We borrow the descriptions from Arch daily: “The main entrance, garage, toilet for guests and a corridor are located to the north whereas bedroom, children room, living, dining and kitchen are to the south. Because of that all rooms enjoy a direct connection with the terrain separated by covered terrace.

Outside, the horizontal shutters from the south are echoed by the vertical rhythm of the wooden planks (Siberian larch). The interior is tougher: exposed concrete floors and ceilings, partition walls made of light concrete blocks painted in white, polycarbonate doors for the built-in furniture. Air-conditioning and the trays for the electric installation are also visible.” Read post in Arch daily.

After three variances and about 5 years of work this in-fill house was rewarded with the 2008 Best Custom Home under 5,000 square feet. Take a look at the photos to see why.

Sustainable features include radiant floor heating from a condensing gas boiler, Energy Star appliances, bamboo floors and cabinetry, low VOC paints, 6-inch studs allowing greater insulation, and a membrane cool roof that surpasses the local standards. Read post in Inhabitat.

While not the typical sustainable modern house, this renovated terrace house is another take on merging the contained interior and exterior spaces. The goal was to introduce more light into the living areas.

Ong and Ong describe the project this way, “To create a light open plan living space, whilst promoting Inside/outside space. The contrasting relationship between the metallic elements and subtle tones within the house create an exciting spatial relationship throughout.” Read post in Dezeen.

Another step in that direction is this design of four containers by architect Christopher Robertson in Houston Texas.

While the green building features of any particular shipping container house may vary, the sustainable virtues come from employing unused containers that have served their original life purpose.

Robertson’s design uses Supertherm insulation – a space age technology that is Cradle to Cradle certified. The theme is carried throughout the house by low VOC paints, an efficient HVAC system, passive lighting and cooling, and a minimum of construction waste once the house was completed – just 12 contractor bag of trash. Read post in Inhabitat.

In recent stories Green Sage and Neal Creek we showed you two examples of modern homes built for the specific local setting and climate. Yet another example today is from PIQUE Architects.

The Whitten House sits on 10 acres in the mostly dry climate of Eastern Oregon. Two volumes make up the house, the bottom for sleeping, and the top volume is living space.

The house will capture rainwater and uses solar for heating. A low profile, tree shading, and house design allow the house to take advantage of passive cooling. While initially still tied to the grid, the house could expand solar capacity to cut the cord and go off grid. Read post in Arch Daily.

Now, even the new occupants of the White House are showing their support for green housing.

Michelle Obama recently made headlines with her White House garden, and now the Obama’s want the White House to be LEED certified. According to a post in Inhabitat, Rick Fedrizzi of the USGBC will be a consultant for the renovation needed to morph the historic structure into a more modern energy efficient house. Some of the included changes at the White House include low flow water fixtures, ridding the kitchen of CFCs, a recycle program, new heating and cooling systems, automated light sensors, and using low VOC paints.

This and a lot more, plus the new White House garden will be a great example of how any house can be updated to modern energy saving standards. Read post in Inhabitat.

That pretty well describes their new minimalist house with a view over the serene Elliot Bay west of Seattle, and also the ever expanding “Emerald City skyline.”

EB1 we learn from G Living includes: Bosch and Bertazoni kitchen, custom VG Fir cabinetry, dynamic steel, glass, ebonized oak stair system, and floor to ceiling commercial grade windows. If this steal sounds good to you even at $895,000 you’re in luck because the house in currently on the market. Read post in G Living.

Working with a narrow sloping plot Tank developed three volumes on three different levels and linked them by a shared terrace.

The architects describe their project in Dezeen: “This project is located on a narrow and sloping plot, on the edge of a village. The way the house had to be laid out wasn’t an easy staff since the regulations and neighbourhood limits were restricting… to avoid a very long and narrow house, the project is splited in three parts, on semi levels using the natural slope.

The first part is on the same level as the road and includes the main hall, the laundry, the play-room, the garage, the cellar and the geothermal energy local.

The second one is 80cm above the slot with large views on the outstanding landscape all around, in north, east and west directions. It comprises the living spaces: living room, kitchen and dining room.

The third one is on top of the first part and offers rooms and bathrooms. This process answers to the very initial demand of the clients who wished a one-level-house.

The 3 parts of the house meet in a suspended patio which distributes the different spaces, creates multiple relations between them and articulates one to another. The patio is the central knot between the living spaces, the main hall and the rooms.”

Read post in Dezeen.

Now the same idea can also be applicable to furniture. At least designer Jo Meesters thinks so and designed an experimental line of furniture crafted out of discarded wood beams and leftover blankets.

The furniture, Odds & Ends Bits & Pieces is the first work of TESTLAB, an ongoing experimental design bureau for combining different materials and techniques for mass production.

Before you conclude OEBP isn’t for you, consider that the look of the same design could take on a whole new dimension just based on using different colors of blankets (or a different style of weaving).

If Gordon Gecko was a furniture designer he would have said, “experimentation is good,” and we’d have to agree. The real purpose of Odds & Ends Bits & Pieces is to show just how much is possible, and what could be done with existing materials we currently place little or no value on anymore. Read Post in Inhabitat.

As the shell was assembled in 48 hours, Aperture House is intended to show off prefabrication as affordable style, and to diminish the stigma of prefab houses.

To keep down costs Vettern Denk uses concrete floors (area rugs ad comfort), sliding glass doors rather than floor-to-ceiling windows, and MDF in the walls, doors and cabinets.

As a production model the aim is to get the pricing down under $200,000, Scommengna wants to mass produce the design for delivery to the suburbs. Read post in Dwell.