I just bought and received “The Fellowship”, a book on the Frank Lloyd Wright, well, the Taliesin Fellowship. I had the fortune of visiting Taliesin East, Wisconsin, last year. It was amazing to see Wright trained hundreds of devoted students and where he came up with Fallingwater, etc.

I really wanted to get this book when it came out, but I’m glad I waited. It only cost me $12 on Ebay. Brand new it would have been about $40, and the copy I got is in great shape. A friend of mine just loaned me a book of letters between Frank Lloyd Wright and his clients, but that will have to put on the back burner.

Michelle Kaufmann, award-winning green architect and sustainable living expert, today announced the debut of mkHearth™, her latest preconfigured home design. According to the press release, mkHearth™ is a sustainable, modular approach to the modern farmhouse inspired by the natural beauty found in rural structures across the American landscape. The new design is suitable for urban or rural settings in all climates and is ideal for community developments.

If you haven’t heard of Michelle Kaufmann, she is the leader of full service design/build architectural firm that uses off-site modular technology and prepackaged green solutions as the means to create beautiful, eco-friendly homes and multi-family developments.

“As Americans begin to demand greater efficiencies from their homes, the market for green structures has continued to grow despite what we’re seeing in the traditional home industry,” said Michelle Kaufmann, founder and chairwoman of Michelle Kaufmann Companies. “We’re very excited to respond to that growing demand with the debut of mkHearth™, which works in a variety of climates, making green home design accessible to many more people.”

Here homes have large open design with flowing spaces The mkHearth™ revolves around a center hearth space(hence the name), a dual-purpose fireplace/cabinetry unit that circulates up the three stories. The home features window seats, screened-in sleeping porches, and sliding wood doors on barndoor tracks (to maximize light and cross-ventilation). The loft on the third floor is flexible space for an office, library, bedroom or playroom.

mkHearth draws on Michelle’s 5 EcoPrinciples: smart design, eco materials, energy efficiency, water conservation, and healthy environment.

Specific examples of how mkHearth™ has been designed to incorporate Michelle Kaufmann’s 5 EcoPrinciples, include:

• Smart Design: Designed for urban or rural settings in all climates, the home includes strategically placed windows, glass doors, and sliding wooden sunshades to maximize daylight and breezes and minimize heat gain. The central hearth and ample outdoor living areas give the home an expansive feeling despite its responsibly-sized footprint.
• Eco Materials: Renewable and recyclable materials are used through out the home, including FSC-certified woods for cabinetry and flooring.
• Energy Efficiency: All heating, cooling, and lighting systems are highly efficient and reduce resource consumption. Solar options are also available.
• Water Conservation: The home includes water-conserving fixtures as well as a rainwater catchment system that minimizes the need to use fresh, potable water for landscape irrigation.
• Healthy Environment: Holistically designed for healthy living, the mkHearth™ uses non-off-gassing materials and paints, air filtration systems, and high-performance insulation.

via PRWeb and Michelle Kaufman Companies

It took 22 years, but construction time architect Günter Domenig’s Steinhaus (Stone-house) has been finished. Originally designed to be his retirement home, it has found new life hosting concerts and soon workshops for architecture students.

Günter Domenig (born 1934) spent nearly 3 million euro on the building - 1,1 million euro have been provided by the municipality.

Via anArchitecture

If a huge drill bit sticking out the center of a large city is your idea of high modern design, then Chicago has just the thing for you. Chicago will soon be home to the Chicago Spire, designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava. When completed in 2011 it will be 2000-feet tall.

The Spire will be quite the sight, with residential units, its 150 floors will provide enough space for 1,194 residences. The tower rotates as well. An average 2.44 degrees to a total of 360 degrees from top to bottom.

According to its architect, it helical structure was “inspired by the nature, by the interaction of earth, water and air” and the fluid facade will be covered in glass” that will help protect migrating birds. The Chicago Spire will be cooled by a geothermal system that will draw water from the Chicago river, and landscaping will be maintained through a rainwater recycling system.

It’s well know that plants are nature’s air purifier. So it’s good to have lots of indoor plants to get rid of all of those airborne nasties. And now thanks to French designer Mathieu Lehanneur and David Edwards of Harvard, we have a mini mobile greenhouse. The Bel-Air Plant Powered Air Filter.

The greenhouse that draws in that toxin filled air through a fan, into a pyrex pod that houses a potted plant and filters it through the leaves, roots and the humidity. It then releases it back out as purified air.

I love the idea, and it’s got a fresh and cool design. It would be a nice addition to your potted plants. Or you could just use Bamboo Charcoal

via The Green Head