When Inhabitat’s Architecture Editor,  Bridgette Meinhold, heard about the earthquake in Haiti in 2010 and the massive devastation it caused, she wanted to help, and was drawn to start investigating different options for temporary shelters and disaster relief housing. This exploration gradually broadened to a larger focus on design for disaster-preparedness; seeking out what type of shelters can best withstand earthquakes, hurricanes, rising sea levels and tornados. Now I’m thrilled to say that after years of research, Bridgette has just published an incredible new book entitled Urgent Architecture: 40 Sustainable Housing Solutions for a Changing World. Urgent Architecture showcases inspiring and innovative ideas for resilient design – design that will withstand the test of time – surviving climate change, rising sea levels, manmade and natural disasters. I recently had a chance to interview Bridgette about her new book at Inhabitat HQ in NYC, and she gave me some fascinating insight into her inspiration for the book, the impact climate change will have on future housing and what she believes is necessary to create a more sustainable and responsive built landscape. Watch the video above for the interview, and if you want to learn more, you can get your own copy of Urgent Architecture here.

A full transcript of the interview with pics is available after the jump.

Read the rest of INTERVIEW: With Bridgette Meinhold, Author of ‘Urgent Architecture’

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Post tags: "sustainable architecture", adaptable housing, book review, bridgette meinhold, bridgette meinhold interview, design for disaster preparedness, design to withstand disasters, disaster design, disaster housing, Eco Architecture, eco design, green architecture, green books, green design, inhabitat book review, Prefab Housing, resilient architecture, resilient design, sustainable design, urgent architecture

Read the rest of Spain’s Earthy Espai Ridaura Cultural Center is Topped With a Luscious Green Roof

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Post tags: "energy efficiency", Architecture, Capella Garcia Arquitectura, cultural activities, earth building, eco-tourism, Espai Ridaura, girona, green materials, green roof, multipurpose, natural pigments, Spain, stage, thermal solar panels

Read the rest of San Francisco Public Utilities Commission Headquarters Boasts Solar Panels and Built-in Wind Turbines

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Post tags: "sustainable architecture", building integrated wind turbines, eco design, green architecture, Green Building, KMD Architects, photovoltaics, public utility commission headquarters, puc, San Francisco, San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, san francisco public utility commission, san francisco public utility commission headquarters, Sustainable Building, sustainable design, Urban design, wind energy

Michael Robbins crafts beautiful furniture in Upstate New York from sustainably sourced wood. Production takes place in an old barn in the Hudson Valley, where every piece of furniture is designed and handmade by Michael himself. Drawing from simplicity, utility and a joy of form, Michael’s debut line was just released in Fall of 2012.

The article above was submitted to us by an Inhabitat reader. Want to see your story on Inhabitat? Send us a tip by following this link. Remember to follow our instructions carefully to boost your chances of being chosen for publishing!

Read the rest of Michael Robbins Handcrafts Beautiful Furniture From Sustainably Sourced Wood

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Post tags: "green furniture", "sustainable furniture", eco furniture, green chair, green design, green interiors, green products, Hudson Valley, Michael Robbins, sustainable design, sustainable forestry, Sustainable Interiors, sustainable wood

Read the rest of Adobe’s New LEED Gold-Designed Campus Connects with the Outdoors in Utah

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Post tags: adobe, adobe utah campus, Daylighting, eco campus, eco design, eco office, green architecture, Green Building, green campus, green design, green office, LEED gold, lehi, Rapt Studio, Sustainable Building, sustainable design, Utah, utah campus, WRNS Studio

These playful Google birdhouses by Shu-Chun Hsiao re-imagine typical bird dwellings as points of interest in urban locations. Inspired by the Google Maps landmark icon, Hsiao’s modern bird houses mark the places where birds go to rest.

Read the rest of Shu-Chun Hsiao’s Google Bird Houses Point Out the Dwellings of Feathered Friends

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Post tags: eco design, google bird houses, green bird house, modern bird houses, Shu-Chun Hsiao, sustainable design

There is a wonderful little place in Tokyo’s bustling Shibuya where you can have a cup of coffee and laser-cut your own design. Called Fab Café — which stands for both fabulous and fabrication — the fine dining and designing destination was created by Naruse-Inokuma Architects in a minimal yet cozy Japanese style. Digital media production company Loftwork also operates inside so if there’s a problem with the machinery, or if you’re craving a muffin with your latte, they will surely be able to help.

Read the rest of Tokyo’s Fab Café Serves Up Coffee and Laser-Cut Designs While You Wait

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Post tags: Art, cafe, coffee, DIY, fab cafe, laser cut, Loftwork, Naruse-Inokuma Architects, Shibuya, tokyo cafe, Tokyo design, tokyo tourist

Read the rest of Konbit Super-Adobe Shelters are Helping a Rural Haitian Village Rebuild

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Post tags: "sustainable architecture", affordable housing, cal-earth, disaster proof home, Disaster-proof design, earth bag, earth bag architecture, earth bag home, earthquake-proof, eco design, green architecture, Green Building, green design, haiti, konbit shelter, Nader Khalili, Super Adobe, Sustainable Building, sustainable design

Read the rest of LEED Gold Mojave Rivers Ranger Station Helps the Forest Service Protect the Mojave Desert

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Post tags: "sustainable architecture", California, desert, desert architecture, eco design, eco office, forest service, green architecture, Green Building, green design, LEED gold, marcy wong, marcy wong donn logan architects, mojave, mojave desert, mojave rivers ranger station, photovoltaics, ranger station, solar powered office, Sustainable Building, sustainable design

Read the rest of London’s Earth Creature is a Super Adobe Dome Built By The City’s Smallest Architects

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Post tags: adobe house, ana lisa alperovich, Architecture, earthquake ressistant, green materials, green resources, Hayward Gallery, Hounslow Heath Infant and Nursery School, humanitarian design, mud, Nader Khalili, nasa, Small Earth, strong shelter, Super Adobe, Sustainable Building

3D printers are everywhere these days, creating items from racecars to prosthetic beaks for bald eagles. Sadly, one major drawback of this new technology is that the objects made from metals and plastic polymers can easily fall apart from physical stress or poor design. Now, researchers at Purdue and Adobe’s Advanced Technology Labs have designed a computer program that can automatically identify weak spots in design specifications and add support before they’re printed.


Read the rest of 3D Printing Gets a Boost in Structural Strength Thanks to a New Sofware Application

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Post tags: 3d printer, adobe advanced technology labs, bedrich benes, grip positions, juraj vanek, Los Angeles, nathan carr, ondrej stava, purdue, radomir mech, siggraph 2012, structural analysis solver

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Post tags: "sustainable development", 1+1>2, Dao, eco design, eco-tourism, Green Building, local materials, rainwater harvesting, red scarf, Solar Power, sustainable design, Ta Phin Community House, traditional crafts

Most of us know that a full refrigerator uses less energy than an empty one, because anything’s that denser than air will better store the cold. Opening the door of an empty fridge causes cold air (weighing less than an ounce) to rush out and fall to the floor. Warm air enters. When the door closes, the unit cycles on, and the process repeats. That’s sort of how thermal mass construction works. Beefy Styrofoam and concrete walls on an insulated foundation cut both heating and cooling loads. It’s vastly more efficient to keep a relatively massive structure at a steady temperature than it is to manipulate the air with energy-intensive HVAC systems. Read on for a closer look at this green building strategy!

Read the rest of Think Thick: Thermal Mass Construction Produces Energy-Efficient Homes that Resist Fire and Decay

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Post tags: "sustainable architecture", Earth Walled Home, energy efficient design, green architecture, Green Building, Kendle Design Collaborative, rammed earth walls, Sustainable Building, thermal mass

We tend to think of the daily commute as time wasted. According to the US Census, more than 32 percent of Americans have a daily commute that takes longer than 30 minutes (2009), and that time can really drag if you don’t have something fun and interesting to occupy your mind. Fortunately, technology is on your side as there are a handful of great mobile apps for your phone or tablet to help get your creative and analytical juices flowing before you even reach the office. From music programs like GarageBand to portable art studios like the Adobe Idea Vector App, we’ve rounded up our 10 favorite mobile apps that will make you wish your commute were longer.

READ MORE >

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Post tags: Adobe Idea Vector App, apps, Brain Trainer, Braingle, Commuter apps, GarageBand, Memory Mice, mobile apps, mobile devices, New York Times Crosswords, Sodoku Magic, TED talks, TNR-i, web apps

Read the rest of 6 Tips to Protect Your Home From Wildfires

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Post tags: fire protection, fire resistant house, fireready, High Park Fire, urban wildland interface

Hey Inhabitat readers -

Calling all writers and designers who want to work for an awesome online publication with passion, a vision and a mission to make the world a better place through the power of design! Would you like to work for the web’s largest green design publication, which is read by 100,000 thought-leaders every day, and 2 million readers every month? Of course, we’re humbly talking about Inhabitat here — we’re expanding and currently looking to fill a few freelance & full-time positions. If you (or someone you know) are passionate about sustainable design, and want to work for an exciting and fast-growing publishing company focused on design innovation, we want to hear from you!

Read the rest of Inhabitat is Hiring in New York City!

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Post tags: design blog, design blogger, design blogger job, design editor, design writer, design writer job, design writing, freelance writer, inhabitat careers, Inhabitat jobs, special projects editor

Read the rest of Christo’s Over the River Approved for a 6 Mile Stretch of the Arkansas River in Colorado

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Post tags: Christo and Jeanne-Claude, Christo art, Christo Colorado, Colorado art, envrionmental art, Over the river

Apple recently announced that they are planning to build a massive solar array at their data center in Maiden, North Carolina that will be complemented by a pretty sizable fuel cell installation. According to Katie Fehrenbacher over at GigaOm, Bloom Energy — a Sunnyvale, California-based renewable energy company — is rumored to be behind the 5 megawatt, biogas-fueled energy project. Bloom markets their solid oxide fuel cells as affordable clean energy solutions, and it seems that Apple is catching onto the technology and wants to put it to use.

Read the rest of Bloom Energy Rumored to be Behind Apple’s Massive End-User Fuel Cell Project

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Post tags: apple, apple data center, apple fuel cell, apple maiden facility, apple renewable energy, apple renewable energy products, apple renewable energy use, bloom energy, bloom energy fuel cell, fuel cell, fuel cell installation, maiden data center, maiden north carolina

The Engineering Research Institute is a new facility planned for Portugal’s Minho University which has been designed to break the monotony of the surrounding grey buildings. Covered in a skin inspired by solar titanium nanotubes, the research facility, designed by Portugal-base Cláudio Vilarinho Architects, seeks sustainability as an ideal in architecture, while making use of building-integrated rooftop wind turbines. The cementitious matrix facade would be prefabricated and produced with micro fibers forming a durable, long-lasting and low maintenance cladding material. The facade also acts as a rain and shade screen to protect the building from the elements.

Read the rest of Minho University’s Engineering Research Institute to Feature a Solar Nanotube-Inspired Facade

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Post tags: "sustainable architecture", cementitious facade, Cláudio Vilarinho, eco design, engineering research institute, green architecture, Green Building, green design, minho university, portugal, rain screen, shade screen, solar titanium nanotubes, Sustainable Building, sustainable design, titanium nanotubes

Read the rest of Tower of Power is a Wind Energy-Generating Skyscraper for Taiwan

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Post tags: eco design, eco skyscraper, eco tower, green architecture, Green Building, green design, landmark tower, mini wind turbines, Mixed-use tower, nl architects, small wind turbines, Sustainable Building, sustainable design, Taiwan, taiwan tower, taiwan tower proposal, tower of power, vertical axis wind turbine, wind turbines