perFORM[D]ance House

Teams participating in the 2011 Solar Decathlon strive to create high-tech, low-energy houses, but one team has created a home that also "dances." Florida International University's perFORM[D]ance House features movable facades that allow it to adapt to the needs of its occupants and environmental conditions. This flexible concept fosters connections between indoors and outdoors while mitigating Florida's hot, humid, and hurricane-prone climate.

Urban living has many advantages – increased walkability, access to public transportation, and a wealth of things to do in the area, among a host of others. One disadvantage of an urban location, however, is living in the smaller space that generally accompanies city life. Size limitations can make designing a home  – whether a house, duplex, or apartment  – quite problematic. Renting, rather than owning, puts further constraints on what improvements can be made. To tackle these challenges, we spoke with Cleveland-based architect Robert Donaldson of MOD{all}Studio and Los Angeles celebrity interior designer Michelle Workman to share some ideas for designing small spaces.

Cabinets are a fundamental part of any kitchen. Kitchen cabinets not only provide storage, but they define spatial organization and workflow for one of the most used spaces in a home. As such, cabinets are a focal point of every kitchen, and proper installation is essential to both aesthetic and functional qualities. The cabinets need to be square, level, and secure so doors and drawers operate properly and provide stable support for the countertops and fixtures. With the right tools and a little patience, installing kitchen cabinets is a project any do-it-yourselfer can handle. Join our host, Jeff Wilson, as he installs new base cabinets for a small kitchen.

Ceramic tile is a common choice among flooring materials, especially for kitchens and bathrooms. It comes in so many types, colors, textures, and sizes that the design possibilities seem unlimited. Despite this wide variety of design options, the installation of a ceramic tile floor typically follows a series of basic steps, and ceramic tile can be laid over just about any type of subfloor. It is a project that many DIYers can accomplish with a few tips and a little patience. Join our host, Jeff Wilson, as he demonstrates how to install a ceramic tile floor.

Over the past few years home improvement and building improvement have taken a dramatic shift toward retrofits with financial benefits. Homeowners and building managers are no longer content with inefficient homes and underperforming assets. Instead, they are looking for multiple ways to lower their expenses. One of many successful strategies has been to decrease water use through the installation of low-flow fixtures. However, the question must be asked: what is the return on investment (ROI) of low-flow fixtures?

The word "harmony" may be immensely overused in the architecture world, but it’s difficult to avoid when describing Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava’s creations. While many bask in the glow of his paradoxical designs, some see his projects as nothing short of an architectural attack against harmonic city planning. Regardless, Calatrava’s reputation for structural risk-taking has made him one of the most recognized architects in the world. With a background in architecture and civil engineering, Calatrava is also a sculptor and painter. This artistic combination is evident not just in Ysios Bodegas but in the majority of his projects, which often blend (or clash) the worlds of intricate design with practicability.

Empowerhouse: a collaboration between Parsons The New School for Design, Milano The New School for Management and Urban Policy, and Stevens Institute of Technology

The Solar Decathlon competition requires teams to meet pages of rules, so not much time remains for considering what will become of the houses following their debut on the National Mall. However, the students of Parsons The New School for Design, Milano The New School for Management and Urban Policy, and Stevens Institute of Technology have a definite post-competition plan in mind: to provide housing for two families in the Deanwood neighborhood of Ward 7 in Washington, DC. The team has partnered with Habitat for Humanity and DC's Department of Housing and Community Development to build Empowerhouse, an affordable model for living that uses passive design strategies.

Builders and project leaders are taking on a heightened level of responsibility when it comes to deciding whether to participate in certification programs, determining which programs best reflect their values and standards, and ultimately selling the idea and cost of certification to the owner. I spoke with several industry experts to get a better understanding of the challenges associated with building green and certification programs. Although opinions certainly vary, it seems that participation has not yet become an industry-wide expectation because some builders are not yet convinced that certification is necessary.

In recent years, CSI, or crime scene investigation, has become an increasingly popular term thanks to television. However, CSI takes place every day in the real world, in ways that you may not have previously considered. Forensic engineers assess damage to properties, determine the cause(s), and offer possible remediation. Situations in which structural CSI is required can include water infiltrating a structure; storms, fires, or explosions damaging a building; or a product defect or a material deficiency occurring.

Only you and those around you know what color your thumb is. For those of you without a green thumb, plants have a few environmental needs to grow and stay alive: temperature, water, soil, and sunlight. When Mother Nature doesn't provide these, you need to. That all seems rather easy, right? Whether you are planting a new garden or adding to an existing one, a little knowledge, planning, and preparation will go a long way toward earning your green thumb and determining the future success of your garden.

Most of us don’t ever really think about shipping containers unless we work in logistics or caught the second season of The Wire. They have been steadily making their way into the architectural world -- their low cost and ambulatory nature making them appropriate in a variety of contexts, such as upscale housing and small workplaces or getaways. The creativity of these spaces emerges with the challenge of fitting design into a box, quite literally. Here, however, we will examine that creativity a bit further in a few other uses, while discussing shipping container design with Pittsburgh-based architect Gary P. Moshier of Moshier Studio.

BIG's Amager Waste-to-Energy Plant not only exemplifies the cleanest waste-to-energy treatment possible, it offers a ski slope to Copenhagen's residents.

A building down which you can ski and where garbage is burned: some surrealistic fun is coming to Copenhagen. Such a building is the result of the winning competition entry from Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) with realities:united and Topotek / Man Made Land. Expected to be completed in 2016, the $650 million (USD) Amager Waste-to-Energy facility (Amagerforbrænding) in Copenhagen really does incorporate a ski slope into the design, among its other captivating qualities. Amagerforbrænding combines the waste incineration and pollution control plant, offices, visitor center, and the alpine ski slope in one shell.