Freedom Cove is a Gorgeous Self-Sufficient Floating Home

Canadian couple Wayne Adams and Catherine King built their beautiful no-waste, no-impact floating home back in 1992. They named it Freedom Cove and have been living in it for nearly 25 years, and even raised a family there. The floating home is located near Tofino, British Columbia, on a gorgeous lake.

Freedom Cove is comprised of twelve interconnected floating platforms on which the couple built a home, a greenhouse, a lighthouse, as well as a dance studio for Catherine who is a retired ballerina. They also call their home a “floating food garden.” Wayne is a sculptor, and the couple has been augmenting their income from art with selling organic vegetables and fruit, which they grow year round. They also sell the fish they catch in the lake.

Freedom Cove is equipped with a PV solar power array, which is capable of generating all the energy they need. There is also a rainwater collection system in place, while drinking water comes from a nearby waterfall.

Wayne and Catherine have tried to raise hens here too, but unfortunately natural predators were too much of a problem. They also had to deal with other unusual pests, such as a 30-pound rat, which kept damaging the foundations of the home.

Freedom Cove is very unique and has a lot of character. The small lighthouse is actually a shower, while all the buildings are painted in vivid colors such as bright teal and pink.

This is basically a lifetime work of art for the couple, and it is commendable that they chose sustainable, no impact living as a way to express themselves. They also offer tours to all interested parties from June to September, via Browning Pass Charters, so if you’re in the area and want to take a closer look you can do that.

Related Articles on JetsonGreen.com:

1. Gorgeous Off-The-Grid Modular Home
2. Cozy Small Floating Home
3. Plans for the Floating House Freely Available

Microscopic sonic screwdriver invented

Engineers have created tiny acoustic vortices and used them to grip and spin microscopic particles suspended in water.

Spinning a new version of spider silk

After years of research decoding the complex structure and production of spider silk, researchers have now succeeded in producing samples of this exceptionally strong and resilient material in the laboratory. The new development could lead to a variety of biomedical materials -- from sutures to scaffolding for organ replacements -- made from synthesized silk with properties specifically tuned for their intended uses.

Snowboarder Builds an Awesome Off-Grid Cabin

Mike Basich is a photographer and one of the pioneers of snowboarding and he recently completed a unique off-the-grid tiny home in the mountains. As a pro snowboarder he used to live in a large mansion, which came with all the trimmings of modern living, but he has now retired to a place where he can enjoy nature and the simple life.

His new home measures 250-square-feet and is located on a 40-acre plot near Truckee, California. Mike built the cabin on his own, and mostly by hand, a process which took him about five years. The cabin is completely off-grid, and he used mostly locally sourced materials to construct it, while some of them were even salvaged. The wood and 175 tons of rock that he uses came from the property on which the cabin stands.

All the needed electricity is generated by solar panels, while the cabin is heated primarily by a large fireplace, which was salvaged. The cabin also features two large, floor to ceiling windows, which face south and let in plenty of light, and warmth from the sun. The interior is comprised of a single open space, with a small kitchen, as well as a dining and living area. The bedroom is located in a loft which is accessible via a ladder.

The home also features a patio with a large hot tub. The only thing kind of missing from this home is a toilet, which it does not have.

Mike designed his home based on the Golden Ratio, and it is shaped like a pentagon, which he believes makes the cabin feel intimate and harmonious. He also incorporated celestial light into his plan, since the cabin is aligned so that the light hits the center of the floor space every year on his birthday. Clearly a lot of care and consideration has gone into constructing this unique home, though I for one would miss that toilet.

Super-efficient light-based computers

Infrared light passes through silicon the way visible light passes through glass. Just as a prism bends visible light to reveal the rainbow, different silicon structures can bend infrared light in useful ways. It is theoretically possible to replace wires with silicon fibers. Why bother: to transmit lots more data while using lots less energy.

Job-sharing with nursing robots

Given the threat of a massive earthquake striking Japan, researchers have organized a cooperative project team to develop a new robot. They set about determining the factors that are most important to hospital patients in modern society, after which they set about developing the world's first medical round robot capable of job-sharing, making more time for face-to-face nursing care.

Spiraling laser pulses could change the nature of graphene

A new study predicts that researchers could use spiraling pulses of laser light to change the nature of graphene, turning it from a metal into an insulator and giving it other peculiar properties that might be used to encode information.

Physicists solve quantum tunneling mystery

Scientists studying ultrafast physics have solved a mystery of quantum mechanics, and found that quantum tunneling is an instantaneous process.

The simple and inexpensive power savings solution has arrived

Los Angeles, CA – May, 2015 – Local software engineer Markus Loeffler today announced a Kickstarter project to help consumers reduce dependency on the electric grid while saving on electric costs. “One Fridge off the Grid” was initially conceived during a power outage caused by severe storms in 2011. Loeffler was without power for days, and the food in his fridge spoiled. His son was unable to research homework assignments online. Loeffler was determined to avoid this situation again.

A year later I had a working prototype in my garage, and a solar panel mounted to the roof of my garage. Excited, I ran a long wire from my garage to the house. The images below show on the left my setup, and two of my tester installations. In case you are wondering: you can mix solar panels of different brands and types as long as they have the same voltage.

After four years of research Loeffler is introducing UNplug, a simple, inexpensive and fully­ automatic power savings solution. UNplug is revolutionary because it provides consumers with their own home-based power grid.

UNplug works with a single solar panel and battery to ensure uninterruptible power during good times and bad. A single system can provide power for a refrigerator, laptop and modem (approximately 1500 watts per unit). The design is future-proof since multiple UNplug units may be connected based on individual needs and budgets.

In addition to realizing uninterruptible energy security and real cost savings, UNplug users will help address environmental challenges. An average fridge/laptop/modem combination consumes approximately 622kWh per year – dumping 326 pounds of CO2 into the environment! That’s an equivalent to almost 50 gallons of gasoline consumed.

Unplug includes a dashboard app for both iOS and Android devices, allowing home automation. Energy usage, CO2 savings and and cost savings are tracked online, in real time.

A successful Kickstarter campaign (http://kck.st/1dfFaIg) will finance the final product development (including UL listing), manufacturing and testing. The product is scheduled to ship in October 2015.

Related Articles on JetsonGreen.com:

1. Fuel Cells to Heat and Power Homes
2. New Mexico Home Power Solely by Solar Energy
3. Is Wireless Transmission of Power Finally a Real Possibility?

New kind of wood chip: Biodegradable computer chips made from wood

Portable electronics -- typically made of non-renewable, non-biodegradable and potentially toxic materials -- are discarded at an alarming rate in consumers' pursuit of the next best electronic gadget. In an effort to alleviate the environmental burden of electronic devices, scientists have develop a surprising solution: a semiconductor chip made almost entirely of wood.

Another Very Clever Tiny Apartment Conversion

European cities are full of tiny apartments, which are usually all hallways, walls and tiny rooms. It’s always nice to see these small apartments renovated in a more modern way, which manages to make the most of the available space. When it comes to this German apartment the architecture and design studio Spamroom from Berlin, did a great job. They made it happen with a multi-purpose central unit, as has been the case with many tiny apartment transformations lately, and making full use of the available vertical space.

The so-called Micro-Apartment Moabit measures just 226 sq ft (21 sq m). It was originally made up of two tiny rooms, one of which had been converted into a bathroom by a previous owner. Spamroom started the renovation by first opening the space by removing all interior walls, and other surface layers added to the flat over the years. From this blank canvas they then created a sleeping area, a fully-equipped kitchen, a compact bathroom and ample storage.

The multipurpose central unit was used to split the living area lengthways. A corridor kitchen was built on one side of the unit. It features large windows that let in plenty of light, and is equipped with compact appliances, while the cupboards offer plenty of storage.

The other side of the unit houses the main living area from where it is also possible to enter the bathroom, which is located inside the central unit. The bathroom is small at 22 sq ft (2 sq m) but very functional, and accessible via a sliding door. A skylight was installed to provide light. The living room also houses a working area created by way of a slightly extended windowsill.

The walls of the apartment are very high and the builders made full use of that by placing the sleeping area into a mezzanine level using a partially cantilevered steel structure. The loft is accessible via a steel staircase that is attached to the wall.

Related Articles on JetsonGreen.com:

1. Tiny Apartment Made to Seem and Feel Larger
2. Paris Apartment Successfully Pushes the Limits of Living Tiny
3. Clever Transformation of a Small Apartment

The Significance of Local Craftsmanship

[All photos by BUILD LLC]

Today’s blog post isn’t directly about architecture, but it pertains to everything we value about good design and making things thoughtfully. Regardless of the end product, we believe that all good design stems from a similar process of thinking, designing and making.

We’re proud proponents of life balance, and that fitness is an important ingredient in our lifestyles. Many in our tribe have found fulfillment in cycling, and along with this interest comes an appreciation for the bicycle as its own object. Within the last several years, many of us have commissioned a custom, hand-built road bike from a local bike shop, R+E Cycles, just a few doors up from the BUILD World Headquarters.

On a recent purchase, the team at R+E allowed BUILD access to the shop to document the process of hand crafting a classic, steel frame road bike. As architects and builders committed to timeless, effective design, we grabbed the camera and jumped at the chance. The images in today’s post record many of the important steps of building this particular bike and others like it.

As with any well-designed object, a road bike is everything it needs to be and nothing more. With a steel frame design, a cyclist relies on approximately 20 pounds of carefully engineered steel, metals, and related parts for a wide range of physical tasks. Whether it’s speeding down a descent or crunching through a steep climb, the geometry of the frame is critical, each weld is relied upon, and every connection matters.

There’s an important reassurance in personally knowing the people who built the object literally supporting you as you’re flying down the road on two wheels. In an assembly line society of distant manufacturers and impersonal suppliers, it matters to us that talented individuals, who have spent the bulk of their lives in the bike business, thoughtfully designed and built the bike underneath us. It’s something we can relate to. That these individuals take pride in their product and stand behind their work is a rare and valuable quality.

Supporting local businesses and promoting the urban fabric around us is also an important aspect of having these bikes made. We’d much rather contribute to the livelihood of people in our own community than send our dollars outside of our own ecosystem. Supporting the local bike shop brings more people to the neighborhood, which supports the coffee shop, which keeps the sidewalks bustling, which keeps the pedals of our little neighborhood cranking. It’s all interconnected.

Last, but certainly not least, is the aspect of consistency. Running a small design-build firm, we rely on clients who understand the value of having a small team thoughtfully design a building to perform exceptionally well and stand the test of time. That’s an extraordinary amount of trust and we like to put our money where our mouth is. Whenever possible, we spend our time and money with the same mindset as expected of the people that rely on us.

A big thanks to the team over at R+E Cycles which includes Dan Towle, Scott Rock, Smiley, Dan P, John Lehman, Beau Hart, and Dana Kulp.

Cheers from Team BUILD and Happy Cycling.