How does urban space become a public place? How does design impact a space’s civic liveliness? On Monday, July 13, 2009, from 10 am to 1 pm, Diana Balmori and her NYC-based landscape and urban design firm Balmori Associates, will be unpacking these questions and other issues that surround place-making. 40 landscape architecture and architecture students will join Diana Balmori and Balmori Associates on Monday in the Meatpacking District to use the area as a case study to frame their discussion about public places. The conversation will stream online via tinychat and Twitter as Diana Balmori moderates along with Dutch landscape architect Erik de Jong. Balmori Associates is inviting everyone to share their insights on public places — so share yours today and see what others have to say on July 13!

See more information on facebook and join the conversation by following @balmorilab on Twitter with hashtag #mpplaces.

+ Making Public Spaces

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Post tags: Balmori Associates, event, green design, Making Public Places, public space, sustainable design, Urban design

You may remember that back in April we announced a design contest to do a virtual room makeover in Comcast Town. The prize was a collection of sweet new home entertainment electronics and a green room makeover by our editor-in-chief (and green designer extraordinaire) Jill Fehrenbacher.

Well, it is our sincerest pleasure to announce that the winner of the Comcast Town Interior Design Contest is… none other than Howard J Dudy! Howard delivered a stunning performance with the design of his own tropical paradise, complete with aquarium, beautiful hardwood floors, and a lovely palm tree. As winner of the Comcast Town Contest, Howard will receive a 40-inch Sony BRAVIA® HDTV, a Sony VAIO® AW laptop, and a Philips digital phone as well as a green room makeover worth up to $30,000, designed by our very own LEED-AP Jill Fehrenbacher! Stay tuned to see the process and result later this summer right here on Inhabitat.

Congratulations, Howard!

+ Comcast Town

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Post tags: comcast town, Competition, green design, interior design, sustainable design, winner

In 1999, The Greater Toronto Airport Authority (GTAA) set out to create a revolutionary fire and emergency services training facility that uses the newest and most innovative environmentally-conscious building standards. The result is this $13.5 million state-of-the-art training facility designed by Kleinfeldt Mychajlowycz Architects, which was awarded the Leadership in Energy and Environment Design (LEED) Silver Rating. The structure not only provides a healthy place to live and work, it reduces waste sent to landfills, conserves energy and water, and reduces harmful greenhouse gas emissions.

Read the rest of Green-Roofed Airport Training Center Achieves LEED Silver

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Post tags: "leed", Daylighting, FESTI, green roof, GTAA, toronto, toronto airport authority

The small Australian town of Bundanoon just set a new standard for sustainability by voting to do what no community has ever done before: ban bottled water! The measure was founded over concerns about the tremendous amount of resources used to extract, package, and transport bottled water, and it passed nearly unanimously in a town hall meeting. Will this be the beginning of a trend?

Read the rest of Australian Town Bans Bottled Water

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Post tags: australian town bans bottled water, bottled water ban, no more water bottles, public policy, Waste reduction

Although it seems like the media often regards China as the biggest greenwasher in the world, it is hard to dispute sustainable building when pure architectural facts and innovations are involved. The Foshan Pearl Gymnasium, China’s newest addition to its green array, is an excellent illustration of this point. Designed by Japan-based firm Mitsuru Man Senda and Environment Design Institute in direct response to the sub-tropical climate of the surrounding area, the vast athletic center examines the relationship between internal and external spaces and provides further support for China’s environmentally responsible attitude towards green building and design.

Read the rest of Foshan Pearl: China’s Energy Efficient Gymnasium Completed

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Post tags: china, China green, environmentally responsive design, Foshan Pearl Gymnasium, Green Building, Mitsuru Man Senda and Environment Design Institute, Sustainable Building

Could the middle of the ocean offer sustainable dwelling places for mankind in the future? Estonian architect Marko Järvela of Hirvesoo Arhitektibüroo, winner of the aesthetics category in the first design competition for seasteading, believes that sustainable water-locked living could in fact become a wonderful reality. He saw designing “SESU Seastead” (short for SElf-SUstained seastead), as an opportunity to find the reality in ideas that are “balancing at the edge of utopian.” Järvela says that his winning design for a mini-society in the ocean is based on a self-sufficient lifestyle that requires a rearrangement of priorities.

Read the rest of Are Ocean Societies the New Frontier for Sustainable Living?

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Post tags: community, Design Competition, floating, hydrodynamics, innovation, Marko Järvela, modular platforms, new frontiers, ocean living, seasteading, self-sufficient, sesu seastead

It may not be as tiny or nimble as Wall-E, but this real-life DustCart robot traversing the streets of Peccioli, Italy is just as cute. The robot, part of the $3.9 million DustBot research program, collects trash and measures atmospheric pollutants like sulfur oxide, benzene, ozone, and nitrogen oxide with its on-board sensors. The robot can even be summoned with a cell phone and can go door to door, identify residents with a personal ID number, and sort their trash into organic, recyclable, or waste!

Read the rest of Real-Life Wall-E Recycling Robot Takes to the Streets of Italy

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Post tags: dustbot, eva, garbage, green design, italy, peccioli, sustainable design, trash, wall-e

THE FATE OF SUBURBIA IS IN YOUR HANDS!

With the current housing crisis, the sub-prime mortgage meltdown, and rising energy costs, the future of suburbia looks bleak. Foreclosure signs are the new lawn ornaments and the Obama administration is reportedly considering plans to raze sections of 50 economically depressed US cities, condensing these towns’ shrinking populations. It is obvious that a change is necessary, which is why Dwell Magazine and Inhabitat.com are reaching out to all future-forward architects, urban designers, renegade planners and imaginative engineers to enter your visions for a brighter more sustainable suburban future in the ReBurbia competition.

Could YOUR design change the landscape of America?

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Post tags: dwell, inhabitat, reburbia, reburbia competition, reburbia contest, redesign suburbs, suburbs

Few events capture the sun-soaked glory of summer better than a county fair, and when the whirling lights and sounds are powered by clean green energy, what’s not to love? Sponsored in part by PG&E, this year’s Marin County Fair was host to a dazzling array of green innovations ranging from an amazing solar-powered carousel to an all-electric auto show to a sound stage juiced by the sun’s rays. On a recent blue sky summer day I took a trip across the golden gate bridge to check out the “Greenest County Fair On Earth” - read on for the full report!

Read the rest of Greenest County Fair on Earth Boasts Solar Powered Carousel

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Post tags: carnival, Energy, Ferris wheel, green design, marin county fair, Pacific Gas and Electric, PG&E, renewable, solar powered carousel, summer, sustainable design

Steeped in centuries old architectural gems, Istanbul has historically been considered the ornate centerpiece of Turkey. Today, Istanbul has become a focus for investors and talented international architects alike, both hoping to take advantage of the inevitable emergence of this ancient city into a full-fledged global metropolis. One such design is Park Associati’s Regnum Tower, which caught our attention for its bioclimatic architecture, beautiful sculptural design, and the rigor to which it was planned to meet the highest standards of sustainability. And did we mention the views?

Read the rest of Regnum Tower for Istanbul Features BioClimatic Architecture

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Post tags: Green Building, park associati, Regnum tower, sustainable urbanization

There is plenty of water in the world for everyone, the problem has always been trying to convert it into a form we can drink. German Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute recently announced that they have developed a new method to convert air humidity into drinking water using renewable energy. They are proposing large water harvesting plants to be located even in the most remote of places, such as the Sahara desert. Is this the solution to our water problems?

Read the rest of Innovative System Creates Drinking Water from Thin Air

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Post tags: humidity to drinking water, solar powered water harvesting, water from air, water harvesting, water in the desert

Whether you’re a discerning parent who’s sick of the generic slogans splattered across kid’s T-shirts, or you’ve got something to say and you want the whole world to take note, Chalkboard Tees are an ingenious creation for the verbose artist in all of us. Available in kid and adult sizes and featuring a front pocket to tote a piece of chalk, Chalkboard Tees may be written or drawn on time and again — and a clean slate is only a wet wipe away.

READ MORE AT INHABITOTS >

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Post tags: chalkboard t-shirt, chalkboard tee, Chalkboard Tees by Class Attire, reusable t-shirt

The Tornado Tower is a spectacular modern and unique design that is characterized by a rotating facade, which generates power from high altitude winds. The exterior of the tower is outfitted with curved fins that harness the wind to generate clean energy to power the arts center and the surrounding city as well. Pairing function and aesthetic, the roof of the tower boasts an undulating sea of pearls that meld into clouds, from which unparalleled views of the city are possible.

Read the rest of Tornado Tower Features Energy Generating Facade

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Post tags: opera, taipei, taipei opera competition, tornado tower, tower, vision division, wine power

Engineering students at UC Berkeley recently showcased a slick solar race car clad in photovoltaic panels that looks for all the world like UFO hovering a few feet over the earth. Dubbed the GoldRush, the vehicle is completely powered by the sun’s rays and is capable of hitting an impressive top speed of 50 miles per hour without using a single drop of gas. I recently had a chance to catch up with the sleek solar vehicle at the Marin County Fair and was able to snap some first hand photos - hit the jump for more!

Read the rest of SOLAR SPEEDSTER: UC Berkeley’s Gold Rush Racer

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Post tags: calsol, gold rush solar vehicle, green design, photovoltaic car, renewable energy, solar powered race car, sustainable design, sustainable transportation, uc berkeley

On track to become the first green building to achieve both LEED Platinum and Living Building Challenge Certification, the Omega Center for Sustainable Living (OSCL) embodies the synthesis of wastewater recycling, clean energy, and eco-friendly architecture. Designed by sustainable design firm BNIM Architects as a functioning model for the nonprofit organization Omega Institute for Holistic Studies, the state-of-the art environmental education and water reclamation facility in Rhinebeck, New York serves as a teaching tool to educate visitors on Omega’s ongoing environmental initiatives, including innovative wastewater strategies.

Read the rest of Omega Center for Sustainable Living Opens in Upstate New York

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Post tags: "leed", "sustainable architecture", BNIM Architects, John Todd Ecological Design, Living Building Challenge, Omega Center for Sustainable Living, Omega Institute, sustainable living, wastewater recycling