Inhabitat reports  “The Canada based Énóvo House features a sleek modular assembly that’s designed to evolve as the needs of its inhabitants change. Its elegant, angular structure makes excellent use of materials to maximize square footage, and its versatile design is able to adapt to any type of terrain and any climate condition.”

Énóvo’s highlights:

• The house was designed around a central courtyard that incorporates nature’s elements.

• It features a green roof consisting entirely of living plants
• Radiant flooring that stores calorific energy
• Vast windows that facilitate closeness to the environment while increasing energy performance through their large supply of natural light.
• Ready-to-assemble modular structures the house melts into its environment, adapts to the lifestyle, the needs and the evolution of those living in it.
• Choice of cathedral ceilings or low ceilings, open spaces or intimate spaces, small secret rooms or large open concept rooms, it’s all possible….
• Will adapt to any type of terrain and to any climate condition including blizzards, earthquakes and flooding.
• The home automation management system offers solutions for optimal use of the available resources.

Living Homes works with architects Ray Kappe and Kieran Timberlake for some of the best looking eco prefabs on the market. Kappe’s configurations run from $575k to $853k ($275 sf) not including land, assembly, etc.

Timberlake’s Living Homes are more reasonable, from $185 to $215 sf

Configure a virtual home online.  Options include solar panels, rainwater harvesting + others

I’m an industrial design buff and as far as I know, industrial designers aren’t licensed, and they aren’t knocking down doors to get licensed either. I looked at the IDSA web site and I don’t see any mention of “legislation”. If you can find any, let me know.

If you want to compare industrial and interior design and whose job is “more important” to public safety, I’d vote for industrial design any day of the week. They design mass-produced cars, ergonomic chairs, keyboards, forks and knives, motorcycles, table fans, even Ronco dice & slice gizmos.

Sure, while it takes special education, skill and a discerning ability to design and specify for inside a building, is this the kind of work that needs oversight by the state because bad practice kills people? , or is it the kind of work that consumers can easily benefit from what we have now, which is private (state recognized) Certification. I’m neither licensed or certified, I just have not found the time yet to study for the CCRE.

Is there a big difference in the name Registered versus Certified . Does one title have more prestige or give a client a better designer. I don’t know.

As a space planner/designer who works with contractors and architects all the time, I’ve had my share of unwarranted “attitude”. I’ve been called interior desicrator to my face and behind my back. There seems to be an unspoken pecking order in construction, which is not unlike racism. It makes you feel bad about yourself and it wears you down. I think this would occur even if designers were licensed.

Over the years I’ve heard workmen in the field whisper and wonder if I was gay or some real ignorant, come right out and say it to my face. They don’t even know me and they judge me badly because of what I do for a living. (I’m not by the way). There have been many times that I wanted to be higher on the pecking order but then I should have become a Civil Engineer. They’re top dog, the buck stops with them, they have the biggest responsibility of all. But I like design and not math and I don’t want more responsibility (or liability) than I already have. I feel that a state license will bring me more of what I don’t want.

But back to the industrial designers, I have met a few in my life, and they seemed to have good self esteem and didn’t suffer an inferiority complex. I’m sure they get their share of crap from engineers in their field but thats just human nature unfortunately. There’s always going to be ’some’ people who like to tear others down to make themselves feel better. Their work is hard, just like interior designers or even more so, and yet they as a group don’t think they need a state license to protect the public from their work nor to validate them as being good professionals. As a group (and for what they give us), I think they’re pretty cool.

Surfing around today, I found some cool Web sites

Ready Solar, ’solar in a box’

Sunset Idea Houses

KitHAUS little prefab houses that DWR sells

All this great stuff is out of my reach, by the time it becomes affordable, I’ll probably be too old to care. heh heh.

These sheds are almost good enough to live in. I know Winston would like if we both moved in one. Now that he’s older, he has trouble with all the stairs in our townhome.

( Winston is my dog)

West Coast Green, MKDesigns, one day I would like to live in a house like this

or any one of Michelle Kaufmans prefab homes would do, especially high up with an ocean view.

Breezehouse

Sidebreeze