Tiny Home Made From Hemp

Hemp is a very versatile material, great for making a whole bunch of useful products. The firm Green Built of Albany, NY have now decided to use hemp to build a tiny home, mainly to raise awareness of the benefits of this building material in the US where it is still rather unknown. They also plan on building this home to Passive House standards.

The so-called HempHouse: Tiny+ home will measure 522 sq ft (50 sq m), which is quite spacious for a tiny house. It will consist of a living area, kitchen, bedroom, and bathroom, as well as a deck and even a foyer. They will use the so-called Hempcrete, which is a mixture of hemp, lime and water, to build the home. Hempcrete is quite frequently used in the UK and Europe as a building material. It is non-toxic, and has excellent insulation properties.

The home would also feature a green roof. In order to meet the Passive House standards, the home will be equipped with a mechanical ventilation, as well as triple-glazed windows that will help maintain a constant and comfortable interior temperature. The home would also be fitter with a rooftop mounted solar array, which would take care of all electricity and hot water needs of the occupants.

Green Built is currently raising funds for the development of the prototype of HempHome: Tiny+ via a Kickstarter campaign. Backers can receive a HempHome doghouse for $1,000, while a shed would run you $5,000. There are also cheaper options of backing the project. They're currently quite far from their goal of raining $60,000, but with more than a month to go they will probably make it.

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This Plant Will Charge Your Phone

All sorts of ingenious little renewable charging devices are popping up lately, mainly since our energy consumption needs have shifted toward having to charge small gadgets, a task that can easily be handled by such devices. The so-called Bioo plant is one of the more ingenious offerings in this area. It is a potted plant that can generate enough juice to charge your smartphone up to 3 times per day.

The Bioo plant pot was created by the Spanish company Arkyne Technologies. It is fitted with a 5V 1A USB charging port, which is connected to a 'biological battery' of sorts located within the base of the pot. The device is also very low maintenance, since all that is needed on the part of the owner is to water and care for the plant to keep it alive. In this way, for at least five years, the plant will continue to provide enough electricity to charge your gadgets during the day and night, and it will not suffer any harm in the process.

Arkyne Technologies are currently raising funds via a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo. Apart from the smaller version, they are also planning to produce a larger and more powerful version of the bio-battery. This so-called Bioo Panel, will measure 3.28 ft by 3.28 ft (1 m by 1 m) and will be able to generate up to 40 W of power, producing up to 280 kWh of energy per year. A Bioo plant pot can be reserved for a donation of $135 (120 EUR) and the units will be shipped in December of 2016. There are also other donation options available.

This is definitely a very clever idea, especially since the plant is capable of producing energy during both the day and the night, independent of sunlight. And a houseplant also has the added benefit of purifying the air, so let's hope this projects gets off the ground.

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Prefab Shipping Container Homes

The Canada-based firm Honomobo has recently unveiled a new line of prefab shipping container dwellings. They are offering living spaces that can serve as a tiny house, a garage suite, or an annex/accessory suite. The sizes of these homes vary, and they can be outfitted with a solar power array should the customer need it.

Four models of these homes are currently available. The smallest model, called H01, is constructed using a single shipping container and measures 144 sq ft (13 sq m). They are marketing it as an extra bedroom, or guesthouse, and it is equipped with a bedroom and bathroom. It costs $38,801, before taxes and shipping, though this price does include installation.

The next version is the H02, which is made up of two shipping containers, which yield a total living space of 352 sq ft (32.7 sq m). This model would make a great tiny home, and features a kitchen, lounge area, as well as a bedroom and bathroom. It costs $78,646.

The firm also offers models H03 and H04, which are quite spacious. The H03 measures 528 sq ft (50 sq m) and the H04 is 640 sq ft (60 sq m). Each of them feature two bedrooms, along with a spacious kitchen, lounge and bedroom. They cost $102,743 and $120,136 respectively.

According to Honomobo these homes are very flexible and can even be installed atop an existing structure such as a garage. They also represent a great way to perhaps add an annex or accessory suite to a home. Another great thing about their design is that they can be joined together and stacked easily to form a larger home.

All the models have a very high insulation rating, which is R20 for the walls and R40 for the roof. The insulation can be upgraded to R40 and R60 by paying extra. All the homes come with an electric heating system, though customers have the option to add in an energy-efficient air-source heat pump and air-source hot water tank package. A rooftop mounted solar array is also an option.

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Sustainable and Grid Independent Floating Home

Italian Yacht-maker Jet Capsule has come up with a concept for a lovely floating home, which is fully self-sufficient. It's shaped like a flying saucer, and they have named it UFO, which in this case stands for Unidentified Floating Object.

The UFO is comprised of two half-sphere fiberglass shells, which form the two stories of this home. The design allows for flexible floor plans that can be customized according to the customers' wishes. The basic configuration of the home would have a 215-sq ft (20-sq m) top level, which would feature a transformable kitchen and dining/living area. The lower level of the home measures 107-sq. ft (10 sq m) and it would house the bathroom and bedroom. This level would be fully submerged, and the residents could view the sea life around them through the large windows installed here. Stairs would connect the upper and lower level of the home.

The designers say that the UFO is intended for “living in a floating house and moving slowly around the world.” The home is equipped with a water jet-propelled Torqeedo Deep Blue 1800 electric motor, which allows for a maximum speed of 3.5 knots (6.5 km/h, 4 mph).

Energy is provided via a 430 sq. ft (40 sq. m) solar power array, which is located on top of the UFO in a closable lid. This is connected to a battery, which feeds the motor. The home can also be fitted with optional wind and water turbines if the client prefers, which would also provide enough energy to run the home and motor.

The UFO would also be fitted with an onboard water generator that would convert rain or seawater to fresh drinking water. This water could also be used to water the vegetable garden that would be located on the UFO's deck, which encircles the home and measures 41 ft (12.5 m) in diameter. To keep it in place, the UFO would be fitted with a special elastic anchor system.

The designers are looking for investors at this stage, since they need around $800,000 to build the first prototype of this home. However, they estimate that the actual homes, once they become available, would cost no more than $200,000 to buy.

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Shipping Container Apartment Complex Goes up in Texas

Development Strategies, Inc and Alamo Architects, of Austin, TX, are the two firms behind the shipping container apartment complex, which was recently completed in Encinal, TX. The complex will consist of seven apartments made out of shipping containers. The apartments will be highly energy-efficient and also affordable.

Judging from the images, not much will be done to alter the original shape of the containers when turning them into apartment units. They will be slotted into a prefabricated framework, which will also carry the stairs, patios, and additional rear sections of the finished building. The size of the units will range from 480 sq ft (44.5 sq m) and 960 sq ft (89 sq m), and they will be available as either one bedroom/one bathroom, or two bedroom/two bathroom apartments. The rent for the larger units will be $800 per month, while the smaller ones will cost $600. The exterior of the containers will be painted either yellow or orange, which will make for a very vibrant façade.

The container-based apartment units will be insulated using high-density closed cell spray foam insulation. They will also feature double-glazed windows and insulated doors. For the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning needs an energy-efficient HVAC system will be installed. The building will also feature a secondary roof that will provide additional shade, thereby reducing the need to use the AC. According to the company, the average electricity bill for a fully occupied larger unit is no more than $70.

The apartment complex is already full, and the two developers are already planning another such complex to be completed by the end of this year. That one will be much larger and will consist of 69 units.

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NYC to Get Its First Passive Apartment Building

New York City will soon get it's first passive house apartment building. The development is called Perch Harlem and will be built in a way that uses 80-90 percent less energy than traditionally constructed buildings. It will be located in Hamilton Heights in Harlem. The company behind the construction is Perch Living, while the interiors will be designed by the firm Me and General Design.

The entire seven-story complex will measure 40,000 sq ft (3,716 sq m). There will be 34 one or two-bedroom units, which will be sound proof and smell resistant, to give the residents a comfortable living experience. The building will have a glass façade, and all the interior spaces will feature reclaimed wood floors.

In terms of sustainability features the building will feature 8-in (20-cm) insulation at the front and rear of the building. High performance triple-pane glazing will be installed throughout. There will be a special system that is capable of storing heat output from cooling systems in the summer to produce hot water. All the apartments are also compartmentalized in a way that minimizes air movement.

Each unit will also have a central heating and cooling system and an energy-recovery ventilator, which will all be fully customizable by the residents. The units will feature large fixed windows which will let in plenty of natural light and warmth into the apartments, while there will also be smaller windows which will be fully operable.

Perch Harlem's estimated energy use is 9.57 kWh/sq ft (103 kWh/sq m) per year, while the blower test, was recorded 0.6 at 50 Pa, so obtaining a Passive House certification will be easy.

Smart technology will be an option for residents to monitor and adjust setting in their homes. Among the other amenities will be a rooftop terrace, storage areas, car and bicycle parking, a residents' lounge, a private gym, and a virtual doorman, with the option of providing concierge services via an online portal.

Perch Harlem is slated to be completed by May 2106, while they are also planning to build another one in Brooklyn in the near future.

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Tiny Yet Spacious Home in Hong Kong

The architecture firm LAAB of Hong Kong recently completed a renovation of a small apartment in the city. They were commissioned by a couple who bought the apartment because they wanted to be as close as possible to Hong Kong's Central district, which is a very expensive place to live. They hired the firm to come up with a solution that would make the most of the available space, and LAAB succeeded in doing so.

The apartment measures just 309-sq ft (29-sq m) and the architects they hired decided to incorporate the dimension of time into their work. It might sound far-fetched, but it actually makes a lot of sense. To create as much usable space as possible for the couple, the architects designed the apartment so that it can be transformed according to the time of day. In other words, the features they installed can be pulled out or put away as required.

They achieved this via cleverly placed moveable walls, roll-down partitions, motorized drop-down cupboards, and under-floor storage. For example, an area of the apartment was designed to function as a bathroom with a bathtub, two separate bathroom spaces, a second sitting area of the living room or a guest room, home-cinema seating, or a guest bedroom. Since a lot of the apartment's furniture and other items are designed to only be used when needed, they also designed clever storage spaces where they can be hidden when not in use. So the TV, dining table, and make-up table can all be stored flat when they are not needed.

The architects also made sure the owner's three cats were taken care of. They installed a cat walkway around the ceiling, a cat ladder, and hid the litter box beneath the sink in the bathroom. Their food trays are hidden inside the kitchen cabinets, and the cats also got their own private den, which is hidden to offer them maximum privacy.

It took them awhile to come up with this design, but the final product is pretty amazing. It truly does not look like a tiny apartment at all.

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