Bridgette Meinhold

Bridgette is a sustainability consultant who helps individuals and businesses to reduce their environmental impact. She graduated in June 2007 from Stanford University with her masters in Civil and Environmental Engineering in their Atmosphere and Energy Program. She also has a BS in Mechanical Engineering from San Diego State University.

She has spent time abroad in Germany working for a wind turbine manufacturer, a kitchen assistant at a culinary school in New York City, a private chef, a waitress and ski bum in Utah. Bridgette currently lives in an aspen grove in Park City, Utah.

During the winter her home is covered in 12 feet of snow and in the summer she walks directly from her house to hiking trails. She has a black lab/border collie mix named Cooper and is married to the man of her dreams, who also happens to be a firefighter/paramedic.

Bridgette is the Architecture Editor on Inhabitat and a contributing writer for Inhabitots.com and Ecouterre.com. When she's not blogging about architecture and design, she likes to bake gluten free goodies or hide in her recycled shipping container art studio, painting and drawing. Learn more about Bridgette's art and freelance writing on her website. She is also currently talking herself into writing her first novel - obviously something environmentally related.

Low-Maintenance, Low-Energy Modern House Makes the Most of a Point Loma Infill Lot

This modern house in Point Loma, San Diego is all about low-maintenance living. A sturdy steel frame bears all the load, while a durable panel facade system will retain its original luster for many years to come. Thanks to its energy-efficient and passive solar design, this 3 bedroom home on an infill lot doesn't need much energy. A rooftop solar system that provides most of the home's energy, so it is almost net zero. The entire compound was designed by Macy Architecture to have as small an impact as possible and they also included fruit trees, native landscaping, rainwater harvesting and eco-friendly materials.

Hollywood Hills Skyline Residence Uses Local Materials To Reduce Its Carbon Footprint

With a wealth of resources, sourcing local materials in LA a fairly easy feat. So when one LA family set out to build their dream home atop the Hollywood Hills, they wanted to be certain to use as many local materials as they could in order to reduce the home's carbon footprint. The Skyline Residence was designed by Belzberg Architects, who drafted up a long linear home that uses the site as guidance in order to reduce earthwork. Solar passive design, shade screens, and natural ventilation keep the home cool, while an outdoor patio and movie screen over the garage encourage the home's inhabitents to spend lots of time outdoors.

RAFAA Designs Beaming Modular Towers for the BrightSource Solar Plant in the Mojave

Construction is underway for one of the world's largest solar plants in the Mojave Desert, and from the renderings we've seen, it's going to be pretty visually enticing in addition to being a renewable source of energy. Three separate plants, operated by BrightSource Energy, will be built by 2013 and one of them is already under construction. RAFAA Architecture & Design was kind enough to share with us their proposal for the spiraling Solar Plant Towers, which include modular design and construction as well as a lifecycle assessment, efficient use of materials and end of life recycling.

Bel Air Presbyterian PreSchool is an Eco Village For Learning

Some lucky children in Bel Air may soon get to attend a brand new school through the Presbyterian Church. Envisioned as a tiny village composed of classroom buildings and surrounded by courtyards and play yards, the Bel Air Presbyterian PreSchool is expected to be an ambitious center for early learners. Beverly Hills-based Poon Design has created the vision for the new preschool, which is still campaigning for money to build the project. The project is aiming for LEED certification and includes plenty of safe, natural and environmentally friendly materials along with energy efficient design.

Manhattan Beach Mixed Use Project Boasts Green Roof Big Enough For Lawn Sports

Green roofs are pretty common these days, but you don't often see one that is large enough to play lawn sports on. The W-V Mixed Use project combines three residences, underground parking and a commercial space on busy Manhattan Beach Boulevard. An incredibly unique project designed by Beverly Hills-based Poon Design, the mixed use residential commercial building also includes a variety of recycled materials, local materials brought in from no more than 500 miles away, and integrated noise control strategies to ensure the happiness of the future home onwers.

David Hertz’s Panel House Made With Prefab Industrial Refrigeration Walls

Some projects require a heavy duty solution and traditional methods just won't cut it. When David Hertz was asked to build a home right off the ocean in Venice Beach, he resorted to industrial materials to get the job done. Rather than the local standard stick-frame construction, Hertz used steel columns and beams to create a clear span structural system integrating prefabricated panels usually used in refrigeration buildings. The use of industrial materials not only cut down on cost but also maintained a high energy efficiency standard for the home while preserving critical views of the ocean and beach. It also doesn't hurt that there are solar panels and a pool on the roof.

Ray Kappe-Designed Santa Monica LivingHomes Was Installed In An Amazing 8 Hours

Modern homes are to LA like snow is to the north pole, but that doesn't mean they're all the same. Santa Monica-based LivingHomes builds modern and functional prefabricated homes designed by world class architects like Ray Kappe and Kieren Timberlake. The original Ray Kappe home was built in Santa Monica and took an amazing 8 hours to install. Talk about a quick build! Built-in furniture, environmentally conscious materials, and a rooftop solar system are all part of the package deal, which resulted in the first LEED Platinum certified home anywhere.

Green-Roofed Art Center College of Design’s South Campus Connects With Downtown Pasadena

The Art Center College of Design has expanded into downtown Pasadena taking over a former supersonic wind tunnel facility, because that's exactly the type of building you would want to go to school in. Santa Monica-based Daly Genik Architects handled the renovations and transformed the facility into a naturally daylit and interactive space with a greater connection to the urban environment. The most fascinating part of the ACCD South Campus renovation includes the addition of a native grass planted green roof and a set of innovative sculptural skylights.

Three Rivers Prefab itHouse is a Modern and Efficient Upgrade to Camping

After owning a pristine piece of property in Three Rivers, CA and camping on it for seven years, the LA owners decided to upgrade. But after camping in a place for so long, you don't want to loose your special connection to the outdoors, so when they hired Taalman Koch to design the home, they asked for the thinnest possible barrier between indoors an d out while still retaining the comforts of a home. The solution came in the form of a 2 bedroom, prefabricated itHouse system, which has a modest building footprint and passive solar design.

Water and Life Museums Celebrates The Importance Of Water In Southern California

Halfway in between Hoover Dam and Los Angeles is Diamond Valley and what is now the largest man-made water storage lake in North America. Built in between two mountain ranges with huge dams on either side is the Diamond Valley lake, which holds a 6 month water supply for Los Angeles. To recognize this monumental accomplishment, a museum was built to celebrate the importance of water in the desert. The Water + Life Museum and Campus holds two museums dedicated to both water and archeology of the area. Designed by a parenership between Lehrer Architects, Gangi Design and Build of Los Angeles, the project is Certified LEED Platinum. The impressive museum boasts a huge photovoltaic system, energy efficient desert architecture and a deep commitment to education.