Micro Homes: Zero House

From Specht Harpman Architects, an absolutely fantastic micro home: the zeroHouse! The zeroHouse was designed from the ground up to be a completely self-sufficient and comfortable home.

The zeroHouse was designed as a small, prefabricated house that can be shipped anywhere and quickly setup. It contains a complete kitchen, bathroom as well as all the necessary elements to support four adults. But the truly interesting feature of the zeroHouse is its ability to operate independently, without the need for any external utilities connections.

High-efficiency solar panels produce power and store it in an onboard bank of batteries. A rainwater collection system gathers and diverts water into a 2700 gallon tank. All plumbing fixtures are gravity-fed, which eliminates the need for pumps, that consume far too much power. Another interesting feature is the organic waste processing, which is performed in a special "digester unit", which is located beneath the house. It converts the waste into clean, dry compost that needs to be removed only twice a year and can then be used to improve the soil for agriculture around the home.

The zeroHouse is also fully climate-controlled, with a high-efficiency combined air-conditioning and heating system. The walls, roof, and floor are all insulated with closed-cell structural foam, and achieve a thermal rating of R58, which is pretty impressive.

A great feature of the zeroHouse is that it can be installed in places that would unsuitable for standard construction, including water up to ten feet deep, or on slopes of up to thirty-five degrees. By using a system of helical-anchor foundations that touch the ground at only four points, the zeroHouse requires no excavation.

Visit SpechtHarpman for additional information and complete specifications on the zeroHouse.

Bon Appetit Lunch Box Set

I was at the art supply store Omer Desseres with my wife the other day, when I spotted an interesting looking "lunch box" (yes, I can actually find even a lunch box interesting!). The Bon Appetit Lunch Box, by Martin Blum and Dan Black, is a modern twist on the japanese bento box. Made of polypropylene and copolyester, completely BPA free and microwave and dishwasher safe, the box is a great way of packing various items for a nice lunch: The dimensions for the box and matching bag are as follows: Box: 7.5” sq / 2.25” deep.  Bag: 10.5” high / 11” wide, open as Mat: 21” length / 11” wide The box includes 2 containers, as well as a fork and a recipe book is also available separately. It's not a very large container and I know a few men that would be left feeling a little bit hungry following a lunch packed in one of the these, but the idea is very well executed and the materials are top quality. Go take a look at this and other offerings over at the site.

Pick of the week: Waterpebble

When I saw this little device, I thought it was pure genius. The Waterpebble is an elegant solution to learning to conserve water, our most precious natural resource, as well as energy, in the form of wasted hot water. Unobtrusive and quite clever, the Waterpebble sits near the drain, learns from your daily shower habits and indicates, using colored LED, your water consumption in comparison to a baseline you set.

It is also possible to reset the device and create a new baseline to improve on. Hot water use is the second highest energy consumer in an average household and this neat little device can help you reduce your expenses in a reasonable and simple manner.

A new choice in construction material

I've always had an interest in materials science (yes, I am very much a geek!); simply put, matter is simply fascinating, in all its forms. But the really interesting part of that comes in the applications of materials. It is how we choose to use materials and the ingenious methods used to transform materials into other forms that is truly interesting.

Here is a new material that I believe has a lot of possibilities: Bamboo lumber. It's nice to see that some people keep thinking outside of the box!

I am not a paper cup, really

During many of our frequent trips to Chapter's, my wife and I had often seen these great looking coffee cups, shaped like a standard paper cup, but made from a double-walled ceramic, glazed on the inside and matte on the outside and supplied with a silicone snap-on cover that mimics the standard disposable plastic covers available at most coffee shops today. Appropriately, they are named I Am Not A Paper Cup!

From what I had seen of the display model, fingerprints and smudges seemed to be attracted to the matte finish and I wondered how the cup would fare at home. I was also concerned that the disposable appearance might lead one to forget its permanent nature and attempt to throw it out. So I kept looking at it, but never purchased it.

But my wife, in her infinite wisdom and kindness, purchased it for me as a surprise. And so far, I've been very satisfied with it. After several months of use, the cup maintains its brand new appearance, although I've changed the silicone cover from the original white to a newer black version. But don't get me wrong, the original cover is in fine condition, but unfortunately, it has been stained from constant contact with coffee, which has been my only complaint thus far. I also believe that the manufacturer is aware of the issue, hence the sale of additional covers in several colours, including white, black, red and pink.

The cup performs very well, although its internal volume is far less than the cup's external size indicates. Its double-wall construction keeps contents hot or cold for quite a long time, even in colder external conditions. There is a silicone plug at the bottom, which can be removed to allow access to the hollow portion of the double wall, allowing the addition of hot or cold liquids to increase the thermal capabilities of the cup.

The fragile nature of the cup precludes its use as a travel mug, but it is a fantastic desk mug and my current favourite!

A great photo accessory

Photography can become a pretty gear and gadget intensive hobby, but one continued requirement has been power, usually in the form of batteries which eventually need to be charged. Welcome designer Weng Jie's brilliant concept:

Sometimes, you just have to appreciate people's ingenuity. Harnessing the power of light to power a device that is intended to record light. Truly elegant. Get the complete story here.