anti carbon footprint!

I stumbled upon the 'Solar Decathalon' http://www.solardecathlon.org/2009/gallery_homes.cfm while I was looking at off-the-grid homes earlier today, and some of these are so neat! I already love the idea of a miniature house (ex. Jay Shafer's Tiny house travel-trailers: http://www.tumbleweedhouses.com), but these are bigger, more practical, and probably have an even smaller carbon footprint! My favorites are the ones designed by Team Alberta, Team California, Ohio, and Minnesota. Can't wait for the next one in 2011!

These homes got me thinking about a solar powered house I once stayed in on Martha's Vineyard. My friend Rosy's family friends own an off-the-grid house which they built themselves not too long ago, and it is one of the most fairy tale homes I have ever experienced. It's off of a dirt road and in the middle of the woods, and it has a rope swing and an outdoor shower. Completely charming, personally and environmentally.

Spain 2009

I was visiting Spain last Spring. While driving through the country heading towards Malaga, I took some shots of some of the homes, sadly most of them have disappeared, but I have managed to locate these.\. Most houses were very run-down, and I am still not sure whether or not any of them were occupied. Regardless, I love the their look. It's almost impossible to imagine how exactly the inside is laid out because of the house's strange shape I especially love the chipping plaster over the brick and the seemingly random windows and privacy walls on this.

These buildings are obviously occupied, but the way they were constructed is still fascinating. The red-roofed building is made of stone, and the foundation is simply arches. The house with the pool is accessed by bridge, and the yard is terraced and sanded. Although they at first look similar, none of them are made the same way, and even their roofs are shingled with different material.