For those of you who grew up in the ‘70s, wallpaper may conjure memories of obnoxious stripes and florals that made you want to plan a great escape from your vinyl seat at mom’s aluminum breakfast table. I’m going to attempt to replace the outdated misconceptions that may plague your mind when you hear the word “wallpaper” and introduce a new perspective into your psyche: not only are today’s wallcovering options beautiful and environmentally friendly, many can truly be considered an art form.

Reducing paper usage has been one of the most iconic and understandable of the green movement’s mandates. The intricacies of forest management have remained obscure to most of us, however,  although forest management is the real key to preserving woodland habitats as well as our wood supply. Most consumers now recognize that it is an eco-friendly choice to look for the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) label on wood products, to guarantee that they are sustainably produced … but what does this label mean, exactly, and is there more to the story of sustainable forestry?

In 2007, Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp. acquired Dow Jones, publisher of the Wall Street Journal. Within months, the announcement was made that the Wall Street Journal offices would be moving from their long-time home in the financial district to a building in midtown Manhattan, where News Corp. was based. The firm STUDIOS Architecture was hired to design the new space, which occupied 240,000 sq. ft. (22,297 m2) across five floors of a building located on the Avenue of the Americas.

Buying a home and moving are two of those life events that are often considered to be extremely stressful. As you decide which house is right for you, the time, decisions, and financial commitment necessary can become burdensome. Once you find a home to buy, your concerns immediately switch to questions about it. Why are they selling? Is anything wrong with it? How much out-of-pocket expense comes with buying this home? Having the home inspected by a qualified professional prior to finalizing the purchase can help to address these concerns. A professional home inspection will also deepen your understanding of the property and give you some peace of mind prior to completing the sale.

It's a competition of Olympic proportions, but can an event dedicated to piquing public interest in alternative energy technologies draw crowds like a sporting event? The Solar Decathlon is a biennial competition established in 2002 and supported by the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). Twenty teams from colleges and universities around the world are selected to design and build solar-powered homes over the course of the two-year period. This fall, the 2011 teams will showcase their homes in Washington, D.C., for 10 days with free admission to the public. Visitors will learn about sustainable design and hopefully find inspiration to incorporate some strategies into their own homes. Following the competition, the houses will be sold to families or developers, used for research, or displayed at their respective universities.

Hale Pilihonua Connects Home, Land, and Sea

When most people picture Hawaii, pristine beaches and sparkling blue waters come to mind. teamhawai'i aims to preserve this image for future generations. For the first time, the University of Hawaii was selected to participate as one of the 20 teams in the 2011 Solar Decathlon, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). Previously, Universidad de Puerto Rico was the only tropics-based team to participate, although this climate type comprises 40% of the Earth's surface. Not only has teamhawai'i strived to create a design that addresses the unique challenges presented by the tropics, but they also hope to cultivate and retain local talent.

“A tradition has been broken in Indian architecture. Too much has intervened, and modernity, or what is considered to be modernity, has now to be swallowed as a whole. Year by year, India's stock of barely usable buildings grows. Old ideas about ventilation are out, modern air conditioners are in. They absolve the architect of the need to design for difficult climate, and leave him free to copy.” – V. S. Naipaul

Danish Broadcasting Corporation’s (DR's) new headquarters gathers all of their activities into one very large and diverse facility. Almost 10 years after the first competition, the inauguration of the Concert Hall (Koncerthuset) marks the completion of the new headquarters, aptly named DR Byen (DR City).

At the 2011 International Builders’ Show, teams participating in the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon gathered to showcase their designs and to spread the word about the competition. While in attendance at the show, we had the opportunity to meet the Appalachian State University team and learn more about the Solar Homestead, their entry into Solar Decathlon 2011. Collaboration and excitement at the opportunity to change the way homes are built were apparent. Join us as we follow the Appalachian State University team in the first of a series of videos documenting the Solar Homestead project.

When finished, the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art will provide visitors with multi-faceted enjoyment. “The water features are intended to give an alternate experience to the art exhibits,” says Hugh Phillips, R.A., the project manager and a principal at Safdie Architects, the Museum’s architectural design firm. “We had the choice to keep the stream natural with its frequent low flow or to construct ponds and provide a larger body of water to make the water more significant.” Although both were good choices, given the natural beauty of this narrow valley about a mile northeast of downtown Bentonville, Arkansas, Safdie Architects elected to go with the larger water feature.

The Harris Boulevard House in Austin, Texas, provides a nice counterpoint to some of the more formulaic house types that dot the landscape. Its owners wished to create an amalgamation of their favorite architectural styles, which brought a certain rigor to the design process. During the couple's extensive travels in Asia, they developed a liking for Pacific Rim architecture, where the International Style is influenced by local building types. Additionally, the wife was born in Houston and then moved to Nebraska, so she has a fondness for the more classic homes of the Midwest.