Four Products at GLOBE 2010 Innovating Ways to Build Greener

As an owner/builder, I’m always on the lookout for new products that make a difference in how we build or use materials. Walking the tradeshow floor at Globe 2010, I found four products that caught my eye as we look toward the future of the built environment. [...]

Overhead and Underfoot: Building a green roof upside down.

It is so large at six acres that you never feel as if you are on an actual roof, and therein is the real beauty of it. Now in its second year of growth, the illusion is so surreal in an urban environment that it’s easy to disregard what lies beneath the top layer. [...]

Green automotive is ultra cool, but featured Green Zone gets cold highlight at SEMA 2009

by Jen Pennington
photos by Robert J. Pennington

Today at the Specialty Equipment Manufacturing Association (SEMA) 2009 show in Las Vegas, in the midst of some very sweet cars, parts and accessories, it’s easy to get sucked into the shiny beauty of gorgeous machines. An unveil by color master/designer Chip Foose and builder Peter Klutt on their Super Cuda collaboration was stunning. The guys from Galpin Auto Sports (GAS) and Ford rebuilding a 69′ Mustang live for the MTV crowd had all the right glam. But what was really disappointing was the fact that SEMA’s “Making Green Cool Zone” might have referred to the Siberian-like space it occupied at the back of the South Hall in the Las Vegas Convention Center. This was a shame because this area was the most exciting in terms of design, innovative engineering, and new eco-friendly automotive products. Continue reading Green automotive is ultra cool, but featured Green Zone gets cold highlight at SEMA 2009

When will Philips lamposts bloom?

by Jen Pennington

I can’t help but remark on a concept Philips is promoting for an outdoor lighting structure that transforms from a solar flower during the day to a wind turbine on cloudy days to a nightlight. It’s been out for a few months, but as a designer, I’m drawn to both it’s functional and [...]

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