Read the rest of Hollywood Park Racetrack to Be Redeveloped into an Eco Community

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Post tags: "sustainable development", agrestic, California, eco community, hollywood park, hollywood park racetrack, hollywood park tomorrow, inglewood, Los Angeles, master planned community, racetrack, racetrack redevelopment, sustainable community

The Gap Filler Pallet Pavilion in Christchurch, New Zealand, was built as a community space following devastating earthquakes. The recycled shipping pallet pavilion is an incredible facility, but unfortunately it was only ever funded for one year. The organizers have now turned to crowd sourcing to secure funding to keep it open for an additional year. In addition to being a stunning piece of shipping pallet architecture, the pavilion has been a positive beacon amongst the rubble. The people of Christchurch want the facility to stay, but it will take a global fundraising effort to make it happen – check out the crowdfunding campaign here and donate today!

+ Pallet Pavilion Pledge Me Campaign

+ Gap Filler Pallet Pavilion

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Post tags: "sustainable architecture", Christchurch, Gap Filler Pallet Pavilion, green architecture, green design, New Zealand, pallet architecture, pallet pavilion, Recycled Materials, recycled shipping pallet, shipping pallet, sustainable design, Urban design

When architect Ed Mazria announced that buildings account for nearly 50% of man-made greenhouse gas emissions, the building industry was taken aback. After a long career in passive solar architecture, he has taken on the goal of steeply reducing the carbon footprint of architecture – most notably with his 2030 Challenge, which aims to eliminate the use of fossil fuels in new construction, and to cut the use of fossil fuels in existing buildings by 50% by 2030. To help hit those targets, Mazria is launching a new initiative called the 2030 Palette—a robust, visually oriented online design tool which strives to help produce low-impact, people friendly projects. We recently visited Mazria’s offices in Santa Fe, where we spoke to the architect in-depth about his work and how sustainable development can save us from the worst climate change has to offer.

Read the rest of INTERVIEW: Ed Mazria, Founder of Architecture 2030 Introduces the 2030 Palette

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Post tags: 2030 Palette, Architecture 2030, carbon neutral architecture, Ed Mazria, global warming, green architecture, green construction, Sustainable Building

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Post tags: bayfront park, caribbean, Casino, everglades, florida, half sphere, hotel, landmark, Miami, monofrequency light, moon, observation deck, solar panel, sunshine state, tropical, visiondivision, water park

The Livre Exchange is a free library designed by Didier Muller of the French design collective House Work that lets passers-by exchange books for free. The project was unveiled at the International Design Biennial 2013 in Saint-Étienne as a collection of transparent boxes suspended from trees. Visitors were able to take a book from one of the boxes and replace it with one of their own.

Read the rest of Didier Muller’s Livre Exchange is a Free Urban Library that Promotes Access to Books

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Post tags: art installation, book reading, Didier Muller, Didier Muller Livre Echange, free city library, free library, French designers, House Work, Livre Echange, Nathalie Faessel, outdoor installation, suspended library, Urban design

Read the rest of Hiroshi Nakamura and NAP Architects’ New Green-Roofed Tokyo Plaza Features a Dizzying Kaleidoscopic Entrance

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Post tags: community table, green roof, green roof garden, Hiroshi Nakamura & NAP Co. Ltd, Japan, mirrors, multifunctional steps, NAP Architects, parks, public space, rooftop park, shopping area, shopping mall, Tokyo, Tokyu Plaza Omotesando, Urban design, Urbanism

Read the rest of BIG Unveils Plans for Massive Green Overhaul of Miami Beach Convention Center

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Post tags: "sustainable architecture", Art, Art Basel, Art Basel Miami Beach, big, Bjarke Ingels Group, Convention Center, eco design, eco-art, green architecture, Green Building, green design, green landscaping, green renovation, green roof, miami beach, miami beach convention center, miami beach square, pedestrian friendly, Sustainable Building, sustainable design, Urban design, west 8

Read the rest of MVRDV & Space Group Propose Plan for Green & Sustainable Growth in Norway

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Post tags: "sustainable architecture", "sustainable development", eco design, green architecture, Green Building, green design, green masterplan, madla-revheim masterplan, MVRDV, norway, parks, public park, Space Group, stavenger, Sustainable Building, sustainable design, sustainable growth, Urban design, urban green space, urban masterplan

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Post tags: eco design, Flower City China, green design, Guangzhou Huadi Fangcun, Masterplan China, sustainable city China, sustainable design, west 8

Read the rest of Sunset Magazine to Develop First-Ever Sustainable Idea Town in Seabrook, Washington

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Post tags: "sustainable architecture", 2013 sunset idea house, bc and j architects, bc&j architects, eco design, eco town, green architecture, Green Building, green design, new urbanist planning, new urbanist town, seabrook, Sunset, sunset idea house, sunset idea town, Sunset Magazine, Sunset Magazine Idea House, sunset magazine idea town, sustainable design, sustainable town, Urban design, urban planning, washington

Read the rest of MVRDV to Transform Industrial Port in Caen, Normandy into Urban Garden “Mosaic”

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Post tags: Caen, Caen Presqu’ile, diagram, france, gardens, La Grande Mosaique, Landscape Architecture, MVRDV, Normandy, Pro Developpement, Territoires, Urban design

The term “upcycle” – used to describe the process of turning something old and used into a new and useful item – has rapidly grown in popularity over recent years. The term was popularized by Cradle to Cradle pioneers Michael Braungart and William McDonough, and in their new book The Upcycle: Beyond Sustainability — Designing for Abundance they take the concept beyond the simple reuse of materials and propose a world in which everything we do improves the environment. The much-anticipated follow-up to their breakthrough book Cradle to Cradle, The Upcycle will hit the shelves on April 16th, and we got a chance to check the book out ahead of its release – read on for a first look!

Read the rest of BOOK REVIEW: William McDonough and Michael Braungart expand on Cradle to Cradle With The Upcycle

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Post tags: book review, cradle-to-cradle, green design, mcdonough, upcycle, upcycling

Nemesi & Partners Srl, Proger SpA and BMS Progetti Srl just won an international competition to design the Padiglione Italia pavilion for the World Expo 2015 in Milan. The Italian team’s “Tree of Life” proposal is an energy-independent four-block community hub that features an expansive open courtyard space.

Read the rest of Massive Energy-Independent ‘Tree of Life’ Pavilion Unveiled for the World Expo 2015 in Milan

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Post tags: Eco Architecture, green architecture, milan architecture, milan expo 2015, off-grid architecture, Padiglione Italia, Tree of Life, world expo

Read the rest of Studio Fuksas Unveils High Line-Style Elevated Park for Rail Station in Bari, Italy

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Post tags: Baricentrale redesign, eco design, elevated park Bari, green design, Jordi Henrich, Studio Fuksas, sustainable design

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Post tags: Art, Benny Jepsen, CNC-cut materials, copenhagen, cultural center, culture, Denmark, Dome of Visions, eco design, geodesic dome, green design, greenhouse, Kristoffer Tejlgaard, mobile project, music, sustainable design, temporary design, Urban Farming

Read the rest of Dillon Marsh’s “Invasive Species” Photo Essay Explores How We Disguise Cell Towers as Trees

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Post tags: cell phone towers, cell tower concealment, cell towers, cell towers disguised as trees, digital towers, Dillon Marsh, eco-art, green art, invasive species, phone towers, Photography, Urban design

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Post tags: community planning, detroit, Detroit rehabilitation, eco design, green design, Midtown Detroit, Sasaki Associates, sustainable design, Techtown District Plan

Earlier this year, when a tornado ripped through Hattiesburg, Mississippi, it left a scene of destruction in its wake. But as the storm-ravaged residents set about clearing fallen trees and branches, Jody Mabary saw an opportunity to create a space that pays homage to nature’s gentler side—by constructing a community garden from all of that storm debris.

Read the rest of Mississippi Man Transforms Tornado Debris Into a Sustainable Vegetable Garden

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Post tags: garden, Jody Mabary, landscaping, salvaged wood, storms, sustainable garden, tornado, tornado garden, urban gardening, vegetables, yards

St. Louis is about to receive its first shipping container structure, a three-story mixed-use building that will be built using 10 shipping containers. Designed by Architect Anthony Duncan for Patrick Barnidge’s development firm, Delsa Development, the new building will be built on a city-owned lot in the Grove area of Forest Park Southeast. It will be erected on the site of a once-condemned single-family home, and the project is quickly gaining favor in the neighborhood.

Read the rest of Anthony Duncan Designs St. Louis’ First Shipping Container Building

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Post tags: Anthony Duncan, container, energy efficient, Land Reutilization Authority, mixed-use, Office, Patrick Barnidge, Prefab Housing, prefabricated, recycled, retail, Saint Louis, shipping container

Last week we reported on the groundbreaking new media platform Earth 2 Hub which aims to create a space for the world’s most creative artists, designers, scientists, and storytellers to explore and share their solutions to the numerous problems facing earth and its inhabitants. To shed more light on Earth 2.0 and the newly-unveiled hub, we talked to Melissa Sterry, who is one of the most well-known futurists on the planet. A design scientist and transformational change strategist for the built environment, utilities, manufacturing, design, publishing, media and communications industries, Melissa is also a PhD researcher at AVATAR – the Advanced Virtual and Technological Architecture Research group, where she is developing The Bionic City – a sustainable smart city that transfers knowledge from earth’s ecosystems to create a mega-city blueprint that can withstand extreme meteorological and geological events such as flooding, hurricanes, tornadoes, wildfires, eruptions and earthquakes. Step on in for a fascinating glimpse of what the future of design and architecture might hold.

Read the rest of INTERVIEW: We Talk to Futurist Melissa Sterry About Earth 2.0 and the Bionic City

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Post tags: biomimicry, Bionic City, Earth 2 Hub, Earth 2.0, eco design, Futurist, green design, Melissa Sterry, social media, sustainable design, Technology