Cliff House

Off the grid means many things to many people. The Cliff House on Muskoka Lakes, Ontario, interprets “off the grid” as grand self-sufficiency. Designed by Altius Architecture Inc, the home’s form is both integrated in the landscape’s mass and floats above it using cantilevers and floor-to-ceiling glass. The Cliff House plays with all the elements — stone, water, fire, earth, wind, and sun. Read on to find out how!









Sitting on a ledge above a lake, the mass of this 3200 sq. ft. home echoes that of the large granite boulder it rests upon. The local granite is brought inside to act as a thermal mass for the two fireplaces that bookend the living space. In the summer, prevailing breezes and thermal vent stack, along with a green roof, keep the building naturally cooled. The sun plays the key role of providing electricity thanks to a solar electric system, storage batteries, and a power inverter. There is also a solar thermal system that uses evacuated tubes to heat both the in-floor heating and solar thermal storage tanks.

There are a host of other sustainable features but what is really striking is the home’s sense of relaxation on the land. Its sensitivity in integrated design is accomplished by using design elements and materials that not only look exceptional but enhance the performance of the space.

Gary Neville's Home, Bolton UK

Bolton Council in the United Kingdom may soon see the construction of its first zero-carbon underground home. Designed by Make Architects for green enthusiast and British football star Gary Neville, the one-story, nearly 8,000 sq ft structure has been designed to be beautiful and functional while keeping energy consumption to a minimum.

Far from classification as a drab bunker, this thoughtful design not only considers its eco-impact, but keeps in tune with the tranquil and expansive meadows and hillsides which surround it. The positioning and orientation of the property was carefully thought out, building materials will be locally sourced, and traditional building methods will be used where possible. A ground source heat pump will provide the heating and photovoltaic panels and an on-site wind turbine will generate renewable energy.Almost all of the home will be constructed into the hillside, which, according to the design firm, “enables the surrounding moorland to seamlessly flow across the roof.” The layout takes the form of a flower, with the “petals” hosting areas to eat, relax, entertain, work and play, all around a central kitchen. When lit at night, the house will leave a distinctive, glowing floral impression on the darkened landscape. Amusingly, some have compared the structure to the famed Teletubby house, which admittedly shares some aesthetic value. However, the architects at Make contend their inspirartion arose from Skara Brae, a neolithic underground settlement in Orkney.

While the house will likely be quite costly, the eco-standards it is implementing will certainly make it a worthwhile and impactful venture. The structure has already been selected as an exemplary project within the Government’s ‘Planning Performance Agreements for Renewable and Low Carbon Energy Schemes’, and it is anticipated to be so advanced that the government is considering using the scheme as a benchmark for all future zero-carbon developments. The team hopes that construction permits will be granted soon in order to commence preliminary work on the residence this year.

EDITT Tower, Singapore

Currently pending construction in Singapore, the EDITT Tower will be a paragon of “Ecological Design In The Tropics”. Designed by TR Hamzah & Yeang and sponsored by the National University of Singapore, the 26-story high-rise will boast photovoltaic panels, natural ventilation, and a biogas generation plant all wrapped within an insulating living wall that covers half of its surface area. The verdant skyscraper was designed to increase its location’s bio-diversity and rehabilitate the local ecosystem in Singapore’s ‘zeroculture’ metropolis.

Approximately half of the surface area of the EDITT Tower will be wrapped in organic local vegetation, and passive architecture will allow for natural ventilation. Publicly accessible ramps will connect upper floors to the street level lined in shops, restaurants and plant life. The building has also been designed for future adaptability, with many walls and floors that can be moved or removed. In a city known for its downpours, the building will collect rainwater and integrate a grey-water system for both plant irrigation and toilet flushing with an estimated 55% self-sufficiency.

855 square meters of photovoltaic panels will provide for 39.7% of the building’s energy needs, and plans also include the ability to convert sewage into biogas and fertilizer. The tower will be constructed using many recycled and recyclable materials, and a centralized recycling system will be accessible from each floor.

The University of Technology Sydney Tower, Sydney

Sydney’s ugliest building may soon be getting a new lease on life through to a plan to ‘reskin’ the entire tower with a high-performance photovoltaic skin. Architecture firm Laboratory for Visionary Architecture (LAVA) has proposed the retrofit, and if their plan is enacted it would turn the 1960’s brutalist building into a brilliant super-efficient eco-tower.

The University of Technology Sydney Tower has long been known as Sydney’s ugliest building (it even says so on their website). It was built in 1960 and it currently hosts the headquarters of the University.

LAVA’s proposed ‘Tower Skin’ concept would wrap the building with a lightweight composite mesh textile. The cocooned shell would then collect rain water, generate electricity and assist the ventilation system in cooling the tower. At night, the skin works as an intelligent media surface that communicates information on events in real time.

While this design is only concept, UTS is making extensive renovations on the tower with the goal of improving energy and water efficiency. Unfortunately, it probably won’t look as cool as this one. The concept design is on display at STATE. RESPOND in the Object Gallery in Sydney.
Inhabitat

Prototype for the House Arc Modular Home Unveiled

We love prefab designs, but we love seeing them come to life even more! Last July, we brought you renderings for the House Arc, a bicycle rack-inspired modular home designed by Joseph Bellomo, and now we’re thrilled to give you a peek of the prototype version which was just unveiled. Prefabricated and flat-packed into a 4-by-10-by-3 foot box, the House Arc can easily be shipped and assembled at its final destination.

The prototype is a 150 sq foot prefab home and weighs all of 3,000 pounds. Built to withstand tropical environments and nasty weather, the rounded design is like an “eggshell where you only need the minimal amount of structure and still have something that is incredibly strong,” says Bellomo. The frame is made from lightweight steel tubing and the foundation consists of a few concrete blocks. Designed to be off-grid, the home will be powered by solar panels mounted on the roof.Although not originally intended as a solution for catastrophe-wrought Haiti, Bellomo thinks his home might make sense as disastar relief housing, and is currently looking for sponsors and investors who may be interested in developing his prototype for that purpose. He says, “We’re going for a kit of parts that the average person can assemble quickly–like an IKEA house, only easier to put together.”www.inhabitat.com

Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth

ALMOST all know where the name of this stadium. No other took the name of antiapartheid, Nelson Mandela. Dad and a great hero of South Africa who is willing to jail for 25 years fighting for racial differences in the country (apartheid).There is an additional name "bay" or the bay behind him, because the stadium is located in front of the Gulf of Nort End. The only world-class stadium in the Eastern Cape Province was built at a cost of U.S. $ 150 million (approximately USD 1.4 trillion). VIP has 150 rooms, 60 business class rooms, sports clothing shop, gym, 500 parking bays, and several multipurpose rooms. In addition, the stadium has 74 blocks of toilets.

It's one of the five new stadiums in South Africa (South Africa) which was built to hold 2010 World Cup, but in Cape Town, Durban, Polokwane and Nelspruit.

Stadium with the entrance 32 is designed with a unique purpose. Grooved dome. Has a multifunction, the stadium is 40 meters high. On the west side, the stadium consists of six levels. Whereas in the other three sides with only five levels of the total capacity of 48,000 spectators. However, after the World Cup will be reduced to 440,000 spectators.


Construction began in 2007, FIFA had hesitated whether to be completed by deadline, in January 2010. However, it was Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium to be completed even earlier, in December 2008. On June 6, 2009, the stadium was opened and attended by 17,000 local residents. A month later, the stadium has been used for the Confederations Cup.

On 28 November 2009, the stadium for the first time will be used for music Koser. Group and renowned singer will perform in South Africa, including the popular group Busta Rhymes.

Magnificent stadium by taking a big name world leaders, stelah World Cup will be the headquarters of Southern football team and the Kings Bay United.

Umeda Sky Building, Osaka Japan

Umeda Sky Building is a landmark building and observatory in Osaka. The Umeda Sky Building is also know as the Floating Garden Observatory.The observation platform of this observatory is a bridge connecting the two towers of the Umeda Sky Building, whose roof features a doughnut shape that provides an unobstructed 360-degree view. While enjoying the breathtaking sights you can also directly feel the wind—which at 170 meters off the ground can get quite strong. From this observatory you can not only see all of Osaka but as far away as Awaji Island. The basement of the Umeda Sky Building houses the Takimi-Koji gourmet street with old fashioned images of Osaka from the 1920s.The futuristic Umeda Sky Building in Osaka Japan is a great place to view the Osaka skyline, but its unusual design makes it a sight worth seeing itself. Escalators in suspended tubes guide visitors up to the observation deck and the "Floating Garden Observatory" where, high above the ground and out in the open air, Osaka almost seems peaceful.

Located in the Umeda district of Kita-ku in northern Osaka, the building was designed by Hiroshi Hara and was constructed by Takenaka Corporation. It consists of two 40-story towers that connect at their two uppermost stories, with bridges and an escalator crossing the wide atrium-like space in the center. The escalator ride is an event in itself as it feels like you are floating up into the sky.

Once inside, you pay 700 yen (a little under $6) for a ticket to take the glass elevator up to nearly the top. Then you take the famousescalator to the top, which is surprisingly underwhelming. It’s not all that scary as your view is really blocked quite a bit going up, so you don’t really get a great sense of being suspended 550 feet in the air on a moving staircase. At the top, it’s your standard observation deck, with binoculars that let you zoom in on places of interest.

Boston Arcology (BoA)

Get ready Boston, someday you might just have this incredible floating city within a city located in your harbor. The BoA, short for Boston Arcology, is a sustainable mega structure designed by Kevin Schopfer, who also designed the amazing New Orleans Arcology Habitat (NOAH). The BoA will house 15,000 people in hotels, offices, retail spaces, museums, condominiums, and even a new city hall. Built to LEED standards with golden proportions, this amazing building would serve as an expansion of the city without impacting what is already currently built.To be located on a buoyant platform of concrete cells right in the Boston Harbor next to downtown, BoA would sit perpendicular to the waterfront, thus minimizing the view sheds of existing buildings onshore. The massing of the structure was designed using the principles of the golden triangle. Angles and towers criss-cross inside of a fixed border, giving structure to the projections inside. Elevators and moving walkways aid the transportation of the residents, employees and visitors in order to create an all pedestrian environment.

Sky gardens will be located every 30 floors and act as public squares for gathering spaces. BoA will also include a bevy of sustainable elements in order to achieve a LEED building certification. Energy will be generated via wind turbines, solar panels and harbor based water turbines. Natural daylight will flood the building with the help of a passive glazing system. BoA will also include a fresh water recovery system, greywater recycling, and sky garden heating and cooling vents. And while the design seems pretty incredible and maybe even impossible (especially considering the economy and lack of funding), it truly is a spectacular mix of architecture and ecology.

Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg

Name : Ellis Park (Coca-Cola Park)

Capacity : 62,567

Ellis Park was first built in 1928 as a field rakbi. The stadium was later destroyed and rebuilt in 1982, to once again become rakbi stadium. At that time, the stadium is named JD Ellis, a tribute to the chancellor of the city of Johannesburg who approved the use of an area of 13 acres to become the stadium.


Greatest moments in the stadium when the team is rakbi South Africa are surprisingly able to subdue New Zealand at the World Cup finals Rakbi 1995. The incident became the making of South African citizens together to celebrate success with Nelson Mandela.




Welcoming the 2010 World Cup South Africa, the stadium was renovated so that the seating capacity increased from 57,000 to 62.567penonton in 2009. Tribune north stadium is part of experiencing the greatest development.

Tribune is providing facilities for the media, VIP seats, a special place for spectators who have physical disabilities, and a set of high-quality audio visual as a means of providing information to the audience. The stadium was built with a very modern, in order to accommodate the needs and desire of all people to football. In fact, through his official website, FIFA claiming that no one will leave this stadium with a sense of disappointment.