Greentelligence on the Home Front

Posted Thursday September 2 2010 by Malissa Kullberg in Real Estate

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Photo by Marcel Lam, for the New York Times

“Consumers in general want a home that is cozier, more organized and more economical in terms of operating costs,” said Stacy Rogers in Home Buying Trends in 2010.

Behold the acme of cozy, organized, energy-efficient operation: Gary Chang’s “Domestic Transformer.”

With the use of sliding screens, architect and homeowner, Chang, mutipurposed his 330 square foot Hong Kong apartment into 24 distinct rooms. The result is a home that’s comfortable, commodious and ultra-hip. Watch the video and marvel at the man’s brilliance.

httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lg9qnWg9kak

While Cheng’s design is a sharp departure from the soft curves and natural materials that characterize “Santa Fe style,” the creative intelligence that spawned it is not. Architects?

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If you thought 330 square feet was small, check out the work of Derek Diedricksen whose super small houses, profiled in the February 23th New York Times’ article, The $200 Microhouse, are charming interplays of scavenged materials and ingenuity. Although limited in comforts and practicality, the little domiciles are as inspiring as their maker. You’ve got to admire the innocent moxie of a man who, when asked what a construction he was asked to make for The Homeless was called said, “The $100 Homeless Hut…I made up the name right now.” High on imaginative drive, low on pretense –just like a kid.