Eco Lighthouse
Called the Lighthouse (BRE House), this is the UK’s first ever net zero carbon home that also meets the highest level of the UK Standard Code for Sustainable Homes. It is a leading example because not only is it made with the most sustainable materials, but is also designed to encourage and shape a more sustainable lifestyle for its occupants. The design shows that a carbon-free house can be built if the responsibility is not only on the materials but also on our intrinsic lifestyles. If we don’t fundamentally change how we live, a bunch of Eco buildings won’t save us.
Tagged: sustainable living
Also by SNELL
This house has many facets that make it an intriguing example. First of all, it is a very aesthetically pleasing project with the use of light horizontal timbers and a clean pitched roof. Designed by MOS, an interesting design collective based in America, the secret to the Floating House is that it floats on a structure of steel pontoons. The house rises and falls with the changing waters and is frozen in place depending on the season. The steel pontoons were constructed first and towed to the lake outside the contractor’s factory and then the house was built atop of it. When finished it was towed to its position, anchored and enjoyed in its unique position. Finally, it forms a bridge between the land and an island. Wonderful!
Dutch uber-firm OMA, headed by Rem Koolhaas, has created this concept in Mexico City to symbolize the coming two hundred years of Mexico’s independence. There are many layers of symbolism in this building, from Mayan pyramids to which part of the building controls the park and which part controls the city, to the fact that the bulge of the building is below the centre height, and that it all happens on a relatively small footprint. Most of all, in this building there is a barely contained energy that seems near to release and it may be that this is what Torre Bicentenario represents.
The Danes are renowned for their considered and subtle design. However, in these times of change, they must feel they need something with this selection of a bridge building as the winner of a recent architectural competition in Denmark. The American architect Steven Holl designed this building with a pedestrian bridge that links two sides of the harbour in the distinctly low-rise Copenhagen. Read more
YOU'RE SAYING (2)
Ben said | 6 February, 2008
That’s a pretty nice house, it’s so low on carbon it might disappear!
HAVE YOUR SAY
Timelessness is surely one of the most sought-after characteristics that any artist, writer or musician can aim for in their work. It’s a wonderful feeling to know that what felt good a generation ago still holds true to this day; perhaps even better to know that what made one tick as a child still draws a smile years down the line. I often feel this with certain children’s illustration — they evoke an innolinecence every adult still retains somewhere deep inside. The work of UK illustrator Jenni Desmond does just this to me — there’s a real sense of adventure running through it and vision of the world being far, far larger than it really is.
Oh man, the work of New York based artist Inka Essenhigh is so good it makes my eyes water. Read more
I really don’t understand cat haters. Most of them claim that our feline companions are aloof and distant, graceful and mysterious to a fault. In my opinion, cats are just as goofy as dogs, which is why any documentation of them acting like spazzes makes me chuckle uncontrollably. Read more
Despite their over-the-top rockisms (ridiculously monstrous rigs, smoke machines, and high-wattage light show), Jucifer backs the bombast up with some colon-bursting heaviness. The duo from Athens, Gergia, take 90s-era grrl rawk and combines it with slow, plodding, sludge metal like High on Fire on Vicodin.
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Who says the Swedes have got a monopoly on seasonal ice hotels? This one in Kemi, northern Finland, is the world’s largest snow castle, standing seventeen metres high and with walls that are 1,100 metres long. It has restaurants, an art gallery, a hotel and a chapel. In fact, since opening in the early 1990s, it’s been quite a hit for tourists to get married at the snow chapel. Hmmm, now that would be a frosty start to any marriage. Read more
How old must Kermit be now? Not to old to collaborate with skater-friendly retailer Supreme and photographer Terry Richardson. Kermit, who usually wears nothing, has been hooked up with some new threads to advertise the brand. It seems Kermit and Terry are the perfect work partners: they’ve even released a video clip documenting the shoot.
Instead of spending another Saturday afternoon looking though an already plumaged St Vinnies or Beacon’s Closet before buying something you’ll never wear for $5, check out Mooka Kinney. Read more
WE'RE POSTING / SOME OF THE BEST
Wheeeeee! This game is so freaking fun! You move your cursor over each dot to make them split into four smaller dots ad infinitum.
German painter Armin Rohr’s works look like stills from Stan Brakhage films, all acid-washed, scratched out, and ethereal like a sudden flood of memories. Read more
There is not a medium that UK illustrator Lizzy Stewart cannot wrap around her little finger to make the most beautiful, whimsical images. Read more
Check out Mike Stimpson’s Lego reinterpretations of classic photographs. Stimpson’s version of Malcolm Browne’s iconic 1963 photograph of the self-immolation of Thich Quang Duc is particularly twisted. Read more
Scanners’ new single Salvation
I love this track by London based rock group, Scanners, which is off their latest album, Submarine. Having toured with acts such as The Horrors, The Wedding Present, The Charlatans, Electric Six, and Juliette & The Licks, Scanners could well blow up in 2010. Figuratively speaking, not literally. No, that wouldn’t be fun.
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This Spider Necklace by Andrea Corson is made from oxidized sterling silver and is a one of a kind: a blackened creepy crawly on a bed of Caviars that will freak and treat. We have them for sale in the Lost At E Minor online store. Read more
We’ve just updated the Lost At E Minor iPhone app in the iTunes store with some new features. It’s a daily snapshot of the latest content from the site. You can download it now. Win? Well, it’s free. So you win, we win. Snap!
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Gary said | 1 February, 2008
I like its sleek and modern design. Also the minimalistic approach fits well into the whole sustainability idea.