Top notch architecture site BLDGBLOG points us to this inspired bit of material reuse from German architect Matthias Loebermann. The Palettenpavillon is made entirely from shipping pallets, ground anchors, and tie rods. Intended as a temporary meeting space, the structure is designed for simple dismantling and reassembly, and can be recycled in entirety. With dramatic textures and a curvilinear......read more
There have been plenty of attempts to build with recycled wooden pallets, but none have quite pulled it off like the Pallet Project at the offices of Brandbase in Amsterdam. When the creative agency approached MOST Architecture to design the temporary space for their new studio, their only requirement was that it had to be furnished by recycled materials. The Dutch firm went all out with the......read more
According to Jetson Green, there are two billion wooden pallets circulating around the world, and upwards of two/thirds of them are used only once. So smart design that makes use of upcycled pallets is an important and fertile realm of creativity. The Pallet Armchair from French designer Pierre Vedel is one of the best uses of the ubiquituous shipping material we've seen yet. The ingenious design......read more
Surrealist sculpture and green architecture collide in this hillside Austrian home that might make M.C. Escher blush -- and Mies van der Rohe cringe. The detached house, designed by Weichlbauer Ortis Architects, is covered in a soft synthetic turf, offering a strange yet somehow literal take on green wall design. With willfully superfluous windows extending from other windows and weirdly placed......read more
Wilder Quarterly, the quarterly (duh) journal of all things plant-related, is one of our favorite magazines out there right now. With inspiring content from green thumbs, rooftop gardeners, chefs, seed savers, architects, hobby farmers, and horticulturalists, WQ's interests are fully aligned with ours. The latest Wilder Quarterly blog post offers some simple tips on something that often......read more
This cool-looking modular greenhouse, developed by researchers from RAD (Responsive Architecture at Daniels) at the University of Toronto, addresses dirty air concerns in the home. Dubbed the "Filtration Block," the unit contains common household plants with exposed roots that absorb typical indoor toxins like benzene and fromaldehyde. Lead researcher Elaine Tong explains: The......read more
Founded last year in Olympia, Washington, Affordable Floating Homes aims to provide "small footprint, high quality interurban living at an affordable price without developing more land," according to owner Mike Auderer's mission statement on the company's Facebook page. The new company's first build -- and Auderer's current domicile -- is called "Sweet Pea" due to its green exterior. It's......read more
A GOP-led effort to block Obama administration climate change rules passed a crucial first step Thursday, when a House subcommittee voted to strip the Environmental Protection Agency of its power to regulate greenhouse gas emissions. The bill, tabled by House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman (and climate change turncoat) Fred Upton, would prohibit consideration of CO2 and other......read more
Summer may be officially over, but there's still time for a good gardening project. This vibrant vertical pallet garden is just the one. Spotted on Design*Sponge, this DIY idea comes from Fern Richardson at Life on the Balcony, a gardening blog with tons of great growing ideas. It's been modified by Steph from the local spoon, whose directions are excerpted here. Materials a pallet......read more
Old wood is the goods. Reclaimed timber has a rugged beauty that new wood products can't replicate. That's our humble opinion, anyway, and Jamison Sellers' too. The Rhode Island designer/craftsman salvages wooden pallets and boards to craft chairs, tables, and shelves that are as simple as they are striking. Alternating diffierent colors of scrap wood in thin strips, Sellers makes furniture with......read more