Richard Cook and Bob Fox are  two of the most innovative architects of our era. They have been at the forefront of designing energy efficient homes and spaces before it became fashionable.

I received an email today from them which brought a new endeavor of theirs to my attention. It mentioned ….. Today’s Wall Street Journal includes a special report on energy: a look ahead at technology, design, policy, and economics. Its cover story, “The Green House of the Future”, asked four architectural firms to imagine an energy efficient, environmentally-sustainable home without worrying about the usual realities of costs and building technologies.

Their answer is a conceptual design for an environmentally-responsive, “biomorphic” house that adapts to its occupants’ needs, as well as changing weather and other environmental factors. The design is an evolution of their proposal for the Live Work Home, a winner of Syracuse University’s recent “From the Ground Up” competition.

The article from yesterday’s Wall Street Journal shows many creative and provocative ideas from four different architectural firms.

I am starting to see more people consciously aware of environmental issues worldwide. There are more hybrid cars on the road, and the stores I shop at have “environmentally friendly” products widely displayed. How does this translate into the way we buy and live inside our homes? Marketing companies and developers are starting to advertise the fact that their buildings may be “green” or LEED certified. I believe that this trend will grow. As technology evolves, green living will become more efficient and become both environmentally and economically preferable. But, there are shades of green and it is not simply black or white. I was fortunate to sit down with Ashok Gupta who is Senior Energy Economist with the Natural Resources Defense Council. He is actively involved in all aspects of green buildings on a daily basis and is incredibly insightful on this subject.

(more…)