Is Product Placement the Future of Sustainable Architecture?

Most buildings have a long lifespan, and in this age of environmental uncertainty it is more important than ever that the buildings we design are sustainable. However, many believe this change isn’t happening quickly enough. Enter Free Green, an American sustainable housing design firm, with an innovative solution which could speed up the transition to sustainable residential architecture.

Whilst many consider the role of the architect to be key in building design becoming more sustainable, the reality is that only 5% of homes have an architect involved in their design. But with 30% of homes built coming from stock plans, many of which are years old, Free Green believe that for housing design to become more sustainable, newer, greener stock plans will have a more positive impact than architects ever could.

In order to reach the biggest audience possible, and to provide the company with a unique selling point, Free Green decided to give away their sustainable stock plans at no cost. To generate income from their idea, product placement, a method normally used in film and TV, was integrated in all their plans.

Essentially, companies that produce sustainable products for housing construction can pay Free Green to have their designs featured with the hope that a percentage of those who use the plans will buy their goods. In order to qualify for a place on Free Green’s plans, all product must pass a selection of third party sustainability tests, as well as meet the company’s approval.

David Wax and Ben Uyeda, the company’s founders, believe:

Design isn’t a product or service, it’s a medium, and no one has ever looked at the house plan as a form of media.

Users can modify house plans online, with changes presented in a way that is easy understand. For example, improve a building’s insulation and you could see that the expense will increase mortgage repayments by $50 a month, but save $100 a month in energy bills, a method of presentation that Wax and Uyeda believe will encourage uptake of green housing improvements.

Since launching, over 44,000 plans have been downloaded and Free Green have become the world’s largest provider of house stock plans. Is product placement the future of sustainable architecture? It’s certainly worked for Free Green.

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Shared on @ThisBigCity This Week

Struggle to visualise the amount of rubbish generated in one hour? Design boom report on the ‘one hour tower’ by New York based architecture organisation, Terreform.

A great week over a Treehugger, with articles exploring the use of bark on buildings, and 7 green themes on display in the Season 6 premier of ABC’s Lost.

Hewlett-Packard have started a project called a ‘Central Nervous System for the Earth’, report the New York Times, who also covered the mixed reaction received by New York’s recent pedestrianisation efforts, and how we aren’t using urban space well enough.

The Nature Conservancy ponder the effect of urbanisation on nature.

Mexico City’s finest contemporary architecture is the theme of this slideshow over at Business Week.

Why should genetic modification apply only to food? Scientific American consider the role of Genetically Modified forests.

Next American City analyse the recent financial collapse of New York’s Peter Cooper Village.

A whopping 15% of city centres are vacant or abandoned, leading to some imaginative use of empty urban space, report Governing.

Jetson Green preview the HGTV Green Home of 2010, and Aerogel, a super-thin and efficient new form of insulation.

What will Britain’s capital city look like in 20 year’s time? The Guardian make their predictions.

The Independent believe Eastern architecture is increasingly influencing British developers.

Urban Australia is more expensive than both London and New York, report The Age.

GOOD answer the question: who uses the most energy per capita?

After years of stress on New York’s electricity grid, Metropolis Magazine believe it’s time to build a smart grid in the Big Apple.

This is just a selection! Follow @thisbigcity or Become a Fan on Facebook to get more.

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Lets Enlighten & Inspire the Next Generation of Urban Leaders

If you think that sounds like a goal you want to support, why not head over to Pepsi Refresh and vote for Next American City.

The Pepsi Refresh Project, a collaboration between Pepsi and GOOD, is giving away $1,300,000 every month to fund great ideas, and Next American City Vanguard Project is in the running for $25K - but they need your vote!

The Vanguard Project opens for applications annually and selects 50 of the best young urban leaders. The project aims to enlighten and inspire these young leaders, and offer them networking opportunities. Next American City believe that bringing people together in this environment will provide the U.S. with leaders ready for current and future urban challenges. Watch their video pitch to find out more:

Click here to submit your vote.

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Ever Wondered Where the Black Box Recorder is?

As the world continues to globalise, flying from city to city is getting easier, cheaper and is happening more frequently. Yet how many of us really understand how it all works? Sure we know where the pilot sits, but where’s the black box recorder? How does the landing gear work? Where exactly in the plane is your luggage stored?

Enter South African airline Kulula with some of the answers. Infographics are all the rage at the moment (check out GOOD for some great examples), so the in-house design team at Kulula have applied this to their aeroplanes, creating a ‘flying 101’.

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