Micro Dwellings

Home.

This winter I visited the MicroDwell 2013 exhibit at the Shemer Museum in Arizona.  Micro dwellings are exactly what they sound like; less than 100 square foot structures designed to serve a functional purpose using a very small amount of space and resources.  These structures take well to passive heating and cooling, are often portable (at least to the site) and inexpensive to build.  And many of them are just as innovative in terms of design and aesthetic as their full-sized counterparts.

I like the idea of designing small.  I think that smaller living spaces discourage the accumulation of needless possessions, save resources, and improve the quality of life in high population density places.  While the size of these spaces can be initially daunting, consider that small dwellings are not a new idea.  Thousands of people live in trailers, studio apartments, and rented rooms and have for a long time.  Perhaps it is time for us to address some of cultural and climactic challenges with innovative design.

The MicroDwell website and Photograph source:

http://microdwelling.net/

Visit the Shemer Museum Website:

http://www.shemerartcenter.org/

Arable Lands

Turf.

Sustainable green roofing is not a new idea.  It first gained mainstream attention as a solution to the lack of urban green spaces in the form of roof top gardens, and verandas.  Since then, actual live roofing has become an increasingly popular way of addressing urban storm water runoff and air pollution.  These roofs not only play an important role in the psychology of urban living, but also in the movement towards sustainable food networks, energy efficient housing, and passive remediation.  Far from being the sole domain of hobbit holes or thatched cottages, green roofs are now becoming a part of modern design, and they should.  The skeleton of our lives, our infrastructure and architecture can go a long way towards helping us effect the kinds of lifestyle changes we need to make in order to become a healthy, functional society that lives in some kind of balance with the rest of the world.  Start small; plant something.

Photograph Courtesy of:

www.inspirationgreen.com/green-roofs-in-the-country.html/