Last Day for Build Boston 2009!

Friday November 20th is the last day to sprint to Build Boston and not miss a thing. I'll have to admit that last year Greenbuild was the talk of the town, but now that they are in Phoenix - Build Boston is the place to be if you are local. The exhibit hall is open from 9 am to 1 pm tomorrow and you shouldn't miss over 250 booths if you have been putting it off. With long waiting lists for Greenbuild, many green companies are flocking to other industry tradeshows such as Build Boston. Regardless, now that 'green' is heading in the mainstream direction, sustainability is a priority for nearly all exhibitors. Here are some Build Boston highlights for Friday, November 20th:

Inventor and innovator Dean Kamen, keynote speech. He’s creative, he’s fearless and his passion for “fixing things” is infectious. Yes, design, science and technology can unite us and inspire us to change the world we live in. How to start? Find out at Dean Kamen’s keynote address, 8:30–10:00 am.

Sustainability case studies. Find out why the challenge for us in New England is not to design new sustainable buildings, but to work with the old, historic ones we’ve already got! Hear how energy tax credits (and historic rehabilitation tax credits and new market tax credits) are helping to fund real projects. Learn how (and why) green building is done differently in Europe – using modular construction.

Economic stimulus through public art. Leading architecture, landscape architecture and public art professionals from New England and beyond gather for a one-day symposium on design excellence in public places.

How to design and build a perfect career... in a single afternoon! Launching a career is tough – roadblocks and pitfalls abound. This four-hour conference session offers fresh insights and practical advice from industry leaders tailored to young architects and others looking for their next opportunity. Writers with an interest in the economic realities designers are facing right now: this is a must-attend for you, too!

Yes, recycling has tangible benefits! Just ask the founders of Containers2Clinics. This Dover, MA company retrofits unused shipping containers and transforms them into health clinics for the developing world. Stop by this remarkable prototype at booth 1035 on the tradeshow floor.

Photo by John De Boer

Solar Revolutionizes the Camping Experience

If you went camping lately you might have some inconveniences of the trip still lingering in your mind. Sure, a lot of us love camping for that experience - cooking on an open fire, reading in your tent after dark with a flashlight, and other pleasant oddities. Design has its ways of affecting all areas of life, camping included. Great design has been reshaping camping as we know it and inspiring city dwellers to get out and play without leaving all the conveniences of home.

The new Orange Solar Concept Tent will someday make your camping trip a lot more comfortable. Although the unknown price tag might make it inaccessible to the average camper, it is a great idea nonetheless. By weaving solar threads into conventional fabric, the solar tent will gather energy throughout the day and provide a variety of ways to use that energy. How about some heat from the tent's groundsheet? A charging pouch for mobile phones and other devices? Care for some light in the evening hours of camping? A modern camping experience to say the least.

Another camping convenience that is already available on the market is the Hot Pot Simple Solar Cooker. With some help from the sun, cook or heat your favorite meals without the need for electricity. All you need to do is set it up in full sunlight and within an hour you'll have an oven to use for up to 6 hours. Hey, who needs to go camping, you can do this right in your backyard! It comes with a 5.3 quart enameled steel pot for all your cooking needs. At a temperature of 350 - 400 degrees you can make stews, bake anything to your liking, or heat up previously cooked food. Great news for those of you living off grid - such a handy invention!

On a side note, if you are going camping, I highly recommend investing a few bucks in Bug Bam, read my full review of it here!

Ergonomics at Your Desk

We all know that feeling - when you sit at your work desk all day and then by evening you feel so sore like you've been loading coal onto a truck with a shovel. Ergonomics at your home or work office are very important, not just for your physical health but emotional well being. There are many solutions out there to fight back ache and muscle fatigue, many companies design ergonomic chairs that cost a fortune, some more than others.

One of these devices stands apart from the rest, it is not really a chair, the BalanceBall chair is a revolution in office and home furniture. The patented design combines fitness with comfort and ergonomic back support, all at an affordable price. With chiropractic pioneer Dr. Randy Weinzoff, Gaiam developed the BalanceBall Chair as an effective tool for strengthening core muscles and improving spinal alignment - both at home and at the office. Removable 52 centimeter BalanceBall can be used for exercises on or off the chair. The BalanceBall Chair is on sale at Gaiam at the price of $79.98, plus get free shipping on orders of $49 or more - just use code AFSHP6 (expires 6.30.09)!



If you are looking for some back support in your well loved office chair, this vibrating back support might be just the thing you are looking for:

Nesting on a Budget

In this economy, many are spending more time at home and less time out in restaurants, shopping, and engaging in leisure activities (although by the looks of mall parking lots that does not seem to be the case). But who wants to be stuck in a home that is not welcoming and makes you take every opportunity to leave? An attractive interior environment can change your mood and make for some quality family time. When your own dining room is a restaurant, the bedroom - a quaint inn, the family room - a movie theater, and the kids room like the science museum, who needs to go out?

Starting with the basics, a cluttered home is never an attractive home. The first step is to get rid of all things seldom used or just taking up space (sell on craigslist perhaps). Try to look at your home as a potential buyer would. If you do have a lot of 'stuff' that you think you need to keep, organize some adequate storage whether it is a built-in or bins in the basement - everything has to have its own place. Once you have that squared away decide what you want each room to be or feel like. You don't have to take on the whole house at once, take your time.

Once you have the 'mood' established for each room, start with color - what color facilitates that mood in your mind? If you don't want to or don't have the budget to repaint every room - work with what you have and instead use wall art and textiles (pillows, curtains, upholstery covers) to change the decor. Lighting can be an inexpensive way to completely change the mood of a room.

Here are some fun products that can help you with your interior redecorating:

blik surface graphics

PerlaAnne - hand block printed designs

reclaimed t-shirt spaghetti rug
George Kovacs Counter Weight Chandelier
Design Public window film
Windrush wall sconce

Some unique wall art suggestions:

The Art of Biomimicry

Biomimicry is an art. The art of learning the intricacies and ways of nature and using them in the design of today's new technologies and products. Nature is overflowing with examples of complexity, efficiency, and sometimes outright mind-boggling design. Today architects, engineers, and designers can all draw on the inspiration provided by nature to design more efficient buildings, more adaptive transportation, and more innovative products.

The Biomimicry Institute is a non-profit organization that is at the forefront of this design movement. They have really great tools that a designer in any industry can use to learn more from nature and perhaps find ingenious solutions to problems that they face. Their portal, Ask Nature, is a free on-line database that is searchable by design challenge. It is also a great tool for students and children to learn more about the intricate designs found in nature.

Biomimicry has helped design a myriad of products and objects including cars, boats, airplanes, paints and coatings, high performance fabrics, solar panels, roofing material, and buildings.

Solaleya: A Dwelling Connecting to Nature

In my earlier Greenbuild reflection I promised to elaborate on what it is that intrigued me so much about Solaleya. I think the image above is enough to intrigue anyone and wonder what is that, what is it made of, and who is the architect? Solaleya homes were first designed by Patrick Marsilli and the first one was built in 1988 in France. Today there are over 130 such homes worldwide. What makes these homes so special?

"The rotation system allows your home to turn towards or away from the sun to balance inside temperature and reduce energy consumption while allowing you to have a change of scenery from your windows any time you wish.

Proven to resist against extreme high winds and earthquakes in many occurrences, our dome shaped homes provide you with the comfort and safety of an outstanding and luxurious habitat all at once." (Solaleya)

Contrary to what you may think, the total cost of a Solaleya home is not more than a typical cookie cutter McMansion in Massachusetts. If you are really looking for minimal space (retiring with no kids, singles) you can expect a range of $180,00-$230,000 for under 1,000 square feet, including construction costs. At the lower part of the range is a non-rotating home. Affordable luxury shall we name it? Of course if you want top of the line finishes, cabinets, and solar panels, expect to pay extra. From an eco-dwelling point of view there are pros and cons for Solaleya. While FCS certified wood is used, there is a lot of material involved, but at the same time it isn't a lot more than a regular house. There is very little contact with the ground, so there will never be any moisture and humidity issues. All the windows are oriented toward the sky, so natural light is utilized to the maximum. There are no awkward corners that create space that isn't usable like in a regular home. It is also very thermally efficient due to the better flow of air throughout its dome shape.

Visit Solaleya for more information.