Few sensible people dispute the fact that we'll have to pay the piper someday soon for the harm we've wrought upon our environment. And none of us, if we're honest with ourselves, can refute that architecture contributes substantially to the damage done. Read more
About a year ago, a group of Duke University students approached Raleigh, N.C., architect Frank Harmon with an intriguing request. They asked him to draw up a proposal for an environmentally friendly student residence that could double as a laboratory for studying and developing green building technologies. Read more
The owners of this cottage sought to savor the water, the picturesque convergence of the Hull Creek and Potomac River into the Chesapeake Bay. Read more
Your newly completed house may be green, but what about the furniture? Fear not! New York City–based Q Collection offers an inspiring line of fine furniture and accessories made primarily of environmentally-friendly materials. Read more
As Sarah Susanka's Not So Big Showhouse aptly illustrates, we've come a long way from the days when sustainability was unsightly. Thousands of attendees at this year's International Builders' Show in Orlando toured the 2,660-square-foot house, which marries earth-friendly features with innovation and style. Read more
David Arkin and Anni Tilt, husband-and-wife architects in Berkeley, Calif., live with their two children in a refurbished 1910 farmhouse outfitted with solar panels and a wind turbine. They walk or bike the five blocks to their solar-powered office, a new building beside a creek. Read more
Min | Day: Fleetwood's energy-efficient windows and sliding glass doors. Read more
Min|Day: Interstate Plastics' sanded acrylic alternative to glass. Read more
As public interest in eco-friendly houses grows, so too does demand for green building products. Made with ingredients that are less harsh than conventional sources, these materials are easier to live with and, presumably, healthier for the environment. Read more
EnviroGLAS Terrazzo takes crushed, 100 percent recycled glass and bonds it with a color-pigmented resin to produce durable, poured-in-place countertops and floors. This stain- and bacteria-resistant material doesn't off-gas and is easily maintained with common soaps and cleansers. Read more
Beer and wine bottles become Blazestone mosaic tiles' earth-tone patterns, while stained glass waste results in the company's brighter selections. Read more
Oceanside Glasstile combines up to 85 percent recycled glass with raw sand to generate many of its glass tile offerings. Read more
Durat solid surfaces contain 50 percent recycled plastic and are 100 percent recyclable, according to the company. Read more
Yemm & Hart offers three different surface materials made from discarded tires, detergent bottles, and PVC plastic scraps. Read more
This Dome pendant is perfect if you want to trick out a loft or simply give your custom home a hint of commercial chic. Read more
Gypsum wallboard is versatile and economical but often needs some dressing up. Paint is one option, but this clay-based plaster might also fit the bill. Read more
Just when you thought concrete might have reached its limit as a sophisticated interior spec, Denver-based Metallo Cast Sinks and Surfaces has taken the material one step further: The company fuses concrete and metal to create an inventive line of basins, vessel sinks, and countertops. Read more
The city of Paris' original plan for this 200-unit affordable housing complex included a public street passing through the middle of the project. Then it hired the Renzo Piano Building Workshop. Dismayed at the thought of the daily chaos the street would bring to residents, Piano and his colleagues convinced the city to drop its idea. Read more
housing prototypes is a cross-referenced database of multifamily projects around the world. Read more