SFMOMA Expansion Plans – Vertical Garden

Who else is excited for the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art’s expansion plans? Recently announced is a huge vertical garden or living wall of native plants expanding the entire block. Not only that, we can also expect: The largest public living wall of native plants in San Francisco 130,000 sqft of gallery space covering indoor and outdoor exhibits 15,000 …

The High Line Park Redevelopment – New York City

A perfect example of green re-purposing- turning an aging and abandoned elevated railway into a public greenspace. The High Line Park in New York city is probably my favorite urban walkway (with Seattle’s SAM Sculpture Park not far behind) with it’s architectural elements, art displays, and multi-use abilities. Originally opened in 1934 to reduce the on-street crossing accidents and deaths, …

Green Driveway Path Options

Create a green space on your driveway- Do it yourself or professionally installed with so many options! A while back, I wrote about Green Driveways and Paths, which ended up being a pretty popular article. I figured that it would be helpful to see your options when it comes to porous surfaces, permeable paths and eco-friendly driveways. Green driveways not …

Eco-Development and Sustainable Renovation

I’ve noticed an interesting trend lately. The renovation of old buildings. Gorgeous old buildings gutted and rebuilt from the inside-out, as green and sustainable new structures. An exciting (and well-publicized) example of this is the Sanctuary development on Capital Hill in Seattle. The original church was built in the early 1900s and has been a distinctive landmark of the neighborhood …

Energy Efficient Windows

Winter: tis the season to be jolly. Christmas and Valentine’s day have already come to pass, but the season hasn’t lost all of it’s festivities for those of us enjoying the Winter Olympics. Some time during the beginning of each month though, in spite of how joyful the season may be, you’re bound to get an envelope in the mail …

Eco-Friendly Bark Shingles Home Siding

Thinking about re-siding your home? Take a look at this eco alternative. Just like a trees own weather proofing, these bark shingles insulate, protect, and are virtually maintenance free. It is made up of tulip tree bark waste from timber operations that would otherwise get burned, mulched, or left to rot. Lasting up to 75 years, renewable, sustainably harvested and …

North America’s Largest Living Green Wall

PNC now holds the title for the largest living green wall in North America currently hanging on the exterior of their Pittsburgh headquarters building located at One PNC Plaza. With approximately 14,448 plants covering 602 modular panels, the 2,380 square-feet living mural really livens up the 30-story building. The eight varieties of plants, installed by locally sourced (within a 500 …

Whole House Lighting Control System

Great lighting can really make a house feel like a home. While we tend to focus on the energy efficiency and design of lamps and bulbs, often we neglect to consider the actual electrical system in the house. Whole House Lighting Control System by Verve Living Systems brings a whole new element to eco-friendly lighting. A wireless lighting system that …

Solé Solar Roof Tiles by SRS Energy

Keeping in the solar powered theme of my last post, I wanted to focus a bit less on tongue-in-cheek novelty and hone in on some serious design. Many architects, homeowners and commercial building owners out there aren’t very fond of the blocky look of solar panels, especially if their roof is highly visible or conforming to a specific style. For …

Weekend Green Reads – Books on Sustainability

This weekend seems like a great weekend for reading, so I thought I would share some upcoming green books in my queue. I seem to have a sustainable design theme going, although that should come as no surprise to anyone who regularly reads my blog. Sustainability in design has always interested me, mainly because so many problems with current products …