Prefab Homes / Passive Solar Modern House Kits- My passive solar zero energy off grid house kit construction blog. See affordable house kits at www.GreenModernKits.com / www.GreenCottageKits.com and www.GreenCabinKits.com.
Labels: green building, green modern kits
Ambassador Hosted a Reception in Honor of American Designer Howard Smith
On February 28 Ambassador Ware hosted a reception to honor the long and distinguished career of American Designer Howard Smith. Howard Smith moved to Finland 45 years ago and has made an impressive career in Finland as a designer of ceramics and textiles. Howard Smith designed textiles for Vallila Interiors, enamel works for Wärtsilä Oy, and functional ceramics for serial production for Arabia Oy. For Arabia he designed the well known Drummer collection. An exhibition of Howard Smith’s work will take place in Fiskars this fall and a book of his life and career will be published during 2008.
Labels: affordable housing, casa ti, SIPs
Labels: affordable housing, casa ti, construction costs, green building, money saving tips, SIPs
Labels: Chesapeake bay, conservation, cottages, local
In the 1940s, a group of friends bought lots for about $500 on the end of a certain point on a certain area of the Chesapeake Bay, and one of those friends was Mr. McCullough, who happily happened to be an architect.
Mr. McCullough deftly sketched elements that are still important in green building and modern design today:...and more...
And with this, I present...Mid-century modern on the Bay!
If you glance to your left, this is one of the few two-storied residences Mr. McCullough created.Many of these buildings appear to be happily overtaken by camellia bushes
which are bursting into bloom right now...
Honeychile, this is Virginia, yes they are.
Below is my absolute, unabashed favorite.
Fortunately, all of the amazing detail of the mod screens, chimneys, open breezeway and entrance are lost on the internet because of the weathered woodland so you won't covet it... because it's mine, all mine!
This home, desperately crying for someone to hack its camellias, upon closer inspection has a central stack and hexagon shape.
Why the heck are all these architectural structures of note trying to hide their figures? It's like voluptuous starlets that have been sold the waif look.
No need to hide, ladies, sashay down the carpet and celebrate yourself!
Ok if you've made it this far, let me know if you want to see more.
I have several posts that could relate to this...
In the meantime...
Enjoy some more pictures.
This fish tried to eat my mother-in-law but I smacked it away. Hiiiii-ya! Take that.
>
"Dag that was a long walk!"
Yes, maw, in the south there's buffalo *everywhere*..... really.
Oyster beds... another topic to write about...
This is what I look at when I fish. It's very, very quiet.
Yes, I took a picture of myself. Geek.
Heh, heh...
J&S: Do you feel twelve again?
Every time I walk past here I crack up when I think about those bikini tops... Which could go into the third topic I'd like to write (and have plenty o' pictures for...) about: fences and their meanings.
Labels: architecture, Chesapeake bay, cottages, farmhouses, mid-century, modern, virginia
I encourage you to read it.
It sent me off on a slightly different tangent of reflection. We are inundated by "green" and we all try to stay on track as encouraging gentle lifestyles in a positive way without sinking into greenwashing’s shiny consumerism or the hoarse blaring of a death-toll message shouted in spittle mouthed fear.
But there was just something there, in this article, that made me think about what my own identity of "green" is, and how it has changed.
Many here were green before there was "green"- I mean, you’re talkin’ to a girl who grew up with a family farm, who always had a vegetable garden and composting, and whose family had solar panels in the ’70s.
What changed?
For myself, my vegetables became not just a pleasure and addition to our table, but where, in an urban environment, I carefully plan and rely on fresh produce from our garden.
It was the perplexing realization that I do not have the *right* in my city to have minigoats for milk or hens for fresh eggs in my large, fenced-in back yard- that just bothers me! I strongly feel that every human should have the right to rely on themselves for sustenance, and as someone committed to helping those less fortunate, it frustrates me that these families with meager incomes don’t have the right to provide their families with fresh eggs and milk.
Having children, it was the knowledge I gleaned from information on GMOs, hormones in meat and milk, pesticides, and the horrible factory farm conditions and the great respect for life I have that led me to only purchase meat from people I know whose animals are free-range and naturally fed, to raise heirloom vegetables, save seed, and patronize our neighbors’ farms.
It was the shock of reading about how our seed companies are purposely creating vegetables and grains that will not produce viable seed so that you (and farmers) will have to purchase their seeds each season!
It was the fun of a science experiment:
I giggle over solar cooking, yet it has changed my life. With two young children whining to stay outside instead of forcing them indoors so momma can make dinner, I now just throw food in the solar oven and… go off and play!
The cold frames I use enable me to defy cold weather, giving the seeds just enough more heat to resist freezing and get an early start on production.
And as someone in the green building industry, it was the disgust I felt as I saw endless tracts of vinyl, huge, ugly, inefficient houses being the major choice a home buyer has, and even then they are out of financial reach for most first time home buyers.
So, there you have it, my latest musings as I stand up on the cafeteria room chair to rant…
So, who is gonna kick me off today?
; )
Labels: green building, green living, local
