“Public Art Electric Vehicle Charging Stations” is a collection of proposals that merge art, architecture, and technology, giving people something fun to look at and interact with while they’re charging their electric vehicles. The project addresses one major anxiety of transitioning from fossil fuel-powered vehicles to EVs — a lack of charging stations. Jantzen believes that creating massive, bright, and oddly-shaped charging stations could draw attention to the need for sustainable options and reassure the public that such stations actually exist.

Perhaps even more importantly, these EV charging stations don’t rely on grid power. Electricity in most of the world is still supplied by fossil fuels like coal and oil, and EVs usually depend on that energy to charge. To get around that issue (which will only be solved by shifting power grids to renewable energy sources), Jantzen’s charging stations are all solar and/or wind-powered.

The five public art charging stations are respectively named the Silver Solar Charging Station, the Black Waves Solar Charging Station, the Red Solar Charging Station, the Yellow Solar Charging Station, and the Solar Wind Charging Station. Each one sort of resembles a futuristic car wash, but each has its own set of distinguishing features.

The Silver Solar Charging Station is a corrugated steel structure supporting a large photovoltaic panel that’s held high in the air on two massive silver arms. The Black Waves Solar Charging Station, also made of steel, has a more fluid, aerodynamic design, with ribbon-like sections of steel covered in photovoltaic panels undulating over the top.

The bright pops of color seen in the Red Charging Station and Yellow Charging Station stand out even from afar, drawing the curiosity of passersby for miles around. The Red version has zig-zag solar panels on top, while the Yellow version features an eco-friendly concrete composite dome, with a series of circular disc-shaped solar panels mounted on its roof.

The only one that isn’t designed to be entered is the Solar Wind Charging Station. “Instead, people can drive alongside of the station to charge their vehicles,” says Jantzen. “It is also made of steel with a large curved shaped photovoltaic panel mounted onto the overhang. In addition to the solar panel, it also has a large vertical axis wind turbine incorporated into the design. Both the solar panel and the wind turbine make electricity from the sun and from the wind to charge the electric vehicles directly, and/or with batteries they continually charged.”

Thus far, these sculptural EV charging stations are just concepts, but perhaps they’ll spark some creativity as new charging stations continue to pop up around the world.

The post Michael Jantzen’s Artsy EV Charging Stations are Impossible to Ignore first appeared on Dornob.

One of their latest creations is “Atri,” an A-frame off-grid house with a mix of open living spaces and private rooms spread out over three levels, all connected to an open atrium shielded by a glass ceiling. Built in Sikhall, Vänersborg on the shores of Lake Vänern, the home is designed for a completely self-sufficient lifestyle with solar power, a wood-burning stove, built-in raised bed gardens to grow your own food, and connection to on-site well water and septic so no outside utilities are required. Its pointed design mimics the shape of the surrounding conifers.

The home essentially creates its own little microclimate thanks to the greenhouse effect, which can be amplified by the wood stove in harsh winter weather. Not only is that conducive to growing even heat-loving vegetables like tomatoes and peppers in winter, it also lets occupants enjoy an outdoor lifestyle year-round. Throughout the home, you have the ability to gaze out the glass A-frame roof, providing a direct connection to nature. It’s a refreshing change from architecture that can often feel in conflict with nature, working against it instead of with it. The architects intentionally kept the building site as free from intervention as possible, simply creating a gravel pad that visually connects to the neighboring sandy beach.

If there’s one caveat to such a design, it’s the question of whether the home could become uncomfortably warm in the summertime. Though it would increase the cost by a lot, perhaps the kind of glass that can change from clear to opaque on demand would help fine-tune the level of sun protection when needed. That price, by the way, is SEK 7,850,000 ($770,310 USD). The Atria home measures 1,335 square feet and has two bedrooms and 1.5 bathrooms. Other homes by Naturvillan boast similar greenhouse-inspired designs, including the Mini, Midi, and Maxi.

Naturvillan offers a utopian vision of how such homes can be used. “With most of the outer garden only formed by nature you enter your own dream garden inside a greenhouse with a breathtaking high ceiling filled with brightness and clean air. Park the electric car and connect it to your own grid generating new power or to use for electricity in your house. Pick a couple of tomatoes along the green eco cycle wall before you go inside the dwelling. The entry hall is spacious, has easy access to next floor which contains bedroom(s), WC, balcony, and a library. Climb up to the roof terrace and breathe the air, relax, and enjoy the view.”

The post A-Frame Greenhouse Home Brings a Mediterranean Growing Climate Wherever You Want to Live first appeared on Dornob.

Set along the Marra Marra Creek in New South Wales, Australia, this off-grid cabin draws from the area’s fascinating history and makes smart use of a plentiful local material: repurposed 200-year-old electrical posts made of ironbark timber. From the outside, the cabin’s square, window-covered facade and large awning give it a modest and understated appearance. But not only is the inside a study in minimalist beauty — the whole project is an exercise in respect for the land, its history, and the Darug People to whom it traditionally belongs.

“In 1788, Captain Cook and his fleet entered the delta of the Hawkesbury and the sheltered bay of Sydney,” the architects explain. “At the entrance of the Dyirabun (Hawkesbury) River, he was first welcomed by the Darug People who had been living on these banks since the beginning of times. Not long after, the British colonized the Australian territory, building a network of roads and electrical lines across the vast country. The electrical posts were made of some of the finest local hardwoods. Later on, these posts were slowly replaced by steel posts.”

“The small community of Marra Marra Creek was established by settlers in the early 18th century, most probably using inmate labor to cultivate the land. However, the electrical network never reached the creek, and the community remained ‘off the grid’ and only accessible by boat at high tide until today. Marra Marra Shack is built on the land of the Darug People. We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the land on which the house is set, their rich cultural heritage and deep connection to the country, and pay our respects to their elders past, present, and future. Always Was, Always Will Be Aboriginal Land.”

The architects augmented those 200-year-old electrical posts with spotted gum timber that grows in the Darug region for the beams of the ceiling and floor. In other parts of the space, repurposed turpentine timber from an old jetty built by settlers on the creek bank has become furniture and other small details. The cabin steps down along with the slope of the land, resulting in an interesting terraced interior around the home’s single large north-facing window. This window can also be lifted up using counterweights to open the space to the fresh air.

The only elements of the shack that aren’t made of timber are the thin fire-resistant fiber cement sheets on the facade. Instead of using energy and labor-intensive concrete footings, the architects pinned the footings to the sandstone bedrock. Best of all, both solar energy and water are collected on the roof, making the home entirely self-sustainable.

The post Repurposed Off-Grid Cabin in Australia Pays Tribute to the Native Darug People first appeared on Dornob.

Recently, the architecture and woodworking studio Madeiguincho added their own name to that list with their unveiling of the “Adraga House.” Part of a series of “tiny houses on wheels” across their native Portugal, the group’s latest is just a further example of their woodworking prowess. No stranger to tiny homes built with an eye toward sustainability (see the off-grid tiny house “Ursa”), the studio has just created an idyllic iteration that’s perfectly at home in the heart of the forest, but whose design is really meant to be at home anywhere it happens to be.

Specifically designed for a retired couple aiming to disconnect from the busy outside world, the Adraga House may seem aesthetically simplistic upon first glance. But upon closer inspection, the tiny timber dwelling becomes a fully self-sustainable unit built with all the comforts of home in mind — albeit in an off-grid, environmentally friendly way.

Complete with solar power, a method for rainwater collection providing reusable water in both the kitchen and shower, and a dry toilet that allows compost to subsequently be used in the garden beds, the Adraga House is a mobile modern marvel that, true to the tiny home trend, looks much bigger than it appears on the outside.

Though the tiny home is open to travel, the team at Madeiguincho did envision a strong connection with its natural surroundings, specifically the gardens. An integral part of the house itself, the gardens are surprisingly mobile. They come with the house and only require simple assembly to create an outdoor area that’s both lovely to look at and provides a space for food composting and further cultivation.

Inside, the Adraga House goes full TARDIS mode, opening up to reveal a spacious living space that belies its otherwise-minuscule mien. Cleverly designed to maximize space through purposeful placement of both furniture and stairs, there’s also plenty of storage throughout — one of the most important features a tiny home can offer.

With all that storage space, the home – though amply furnished – doesn’t appear cluttered. Instead, its lofty living area houses both a king-size bed and a sofa bed, a full kitchen, and enough space for four people to live in relative comfort, making for the ultimate little house of (sustainable) luxury.

The latest in a series of tiny homes on wheels across Portugal, the Adraga House is a wooden work of wonder built by the creative design studio Madeiguincho. At home anywhere, the mobile, self-sustaining unit is designed with comfort, style, and eco-conscious living in mind, providing its owners with ample space despite its decidedly diminutive size and proving once again that the tiny home trend isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.

The post Madeiguincho’s Newest Mobile Tiny Home is a Sustainable Wooden Wonder first appeared on Dornob.

Measuring 1,477 square feet, the three-bedroom home built in 2003 is a few miles from Goose Rocks Beach in one of Maine’s most picturesque regions. Travel through the forest on a dirt road and you’ll find it tucked into a grassy clearing. It’s immediately apparent that the home’s creator, sculptor Daphne Pulsifer, is an artist. The poured concrete dome is attached to a tiny addition resembling a quaint English cottage complete with a cedar shingle roof. It’s also powered by a solar photovoltaic electrical system and a gas water heater, with well water on site, making it completely off grid.

Inside, the home is warm and charming. Pulsifer and her partner Daniel scavenged the woods for logs and branches to use as beams and columns with loads of rustic personality. Earth-tone tile floors, white plaster walls, and arched windows complement the rural setting and the sculptural, organic nature of the house. Soaring ceilings make it feel bright and airy inside, and an antique wood stove offers both heat and a cooking surface. Down the hallway, the bedrooms have boldly painted walls in contrast to all the neutral natural materials, and upstairs is a study with views of the surrounding treetops.

“I think of this home as my largest sculpture, and from the beginning we designed it with the satisfaction of knowing we were fulfilling our dream,” Pulsifer told Dwell. “This type of construction process was very new to Kennebunkport at the time, but with Daniel’s determination and my design, we navigated the permitting process and quickly began work on the site.”

The couple and their children started the house as a DIY owner-builder project, and when it was time to add the electrical and plumbing work, they consulted the Monolithic Dome Institute in Italy, Texas. If you love the look of the property, but you’re not quite ready to move to Maine, the Monolithic Dome Institute might be a great resource for building your own super-insulated, steel-reinforced concrete structure in the location of your choice. People have built domes with their help all over the United States, measuring from eight feet to 340 feet in diameter.

As for the so-called “Road to Misery,” it’ll undoubtedly find new owners very soon. With a fenced-in pasture and such a large acreage, you could build a whole compound of artsy handmade homes in whatever styles you could possibly dream up.

The post This Charming Handmade Dome Home in Maine Can Now Be Yours first appeared on Dornob.

This portable modern cabin is based on the firm’s RCA-03 design, available in either 225 or 375-square-foot versions. Manufactured off-site and capable of being assembled within just four weeks, the fully furnished cabin consists of a system of both fixed and flexible elements. The layout of each cabin is the same, with a bathroom, kitchenette, and living space with built-in storage, but elements like lighting, fixtures, and material finishes can be customized.

The A24 itself is a 225-square-foot RCA-03 cabin tucked into a lush hillside on a coffee plantation in Bettagere Estate, Coorg, India as part of an upcoming resort called Betta Living. Clients Sunny Watwani and Adithya Roongta dreamed of building a series of cabins near their home city of Chennai, but didn’t want to go the usual route of building a resource-intensive, environment-disrupting vacation home. “There’s little or no regard for the surrounding nature,” Watwani told Architectural Digest. “People have blocked natural streams, cut down trees, and damaged the local biodiversity.”

Watwani and Roongta were adamant that not a single tree be cut down to accommodate the cabin, which was initially conceptualized by SPASM Design Architects with design development and execution completed by DDAA. As a result, the cabin sits lightly on the carefully chosen site, supported by four adjustable legs. The reflective glass and ACP metal siding panels help it blend into its environment, but the cabin feels thoroughly contemporary thanks to its sleek materials and jewel-like silhouette.

Inside, it offers guests a full bathroom with a shower, wardrobe, queen-size bed, and kitchenette foyer. Service equipment like the condenser unit is hidden behind the bathroom block. Walnut wood flooring, matte finish interior cladding, glowing amber pendant lights, and bespoke furniture give it a refined yet cozy atmosphere with incredible views of the surrounding mountain range.

“While the initial concept for A24 was designed by Spasm, DDAA worked to develop the design and prefabricate it in record time,” say the architects. “Every corner in the cabin strives to visually if not spatially connect with the natural context, be it the bathroom which comes furnished with all the modern amenities, or the kitchenette in the living space that captures stunning views of the valley.”

“The cabin’s most prominent features are its large, open facades that frame gorgeous views of the natural beauty outside. The 225-square-foot interior space reflects a minimal abode prioritized for comfort and design. A coherent design language resonates with all other cabins as well, and is perfect for sites located in the woods, the mountains, or along the shore.”

The post Off-Grid Living Gets Luxurious in This Tiny Modern Cabin by DDAA first appeared on Dornob.

“Every year, huge amounts of isothermal refrigerated semi-trailers withdrawn from the market are imported to our country,” says architecture firm Znamy Sie. “Poland is thus becoming a cemetery for these disused trucks. Our project, prepared in cooperation with Good Spot, involves upcycling, i.e. increasing the value of the material and changing the purpose of cold storage to hotel rooms. By renovating the trailer, we give it a second life!”

The founders of Good Spot hired Znamy Sie to realize their vision. “The idea was born during a kitesurfing trip to Hel, where the key is to follow a good wind,” they explain. “What if the hotel room could move around? What if it could stay in places offering the best conditions and closeness to nature?” Thus, the first mobile hotel chain in Poland was born.

Each portable camper unit began as an abandoned, rusted-out trailer in need of some love. And while shipping containers have thin steel walls, requiring a lot of modification to be comfortable in hot and cold weather, these trailers already had well insulated shells. The architects were able to preserve a surprising amount of finished interior space (about 100 square feet) after cladding the interior walls and adding custom-built wood furniture, including storage, benches, kitchen counters, and a bed platform.

Spacious windows in the living and sleeping areas let in lots of natural light, which bounces off the bright white walls and makes the interiors feel larger than they are. The units offer not just one, but two sleeping areas, one at either end of the trailer. At the center of each one is a bathroom painted bright blue offering a toilet and a large rain shower. A metal gangway leads up to the entrance and doubles as a terrace outside. And of course, the exterior is wrapped in stainless steel sheeting to give it the feel of a more angular classic Airstream trailer.

Currently, only one unit is fully complete, but you can reserve it now on the Good Spot website. Three additional units are currently under construction and expected to be made available soon. Each unit will have a slightly different design and can be moved around Poland to tourist areas that don’t typically have comfortable accommodations. The design aims to “blend with nature without disturbing the landscape – it does not overwhelm with its form and does not compete with the surroundings.”

Good Spot founders Przemysław Kwiatkowski, Paweł Kołtunowicz, and Roman Sokołowski, who run the Hotel Service 24 company, came up with the idea before the coronavirus pandemic, but now say mobile lodging is the way to go in any circumstances. Ideal for vacations, the Good Spot trailers could also be rented by people who work remotely so they can enjoy quiet surroundings in nature and even host small meetings.

The team explains that they “change the former cold stores into three-star hotel rooms. We renovate the entire trailer with a running gear. We renew its technical elements, strengthen the entire structure, and arm its chassis. Thanks to this, each room is reborn and can travel thousands of kilometers on the road. By combining the comfort of hotels with mobility, we shorten the distance to nature as much as possible.”

The post Poland’s First Off-Grid Mobile Hotel is Made of Upcycled Refrigerator Trailers first appeared on Dornob.

Commissioned by the tiny home startup Bambau and designed by architecture studio Precht, “Bert” is an imaginative modular home that can sprout up vertically as well as horizontally in the form of additional prefabricated rooms and stairwells. The layout of the home mimics that of a tree, with its upward movement and ability to branch out.

For inspiration for their build, studio co-founders Chris and Fei Tang Precht tried to get inside the mind of a child. “As architects, no matter if young or old, we have an inner child that looks at the world with playfulness and curiosity,” says co-founder Fei Tang Precht, adding that “that curiosity makes us want to explore, experiment, and create. That same curiosity gave birth to Bert.”

They even used elements from children’s entertainment within their creation. “We are fully aware that architecture is this serious and profound craft with a long culture and tradition. You see that when we architects find reference for our projects in art, philosophy, literature, or nature,” says Chris Precht. “For this project, we also looked at art to find reference. But not at Michelangelo or Dali. Rather we looked at cartoon characters of Sesame Street or Minions.”

The name even came from the Sesame Street character Bert, beloved for his long, cylindrical head, while the structure’s round, oversized windows were intended to look a bit like the one-eyed minions from the Despicable Me film series.

“We took a playful look at this project and wanted to create a rather unique character than a conventional building,” adds Chris, “a quirky looking character that becomes part of the wildlife of a forest. I think this quirkiness can create feelings and emotions. And maybe these are attributes in architecture that are missing these days.”

The treehouse begins like any sturdy sapling, building its foundation into the ground with a circular base. Then “the trunk” of the edifice begins to grow, with tube-shaped units like kitchens, living rooms, and bathrooms being stacked on top of each other or creating new horizontal limbs.

Constructed from wood, the exterior is covered in leaf-shaped shingles to give the treehouse an element of camouflage in the forest. Inside, dark fabrics keep the home cozy and hold in the heat. If an off-grid system is required or desired, Bert can be fitted with solar panels on the roof and a composting toilet and water treatment facility can be built into the ground floor. Alternate plans are available for Bert in less forested regions, too, as it can be fabricated from steel instead of wood.

Studio Precht, based out of mountains of Austria, continually tries to build distinctive, climate appropriate, and culturally defining structures. They disdain the “International Style” of buildings made of concrete and steel that are essentially “a copy of a copy of a copy” and make cities look indistinguishable from each other.

Chris and Fei “know that buildings like Bert are not the path forward on a big scale, but [we] think as an industry, we need to dare more, try more, and experiment more towards a more diverse future of our cities.”

The post Bert Modular Treehouse Can “Grow” Like the Forest Around It first appeared on Dornob.

Travel wind turbine kits do exist, like this $168 unit on Amazon, but they’re far from robust, only generating up to 15 watts. The Wind Catcher blows that figure out of the water while weighing just 22 pounds, and it still only takes 15 minutes to set up. The Wind Catcher Lite produces 200 watts of power at a 12 mph wind speed, which is enough to run a small fridge, some lights, your laptop, and a router. The larger Wind Catcher produces 600 watts, reaching full speed at 17 mph. That means you can also juice up your e-bike, power tools, water pumps, sound systems, game consoles, drones, or small cooking appliances.

Unlike solar panels, the Wind Catcher turbine works day and night, even at wind speeds of just 8 mph. Don’t worry, though – it’s still compatible with a host of portable generators usually used with portable solar panels, including those made by Jackery, Goal Zero, Rainier, and Bluletti. Jackery’s Explorer 300, for instance, features multiple outputs, a 293 watt-honor battery pack, a carrying handle, and a DC input, and it’s also lightweight at just 7.1 pounds.

The creators explain that they’ve “taken the best of the ideas from flying turbines and have created a hybrid between a flying system and a more traditional wind turbine. By doing so, we’ve reduced the weight of materials by almost 90 percent. No more big poles supported by concrete or lifting cranes! We’ve made Wind Catcher to be easy and fast to assemble. It’s so simple and easy that you can do it just by yourself. Just set it up, and start charging your devices instantly. Wind Catcher requires no complicated knots. We’re using quick and easy-to-use belts for adjustments where it’s needed. It’s simple, effective, and quick to setup.”

“Wind Catcher Lite will start making usable energy e.g. charging a laptop (50W) at around 4 meters per second [9 mph] wind speed. This means you don’t have to camp in the most windy places to start producing usable power. When you need it, simply unpack it, set it up, and start generating power. Everything can be stored and transported with ease. We made Wind Catcher to have very low noise. It’s not silent like solar panels, but 20 meters away you won’t hear it!”

So what happens when the wind isn’t blowing? Just use solar! The Wind Catcher is a great way to augment a good portable solar panel system that plugs into the same type of portable generator, allowing you to assemble an impressively powerful renewable energy system that takes up very little space. That makes it perfect for extended travel, off-grid tiny houses, and even #vanlifers. The Kickstarter campaign for this handy gadget has already ended, but if you’re hoping to snag one for yourself, you can still sign up for email updates at the KiteX website.

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn commissions at no cost to you.

The post Wind Catcher: Lightweight Travel Turbine Provides Power on the Go first appeared on Dornob.

The biggest draw of the off-grid Gaia house is its price tag, which Pin-Up Houses estimates at $21,000. It’s also easy for novices to build in as little as three months. It’s definitely diminutive at a mere 20 x 8 feet, but it’s packed with just about everything the average person needs, including a bathroom with a shower and compost toilet, a kitchen with a refrigerator and propane-powered stove, a wood-burning stove for warmth, and plenty of storage space.

The light-colored plywood interior features a plethora of drawers and cabinets, with a sofa that folds down into a bed after dark. You can open both the double sliding glass doors and the huge side doors to open the interiors to fresh air and sunlight, and the outdoor terrace folds up and down using a winch to extend your living space in nice weather or protect the giant glass wall while on the road. Unlike a tiny house on wheels, you can’t just hook it up to a truck and motor down the highway to move it, but like all shipping containers, it can be transported on the back of a truck.

Since steel conducts a lot of heat and cold, one of the biggest issues with converting a shipping container to a home is insulation. The Gaia features spray insulation between the outer steel walls, wooden studs, and spruce plywood interior walls to create a cozy envelope. A 264-gallon water tank on the side of the unit services the home’s two sinks and shower, with a filter for potable water. The three 165-watt rooftop solar panels and 400W wind turbine supply plenty of power to the home’s battery system, which can be monitored using a dedicated app.

“It’s necessary to look for alternative forms of housing that will have a less negative impact on the environment, as well as complement traditional approaches to housing,” the company explains. “We have decided to repurpose a discarded shipping container and fit it out with the most available building materials and latest technology to design a unique independent housing unit.”

You really have to be a fan of the industrial aesthetic to enjoy the Gaia house, since there’s no disguising the look of the shipping container on the outside. But if you’re into the look and willing to put in the work to make it livable, it can offer an accessible way to gain a vacation house, income-generating rental, or backyard office, and it might work for some full-time off-gridders, too.

Pin-Up Houses has already built a prototype of the Gaia, and if the design generates enough interest from the public, they might consider manufacturing and selling more of them. In the meantime, you can buy a complete set of plans along with material lists, tool lists, and an eBook about building tiny houses for just $190 from the Pin-Up Houses website.

The post The Gaia Off-Grid Container House Costs Just $21,000 to Build first appeared on Dornob.

“The project is driven less by a single vision and more by shared interest, a belief in Burning Man culture and community, and mutual curiosity.” Chip Conley, one of the major contributors and early leaders in the project, summarized the organization’s vision as a question rather than an answer: ‘What happens when Burners are invited to co-create a space beyond the playa?’”

The Burning Man Project bought the expansive wetland property in Northern Nevada back in 2016 and partnered with Seattle-based Land Art Generator Initiative to create the LAGI 2020 Fly Ranch design challenge, inviting the public to come up with regenerative concepts for the new development.

An official LAGI statement explains: “Teams were asked to integrate sustainable systems for energy, water, food, shelter, and waste management into works of art in the landscape. The objective is to build the foundational infrastructure for Fly Ranch, support Burning Man Project’s 2030 sustainability goals, and engage a global audience to work together towards systemic transformation, and serve as an inspiration for the developing field of regenerative design.”

The land is pretty special in its own right, hosting Fly Geyser, hot springs, three reservoirs, animals, and more than 100 types of plants. To develop it responsibly, organizers are seeking creative solutions for power, water, food, shelter, and regeneration (i.e. waste disposal). Burning Man Project and LAGI will provide grants to their top 10 design teams to build functional prototypes on site. Those 10 projects, along with the other 42 shortlisted proposals, can be viewed on the LAGI 2020 Fly Ranch website.

The winning projects include “Lodgers,” a series of symbiotic structures made of natural materials that double as homes for wildlife; “Nexus,” a pavilion exploring the design capabilities of a sustainable alternative to concrete; “SEED Symbiotic Coevolution,” a mostly earth-sheltered development incorporating solar, geothermal, passive cooling, composting, greenhouses, and more; “The Source,” a beautiful rammed earth spiral housing a water and energy collector; “Ripple,” a bio-ceramic dome in the center of a permaculture garden, and more.

Ranging from low to high-tech, some projects incorporate ancient methods and materials while others explore exciting new ideas and components. Each one is worth looking at in depth, whether you’re one of the 70,000-odd Burners with a vested interest in Fly Ranch or just a curious onlooker. It’s always cool to see creative concepts for sustainable living that feel like they could actually become a reality soon, and it’ll be really interesting to see what the chosen projects look like after they’re all built.

The post Burning Man Organizers are Planning a Permanent Space Called “Fly Ranch” first appeared on Dornob.

Collaborating with RV and tiny home builder Escape and branding firm Vox Creative, IKEA’s first tiny home is a customization of Escape’s Vista Boho XL trailer and was meant to prove that “a small space that can be stylish, affordable, and sustainable,” in the company’s own words.

“IKEA wants to have a positive impact on the planet. We’re always thinking long-term,” says IKEA Sustainability Manager Jennifer Keesson. “We want to meet the needs of generations today without compromising the needs of generations in the future.”

“It was a natural pairing,” Escape founder Dan Dobrowolski told Lonely Planet of the partnership. “We feature many IKEA products in our various tiny home designs around the country, as they mirror the renewable, reusable, and recycled materials we incorporate into the actual structures.”

The green features on these small digs include two solar roof panels, interior planking made from sustainably grown pine, a composting toilet, and kitchen cabinets constructed from recycled bottle tops. IKEA designers also outfitted the mini bungalow with their energy-efficient RYET LED lightbulbs, as well as water-saving faucets and shower heads.

IKEA Senior Interior Design Leader Abbey Stark began the process with logistics. “How I started was really listing out all the needs for the space, like how…you design around a wheel well, and the mechanics of the home. I wanted to source renewable, reusable, and recycled materials when possible to make the space functional as well as beautiful.”

The 60-day build-out commenced with a flatbed trailer that could be transported by a bio-diesel towing truck when needed. Then plumbing pipes (that could later be hooked up to a pressurized water tank) were installed, providing inhabitants with access to running water while living off-grid. Next came the exterior walls, engineered to stand up to the elements, and finally the interior walls and finishings. A video of the entire process can be viewed here on the Vox website.

The decor inside is light and bright with blond wood accents. Stark threw in a few soft textiles like sheepskin throws and cushy pillows to soften the boxy walls.

“Thinking multifunctional in this space is essential,” she explains, choosing IKEA’s NORDEN table to act as both a dining surface and workspace. It can even be folded down when not in use. Stark also tried to maximize vertical space for storage, inserting pull-out drawers under the beds and sofa as well as hanging multiple hooks and racks along the walls.

Of course, if tiny living is your goal, there may be some drawbacks to consider with this dwelling. With so many windows and a flat roof, it may be difficult to regulate the interior temperature in the summer, and because the trailer is not designed to sit on a foundation, cold air could also permeate from below in the winter. And the petite solar panels aren’t likely to be able to generate enough electrical power for hot water. But it does have a small footprint and is mobile enough for a life of wanderlust. If you already own a home with some land, it could also make for a nice guest suite or detached office.

In truth, IKEA’s tiny-house offering is really more of a showcase piece; the company doesn’t have plans to mass produce these abodes anytime soon. For those interested in this particular version though, Escape does offer buyers a similarly tailored trailer on its website starting at $37,550.

The post IKEA Puts Form and Function to the Test in Its First-Ever Tiny House first appeared on Dornob.

Danish architecture firm Waterstudio.NL made this dream a reality with “Arkup,” a new avant-garde floating home. Designed to combine the best qualities of yachts, houseboats, and modern residences, this double-decker creation stands on retractible hydraulic pilings that can raise it 20 feet into the air when needed, making it as stable as any conventional house. It’s also rated to withstand Category 4 hurricane winds of up to 155 miles per hour.

It doesn’t spare any details when it comes to feeling like a real home, either. There’s nothing cramped about it. Measuring an impressive 4,350 square feet, the Arkup is even more spacious than a lot of urban residences, and it has all the bells and whistles you’d expect to find in a high-end townhouse. In fact, everything about it looks more like a house than a boat.

When you’re ready to move, all you have to do is pull up anchor and start the engines: a pair of 100 kW (134 hp) electric azimuth thrusters, to be precise, which allow the 75-foot-long houseboat to reach speeds of 7 knots. Dock at a metropolitan marina for access to city amenities, or take a cruise down to a quieter and more scenic setting. The prototype is currently docked at Vice City Marina in Miami, Florida.

The Arkup is self-sufficient, producing its own power via a 36 kW solar panel array and a 1,000 kWh battery bank. Rainwater is collected from the roof and purified to make it safe for drinking, though it’s unclear how waste is dealt with. A smart communications system includes satellite TV and Wi-Fi antennas to keep it connected at all times, and all technical elements are stored within its modular hull. All the houseboat’s glazing ensures spectacular views of the water wherever you’re docked. A boat lift at the stern makes it easy to dock a jet ski, and the sun deck can be immersed and turned into a sea pool.

The Waterstudio team explains that “you can lie at anchor in a marina or a bay. You can cruise silently in waterways, bays, or open sea. You are free to move your home as you want. Enjoy the freedom and the variety of scenery. Live in comfort and luxury in total independence and make your life between the sea, the sky, and the city. No matter the weather conditions and high winds, surge and floods are no longer an issue thanks to this self-lifting system, making you feel 100-percent safe and protected. The four spuds allow your livable yacht to be completely stabilized and even lifted out of the water, avoiding any sea-sickness.”

“There’s just something about living on the water and coming home to the light shimmering on the surface after a long day in the city. It’s an experience you’ll never forget. Live ecologically while being self-sufficient with water and electricity. Enjoy living off-the-grid and feel the satisfaction of minimizing your carbon footprint.”

The firm adds that it plans to produce more Arkups for sale to private owners, 1/4-shared “fractional” ownership similar to a time share, and as hotels. If you go the fractional ownership route, Arkup maintains management services, taking care of details like insurance, dockage, maintenance, and even concierge services. They suggest generating revenue by chartering the vessel when you’re not using it, renting it out for four days per quarter at $2,500 per day to offset the expense of recurring operating costs.

As you might suspect, all of this still comes at a significant cost. The total cost to own an Arkup is $5.5 million USD, and fractional ownership sells for $1,375,000. But the company intends to make an “affordable version” too, whatever that means.

The post Solar-Powered Yacht Villa Can Rise Above High Water on Demand first appeared on Dornob.

Today, their new 3,129-square-foot, 4-bedroom, 5-bath residence serves as a prime example of what’s possible when it comes to building fire-resilient structures. The couple achieved this with the help of architect Andrew Wilt, who designed the luxurious home, and Alliance Green Builders, who constructed it.

According to the home’s official website, “the homeowners, architect, and builders made fire-resistance a top priority incorporated into the architecture and material selection.” Fire-resistant construction materials, including stucco and concrete walls, metal roofing, high-impact windows, and stone and tile ground cover serve to make “Casa Águila” even more resilient.

The single-story ranch-style property, completed in 2016, is named after the golden eagles that soar through the surrounding hills, marking the first house in the entire county to be certified by the Passive House Institute US. Passive home design is a building standard that takes factors like energy efficiency, comfort, affordability, and ecological concerns into consideration — all of which are especially important in Southern California, where drought is ongoing and wildfires cause power outages that can last for days.

Fire-Resistant Architecture

The home’s shell is both energy-efficient and fire-resistant. This one-two punch was achieved with help from the Department of Energy’s Zero Energy Ready Home program (ZERH). The wood framing within was treated with borate, a naturally-occuring compound that is commonly used to protect wood from termites, though it also prevents combustion while suppressing smolder.

Additionally, the interior walls and ceilings were fitted with sheets of plastic containing bio-based, phase-changing gel packets, which themselves offer an energy-efficient way to stabilize interior temperatures. More specifically, the gel within them “phases,” cooling the home when it melts and warming it back up when it solidifies.

“Bulletproof” Windows and Doors

You might think that a building’s exterior would be the first thing to catch during a wildfire, but because Southern California’s fierce Santa Ana winds are capable of lifting up debris and breaking windows, embers can actually spark up inside of homes, too. For that reason, Casa Águila has been equipped with Passive House-rated, German-manufactured Unilux windows and doors. The glass on these windows is tempered and protected by a laminated “bulletproof” outer layer, the likes of which should be able to withstand rocks and other wind-blown debris.

Self-Sufficient Means Natural-Disaster-Ready

Casa Águila’s average annual savings compared to that of a standard new home (due primarily to energy efficiency) is $11,700. All California DOE ZERHs are evaluated using the California Energy Design Rating (EDR), and this home received an incredibly low EDR of -92.

A 360-square-foot solar thermal collection system on the roof provides the home with radiant floor heat and hot water. With climate change in mind, two backup systems have been put in place to provide air and water heating and cooling. Builder Jeff Adams explains: “the system has been designed for a climate that could be dramatically different in 100 years or more.”

Drought-resilience and water self-sufficiency were achieved using five 10,000-gallon rainwater-collection tanks. Four more 10,000-gallon tanks collect storm water, while a fifth additional tank collects graywater from the washing machine, sinks, and showers. This water is filtered and reserved for irrigation and fire-suppression purposes. Blackwater from the kitchen sink and toilets is released into a septic tank before being aerated, filtered, and pumped into a final 1,000-gallon tank (also for irrigation use).

474 square feet of photovoltaic panels have been employed for electricity, each of them maximizing efficiency even on the rare cloudy days. The hill above Casa Águila is the site of the home’s other energy-collector, a helical, 45-foot-tall, 3.2-kW wind turbine. In total, the residence runs off of twenty twelve-volt solar batteries and can generate power for over twelve hours a day.

In 2016, the home gained LEED Platinum status and won the 2017 Department of Energy’s Housing Innovation Award. The homeowners continue to innovate and educate their community through home tours and workshops.

The post Casa Águila: A Resilient, Self-Sufficient Solution to Wildfires first appeared on Dornob.

The project began as a simple idea, as all do, but when a storm in 1992 deposited a load of lumber in front of the couple’s cabin and the original owner didn’t seem to want it back, they saw it as a sign to begin construction immediately. Ditching the power tools in favor of an old-fashioned handsaw and hammer, the first floating platform took shape.

“Wayne started building the house on the beach at that cabin, and it was about three months later that it was done enough that we could move into it, and we towed it over to the cove,” explains Catherine.

Over the years, they’ve raised two daughters on the island and added new sections to the base as their needs changed and they were able to procure more materials. Today, the island is made up of 12 separate floating platforms that support several greenhouses, an art gallery, a dance floor, a studio where the couple lives, and a guest lighthouse. All of this is painted in bright shades of teal and hot pink. At some point the campus was dubbed “Freedom Cove,” and it’s since gone on to garner all kinds of international attention as an example of unique off-grid living.

The platforms are anchored to shore with thick ropes, of course, but other than that, they’re basically free-floating. The couple admits that there are many challenges to maintaining such a home, and that it’s really more of a lifestyle. Winter storms endanger the crops and structure itself, so it seems there are always repairs to be made. Pests are another issue. Apparently trying to raise chickens on the island didn’t work out too well, as they only attracted other wildlife.

Still, their lifestyle is heavily, although not entirely, sustainable, with the couple growing the majority of their own food right outside the front door. Occupying a half-acre of land mass in total, the island actually offers ample space to grow food, but the irony is in the water. Even though the couple is literally floating around in the stuff, fresh water for the platforms must either be collected from a nearby waterfall or captured when it rains.

Living off-grid means making adjustments. To conserve power, for instance, Wayne and Catherine decided to go without a freezer or refrigerator. But hey, at least this decision makes eating fresh an easy one. The remaining power for the home was previously generated by 14 solar panels, but once they started malfunctioning, the couple decided to switch to a generator as their primary power source.

“We also do lots of composting,” adds Catherines. “As a result, we always eat food that’s fresh and seasonal.”

When considering their lifestyle as artists who spend their spare time composing music, writing, carving, painting, and dancing, it’s easy to see why sustainability was also important to them.

“We wanted to live close to nature because as artists that’s what inspires us. That’s why we decided to build this floating home. It works ecologically, in order to limit as much as possible its impact on the environment,” says Catherine.

The garden section is made from mostly recycled materials. As wood rots, salvaged steel from fishing farms replaces it. Another example of this is the large piece of plexiglass here, which came from a torn-down hockey rink and now allows views through an “ocean lookout” to the frolicking marine life below.

Although the couple is off-grid, they do go into town every few weeks to stock up on goods they can’t grow or catch themselves. However, they stress that minimizing packaging is a priority in maintaining their nearly zero-waste lifestyle. For money, the two sell their art to local businesses and offer tours of their home. Although “Freedom Cove” has been the nearly-perfect home for Wayne and Catherine, it’s not for everyone — especially now that floating homes are no longer allowed in the area.

“It’s been our intention to share with people what we do and inspire people to follow their own dreams and live life the way they want to,” Catherine says.

The post Couple Builds and Lives on Floating Island for Nearly 30 Years first appeared on Dornob.

When your entire house measures a mere 200 square feet or less, there’s usually no room for an abundance of normal-sized appliances. If you’re thinking about making the jump to living tiny, you’ll want to start by considering which items you can’t live without — and how you’ll slot them all into your floor plan.

Most tiny house residents find a few basic appliances to be absolute essentials: a water heater, a cooktop, a refrigerator, and a heater or air conditioner. Whether you decide to add on an oven, freezer, washing machine, clothes dryer, microwave, generator, electric ventilation system, and/or various additional kitchen gadgets is up to you.

Your setup will also vary depending on whether you plan to be grid-connected at all times, fully off-grid, or somewhere in between. For flexibility, many people choose appliances that are capable of running on propane or DC power as well as AC power.

Sized just right for tiny homes and versatile enough for most applications, these five essential appliances are a great way to jump-start your shopping list:

Atwood 3-Burner Cooktop

Drop-in gas cooktops are affordable, attractive, and easy to use, and you can find them in both two and four-burner models. This one from Atwood, measuring just 16 by 20 inches, runs on propane and doesn’t require connection to power for ignition — just use a lighter or a match. If you really need an oven, too, similar models include one without taking up too much more precious space.

SMETA 3-Way Refrigerator

Available in sizes ranging from 2.1 cubic feet to 9.4 cubic feet, this off-grid refrigerator can be hooked up to grid power, run on a solar panel system, or connected to a propane tank. The larger models include a freezer, and while they’re still not full-sized fridges, they hold a lot for their size. Dometic is one of the best-known brands producing refrigerators like these, but many tiny home residents say the lower-priced SMETA is just as good.

Mirage Ventus 12,000 BTU Ductless Mini-Split

Diminutive wood or propane-powered marine stoves are a popular choice for heating tiny houses, and they can offer a lot of cozy ambiance, to boot. But a more versatile option, if you have the electricity to spare, is an energy-efficient ductless mini-split air conditioner and heater combo. The condenser can be mounted to the tongue of your tiny house trailer while the indoor unit is mounted to an interior wall, high up out of the way. Models like this one from Mirage make temperature control easy throughout the year and use a lot less power than a conventional A/C unit.

Camplux Tankless Propane Water Heater

On-demand hot water is a beautiful thing. This tankless, space-saving unit by Camplux runs on propane, offers a digital temperature display, and puts out 2.64 gallons per minute. While a lot of similar compact propane water heaters must be used outdoors for safety, this one comes with a horizontal venting pipe, exhaust fan, and safe electronic ignition system. Even better, it actually doesn’t look half bad hanging on the wall.

LG Compact Washer/Dryer Combo

Few people have time to wash their clothes by hand these days, and laundromats aren’t so fun either. If you really want the ability to do laundry in your tiny home, a combo washer/dryer is the way to go. LG’s 2.3-cubic-foot model gives you almost the same capacity and all the same functions you’d get from standard washers and dryers in a single package measuring 24” x 33 1/2” x 25 1/4”. Is it a bit of a luxury in a tiny house? Yeah, but it’s worth it.

Top image via New Frontier Tiny Homes

The post 5 Appliances You Need in a Tiny Home first appeared on Dornob.