Icon Solar House in Minnesota USA by Lucia Ortiz Architect

This great sustainable architecture residential building concept is designed by Lucioa Ortiz Architect. Its a sustainable home design inspiration which has great way to reduce household energy-costs by using a natural power resources from the sun. The ICON Solar House has all the comforts of a traditional home along some of the most advanced technology available on the market today.

On the ICON Solar House, the ridge of the roof is pulled towards the north, which expands the surface area on the southern side. At the same time, the ridge is raised so that the solar panel roof is angled perfectly for maximum sun exposure during the winter, when energy demand is at its peak. In Minnesota, located in the north central section of the US, an angle of 35 degrees to 45 degrees is usually considered ideal for solar collection during the winter.

Competition rules required a lower roof pitch so the designers used energy modeling software to determine that a roof angle of 28 degrees in addition to a certain amount of surface area on the southern half of the roof would produce the greatest amount of solar energy.

In the ICON Solar House integrated shelving system runs the entire length of the house, incorporating lighting, HVAC ductwork, partitions and doors.

The house a rainscreen instead of siding allows air movement behind the cladding material, helping to draw away moisture from the membrane and plywood sheathing while still allowing the wall to permeate moisture vapor. At the same time, the rainscreen wall meets the aesthetic goals of the house and the project concept, with horizontal slats that have a similar pattern as traditional wood siding.

The minimum bid on the house is $200,000. The house has a retail value of over $550,000 and exceeds all relevant building codes. An allowance of $20,000 will be provided by the university for consulting and assistance in assembling the ICON House on site.

Muvbox Fast Food Restaurant from Reused Shipping Container Box

Muvbox is a great shipping container box design inspiration of Fast Food Restaurant that was constructed from the old container and powered by solar energy that can generate 40% of the restaurant energy needs and the remaining 60% is filled by propane to full the kitchen appliances.

Muvbox, the company behind this portable restaurant concept, had their interior design and architecture done by Sid Lee, in collaboration with Ædifica. The interior featured modern kitchen set with seating for 28 peoples.

The Muvbox is a sophisticated design which recently emerged from Montreal, Canada and is a shipping container that opens up into a full-fledged mobile, outdoor fast food restaurant, the floor is made from recycled tires and made using reused 20-foot shipping container, the muvbox can be vanishes back into the cube and redeploying early the next morning in less than two minutes.

See the video here :

Trestle House - Modular Constructed House With A Tight Budget

Tyler Engle Architects have designed this Trestle House, A modular constructed house design with a very tight budget and very difficult construction conditions. The Trestle House is located on a steeply slopping sight so innovative structural systems and modular construction were used.

Its name is chose due to the foundation system while the budget economy was achieved by the use of a 12’ x 16’ grid creating a short structural span and standard 4’ x 8’ sheets of plywood which is a modern reinterpretation of the traditional Japanese Tatami mat module.

These material looks very natural even though it isn’t and comfy for living. The interior continuous the theme of naturalism so materials that were used there are wood, stone and their imitations.

Romero House by At103

Romero house is a residential project designed by at103 / Julio Amezcua + Francisco Pardo for a 4 members family located in Queretaro, Mexico. At103 was founded with the clear intention to investigate and create new techniques for architecture in the contemporary city, a multidisciplinary group shares a need for integration among the capacities of logistics and the multiplicity of knowledge.



















The 'romero house' design is developed out of an existing foundation, from which it was necessary to define clarity on the volumes that constitute tshe house, considering the use of materials and the program that each box contains. The stone box is the hermetic one; it contains the principal bathroom and services areas such as: storage, maid’s room and garage.





















The wooden box contains all public areas living room, dining room, studio, bar, kitchen, tv room, visits and kids rooms. Access is through the void generated in between this 2, connecting directly to the living room, a double height space where the main stairs and the linking bridge between the boxes are located.





















A metallic structure was proposed for the need of fast construction and lightness over the existing foundation, prefabricated materials were used and based on its modulation they were perforated to generate the visual relation in-between interior and exterior.

The Canuhome Prefab Residence

The Canuhome Prefab Residence is a 20 by 50 ft. exhibit of an 850 sq. ft. prefab residence, including a kitchen and dining room, living room, bathroom and bedroom. The Canuhome is designed for young couples, seniors, singles and small families; it can fit into rear gardens or on rooftops of buildings for city dwellers, and in the countryside for green fields aficionados.












This traveling exhibit brings together a diverse group of partners in order to stimulate more sustainable, universal and affordable prefab housing solutions for Canadians. “It’s high time we all start decreasing our utility bills and improving indoor air quality while helping the environment on our quest for a better life…”












Designed by IwB, the Canuhome is a full-size home that draws design inspiration from CMHC's EQulibrium, Healthy HousingTM and FlexhousingTM Initiatives, is constructed using Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified wood products, and therby meets LEED standards. Features include:
- Improved indoor air and environment quality;
- Reduced ecological footprint through energy, water and resource efficiency;
- Universal, accessible and adaptable design to meet changing needs;
- Inherent affordability - last longer, less costly to operate, eligible for green financing.