Posted on 29 May 2008 by Eric Corey Freed
There are several ways to eliminate chlorine or significantly reduce the use of it, although the pool industry remains skeptical of their effectiveness and it is often difficult to find builders to install them.
From saline, to UV lights, to ozone injectors, to natural aquifers, there are now several viable options for creating a pool that does not require harmful chemicals to stay clean.
Posted on 25 March 2008 by Eric Corey Freed
I am honored to be named one of the environmental leaders in San Francisco by 7×7 Magazine for their April (Earth Day) issue.
The article begins:
You already know the elders of the green tribe–Gore, Waters, McDonough. Now, meet SF’s next wave.
It is also great to see my friend, Matt Golden, from Sustainable Spaces as one of the honorees. San Francisco is a wonderful place filled with so many great people doing amazing things, and Matt is a perfect example of that.
Full Profile via 7×7 Magazine
All of the profiles for the issue
Posted on 25 March 2008 by Eric Corey Freed
I participated in a round table discussion with some of the leaders in green building for an article in Metropolitan Home with:
Fellow Architect Rob Harrison
Planner Steven Lenard
Interior Designer Denise Shaw
Executive Director of Build It Green, Brian Gitt
My favorite part:
Freed: Some of my work is helping other architects “green up” their projects. But it’s ridiculous when someone unveils a 14,000-square-foot house and asks me, “What can we do to make it greener?” My usual answer is, “Why don’t we take off the second floor?”
Posted on 09 March 2008 by Eric Corey Freed
I wrote an article for Anne Fougeron. Fougeron is a wonderful modernist and her loft in the San Francisco South of Market (SoMa) district is an exploration of green adaptive reuse. The three main elements: folded steel stair, interior courtyard and penthouse addition, are a clever and unique approach to converting an old factory into a home.
Read the full story:
Posted on 19 February 2008 by Eric Corey Freed
The Eliphante Art House
The Eliphante Art House is the home of artist Michael Kahn and his wife Leda Livant built from found materials. Located in Cornville, Arizona, it represents a fine example of folk art home building.
An excerpt:
ANY fool can hire an architect to draw up a plan for a house, but it takes a truly inspired fool — which is to say, an artist — to start building and see where the earth and driftwood and shards of broken pottery take him, and an equally impassioned fool — say, a woman in love — to go along and carry the rocks on her back.
The Eliphante Art House Website
Posted on 18 February 2008 by Eric Corey Freed
The Mushroom House is the home of Canadian artist Zube, who has worked on it for over 22 years. Located in Whistler, Canada, the Mushroom House was inspired by glacial rock formations.
The site has a wonderful virtual tour of each room (click on the red dots on the site map).
Posted on 24 January 2008 by Eric Corey Freed
CalFinder is a site where you can find contractors to help you with a building project. They interviewed me to talk about the perceptions of green building and what is waiting for us in the future.
An excerpt:
The act of renovating your building is expensive, whether you’re green or not. Being green doesn’t cost you any more, in fact it’s an opportunity to save money.
Posted on 22 December 2007 by Eric Corey Freed
A nice review of the book appeared on Inhabitat today. Now they see a LOT of books and resources, so a kind word from them means a great deal.
I have to admit, it’s strange to work on something for a year, finish months ago (I finished the manuscript back in July) and NOW have people talking about it. As my friends will tell you, I cannot keep secrets, so keeping the book quiet while writing it was very hard! I love people are finally getting the information in the book.
An excerpt:
Green Building & Remodeling for Dummies provides an introduction to every facet of green building, from start to finish, including the materials, architecture, and construction methods of green building and remodeling for both homeowners and professionals such as architects, interior designers, and contractors.
…You won’t be a dummy with this book in your library… check out [this] truly helpful, informative reference guide, and get smart about green building in the New Year.
Thanks, Piper and Inhabitat for the kind words!
Few reviewers can seem to resist making a Dummies joke, and I think I’ve heard them all! Keep ‘em coming.
Buy your copy of “Green Building for Dummies” now!
Posted on 16 December 2007 by Eric Corey Freed
The lovely ladies of Inhabitat: Piper Kujac, Sarah Rich, Jill Fehrenbacher, Emily Pilloton
One of my favorite blogs, Inhabitat, shares office space with my favorite community organization, Architecture For Humanity, and my favorite design competition, Urban Re:Vision. Friday night was their collective holiday party.
This is why I love San Francisco: here you can find a room filled with the greatest people doing the most interesting things on the planet. In attendance: Michelle Kaufman, Allison Arrief, Cameron Sinclair, Sarah Rich, Jill Fehrenbacher, Emily Pilloton, Stacey Frost, Willem Maas, Bill Cahan, the gang from Ecolect, the gang from Branch and the gang from Worldchanging… plus so many friends and interesting people. (Google any names you don’t recognize!)
Perhaps the most interesting thing is how connected these various groups have become. They’re all friends, all working to change the world and all full of hope for our future. Hard to believe that the truly most influential people in design today are a handful of young, hip bloggers (like those pictured). Women seem to be leading the charge. There are noticably more women than men in this group. I don’t know what this indicates, but it’s something to consider.
Flickr gallery of photos from the event
Posted on 16 October 2007 by Eric Corey Freed
The Western Interiors Home Show is coming on October 26th in San Francisco. I will giving the keynote presentation, and am very excited to see the interior design world finally taking green so seriously.
There are some amazing speakers, so join me at the conference.
Our friends at West Coast Green are also helping to host the event, and some of the features:
-giving away 2000 cfl’s at the green home pavilion – where you can chat with me on Friday and other green experts throughout the conference.
- All of the exhibitors had to meet the same strict green product criteria as that of West Coast Green, so they are thoughtful products and companies
