Makes Renting a Bike Easy

Visiting a city or live in a place that doesn't have a bike share program yet? Don't fret - Liquid is a new peer-to-peer bike rental marketplace that makes it easy to borrow a bike from

EPA Chief and Fierce Defender of the Environment Lisa Jackson to Step Down

EPA Chief and Fierce Defender of the Environment Lisa Jackson to Step Down

One of the most strident defenders of the environment in President Obama’s administration, Lisa Jackson, announced yesterday that she will be resigning from her post as chief of the

British Mission to Drill Down to Subglacial Lake Ellsworth in the Antarctic is Derailed

British Mission to Drill Down to Subglacial Lake Ellsworth in the Antarctic is Derailed

Photo via Shutterstock It appears that the formidable ice sheets of the Antarctic have gotten the best of a UK research team attempting to bore through them to reach the subglacial Lake

Phoenix Gets a Special Holiday Gift: Iconic Frank Lloyd Wright House is Finally Saved from Demolition

Phoenix Gets a Special Holiday Gift: Iconic Frank Lloyd Wright House is Finally Saved from Demolition

Phoenix, AZ just got an unexpected gift this holiday season; the iconic house Frank Lloyd Wright designed for his son David, which has been under threat of demolition since June of this year,

Rutgers New Business School Designed by TEN Arquitectos Is Now Under Construction

Rutgers New Business School Designed by TEN Arquitectos Is Now Under Construction

The new business school will accommodate five academic departments and research centers organized in clusters. The site will include faculty offices, visiting scholar offices, and

Earth Day Network Plants 350,000 Trees in Uganda, Aims to Plant 10 Million Trees in 5 Years

Earth Day Network Plants 350,000 Trees in Uganda, Aims to Plant 10 Million Trees in 5 Years

We all know that trees are great for the environment, but did you know that trees are also good for the social well-being of communities, so much so that they can help to stabilize entire

International Team Will Drill for a 2000-year Old Core in Antarctica to Research Climate Change

International Team Will Drill for a 2000-year Old Core in Antarctica to Research Climate Change

On the same day that a leaked draft of the next major Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report showed more evidence of human-led climate change, the Environment Minister of Australia,

Ford Hybrids C-Max and Fusion Fail to Meet Fuel Economy Standards

Ford Hybrids C-Max and Fusion Fail to Meet Fuel Economy Standards

If you drive a Ford C-Max or a Ford Fusion Hybrid, you might want to double check the fuel economy of your car. Two of Ford's hybrids, the C-Max and the Fusion, fell short of fuel economy

Los Angeles and Burbank to Buy Solar Power from Nevada Plant

Los Angeles and Burbank to Buy Solar Power from Nevada Plant

Some California cities are looking to the Nevada desert to supply them with renewable energy. It was announced on Wednesday that the cities of Los Angeles and Burbank have agreed to sign a

New Report Shows that Renewable Energy Could Cost-Effectively Power Huge Electrical Grids by 2030

New Report Shows that Renewable Energy Could Cost-Effectively Power Huge Electrical Grids by 2030

A new report by researchers from the University of Delaware (UD) and Delaware Technical Community College (DTCC) demonstrates that a huge electrical system could be run almost exclusively by

Harvard Scientist Proposes a Way to Refreeze the Arctic to Combat Possible Global Warming Disaster

Harvard Scientist Proposes a Way to Refreeze the Arctic to Combat Possible Global Warming Disaster

The amount of ice in the Arctic Ocean shrunk to an all time low in September, with the area covered now only half of what it was in the 1980s. This alarming development along with the global

UK Engineers Create World’s First Working 3D Printed Electronic Devices

UK Engineers Create World’s First Working 3D Printed Electronic Devices

Researchers at the University of Warwick's School of Engineering have discovered a way to manufacture working electronic devices using 3D printers. To date, the electronic inner workings of

New Urban Algae System Generates Energy While Cleaning Wastewater in Paris

New Urban Algae System Generates Energy While Cleaning Wastewater in Paris

Rendering from Axel Schoenert Architecture Ennesys, a Paris-based energy systems company and OriginOil, an American algae harvesting company just unveiled their new urban algae demonstration

10-Story Prefabricated Turbo Tower in Chandigarh to be Constructed in 48 hours

10-Story Prefabricated Turbo Tower in Chandigarh to be Constructed in 48 hours

In the town of Mohali, a suburb just outside of Chandigarh in northwest India, a 10-story tower is being constructed in just 48-hours! The visionary behind this project, Harpal Singh of the

Arctic Ice Larger than the US Melted in 2012 but Delegates Can’t Reach Emissions Agreement at Doha

Arctic Ice Larger than the US Melted in 2012 but Delegates Can’t Reach Emissions Agreement at Doha

From March to September this year a staggering 4.47 million square miles of Arctic ice melted - that's an area bigger than the United States. The U.N. World Meteorological Organization said this

US Army Corps of Engineers Unveils New LEED Gold Headquarters in Seattle

US Army Corps of Engineers Unveils New LEED Gold Headquarters in Seattle

Already on its way to achieving an Energy Star Score of 100, the Federal Center South Building will use one-fifth of the energy used by other air-conditioned buildings in the region. This is

Shedkm Selected to Design $160 Million Redevelopment of Brighton’s Municipal Market Square

Shedkm Selected to Design $160 Million Redevelopment of Brighton’s Municipal Market Square

The 1.8 acre site is located just off the Grande Parade at the heart of Brighton City Center, and it has been left unused for quite some time. The new design will feature a central public plaza

MIT Developing ‘Solar Energy Funnels’ That Could Harvest More Electricity From Sunlight

MIT Developing ‘Solar Energy Funnels’ That Could Harvest More Electricity From Sunlight

Researchers at MIT recently announced plans to create a “solar energy funnel” that could harvest energy from a much broader spectrum of sunlight than silicon photovoltaics are

It’s World Toilet Day – Here’s Why You Should Give a Sh*t

It’s World Toilet Day – Here’s Why You Should Give a Sh*t

Don't give a shit about toilets? Maybe you should. World Toilet Day calls our attention to the fact that while in the first world we may take toilets for granted and don't really like to talk

Black Elk Oil Rig Fire in the Gulf of Mexico Leaves One Dead, One Missing and Four Seriously Injured

Black Elk Oil Rig Fire in the Gulf of Mexico Leaves One Dead, One Missing and Four Seriously Injured

Photo via Shutterstock A blaze erupted Friday morning on the Black Elk Oil Rig about 20 miles off of Grand Isle, Louisiana in the Gulf of Mexico leaving one worker dead, one missing and four

London Unveils High Line-Inspired Linear Park for Southbank’s New Nine Elms Development

London Unveils High Line-Inspired Linear Park for Southbank’s New Nine Elms Development

The Linear Park will wind through the Embassy Gardens housing development from Vauxhall to the Battersea Power Station. Residents will be able to open their doors right onto the meandering park,

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