Inhabitat recently posted a story about a new photosensitive material that bends in sunlight. An alternative film, called c))motion, is already in production but has a slightly different application. In short, the film is a plastic laminate that acts like a bimetallic strip, bending when heated or placed in the sun. The innovative film is inexpensive, similar to the material used in potato chip bags, and can be used to passively ventilate attics or operate a window shade inside a double pane window.

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Post tags: bendable plastic, c))motion, eco cooling, eco-friendly ventilation methods, green materials, green plastic, green ventilation, passive ventilation, plastic laminate

Quirky and full of unexpected design choices, this Australian residence by Kavellaris Urban Design, asserts that holding onto old architectural aesthetics can be both silly and unsustainable. The Perforated House’s high-tech, translucent exterior is etched with ornamental details to pose commentary on contemporary homes that adhere strongly to traditional architectural typologies — the terrace home, in this particular case. Observing that the dated aesthetic has “a stronger link with romanticized nostalgia rather than good design,” the architects set out to re-work the traditional terrace home, creating this case study house with an ironic and more eco-friendly new aesthetic for building.

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Post tags: contemporary architecture, contemporary home design, modern home design, passive ventilation, solar orientation, Sustainable Building, urban home design

Building a home in the desert is certainly a test of green building innovation — because in a climate where resources are limited, how do you build to ensure comfort and longevity? Architect Lloyd Russell offers a beautiful solution with his Austin Residence near Palm Springs, California. Besides its construction out of recycled materials, Russell gave serious consideration to the mechanics of passive ventilation the home during the hot summer months. He was also sensitive to the culture of the surrounding California desert when developing the home’s look-and-feel, creating a contemporary home reminiscent of an old West outpost that captures the essence of desert living.

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Post tags: california homes, california residence, california residential architecture, desert homes, desert living, eco friendly residence, eco-friendly homes, green architecture, Green Building, green homes, green residence, lloyd russell, palm springs, passive ventilation, Sustainable Building

Whew! Summer is definitely just around the corner. We can feel the humidity intensifying with each day in New York City and we know it will only be a matter of time before the heat will really be upon us. With that thought in mind, we thought we would start looking at some ways to keep cool without blasting the air conditioning or using more electricity — and we found some pretty neat innovations and are excited to see what else pops up over the summer!

Ouch! Laptops can get hot. Scientific American tells us about a new fan-free technology that will help keep your laptop cool.

Jetson Green gives a tip about these super efficient venetian blinds to help keep your home cool.

Treehugger reports that scientists are getting close to developing super magnets that will make refrigerators more energy efficient.

Green Building Elements shows us a neat umbrella-inspired design that will help cool a children’s hospital in the desert.

Green homes help us keep cool, and The Guardian wants us to be be wary of green home myths. We saw a lot of buzz about green homes and renovations this week as well.

Last but not least, our favorite way to cool down is still to find a shady spot under a tree!

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Post tags: "energy efficiency", Climate Change, cooling building techniques, green homes, keeping cool, passive cooling, passive systems, passive ventilation

Having moved from Arizona to Toronto, the owners of this modern home looked to Toronto-based architects Paul Raff Studio to create a passive solar design that would maximize daylighting for a bright interior reminiscent of their previous sunny abode. All around the house, floor-to-ceiling windows serve as transparent walls that allow light to flood indoors — culminating with a large front window, made up of 475 stacked 19-millimeter panels of  glass, that filters light into the home in a textural pattern and inspired the house’s name, Cascade House.

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Post tags: contemporary toronto architecture, light elements architecture, modern architecture toronto, passive solar architecture, passive solar design, passive solar residence, passive ventilation, stone architecture