The University of Texas School of Architecture is selling the BLOOMhouse

The BLOOMhouse was the UT school of architecture’s entry in the 2007 Solar Decathlon competition in Washington D.C. The house placed 10th in the overall competition, 2nd in the engineering category.

As the competition is based on principles of sustainable design and re-use, it makes sense to offer the UT entry up for sale. The proceeds will help the team fund their 2009 Solar Decathlon home.

Here are some of the BLOOMhouse specs listed on the website:

• House Dimensions = 14′ x 50′
• 6.6 kW photo voltaic array, inverter, battery system
• LED lighting
• Metal-faced SIP construction (R-30)
• Energy efficient appliances

The starting bid is $200k, not a bad deal considering all of the technology and design that went in to the project. It would probably be a great house for a remote property or a small infill lot. Here’s the floorplan:

For more details and information on how to bid here is the website:

Be sure to get your bids in before January 18!

Disclaimer: I can’t be certain that is is actually Austin’s ‘greenest’ house. There is not yet a commonly understood measure of greenness (LEED and Austin Energy are addressing this), and I am not aware of a ranking list of green homes in our area. In any case, I think you’ll agree that a Solar Decathlon entry is going to be the cream of the ‘green’ crop.

Happy Holidays to all! Here are some links for those who have finished their shopping and aren’t occupied with relatives, cooking, opening gifts, etc.

Austin

• First, an update on the possibility of a Northcross Walmart – Statesman: Judge says Wal-Mart can be built at Northcross Mall
• The McMansion ordinance may become more restrictive for small lots in Austin. See details – Statesman: Tighter development rules for small East Austin lots get support and further coverage at The Austinist
• In public transit news, we may see a proposal for more rail to serve central Austin – Austin Business Journal: CAMPO meets over future rail system
• This will come as no suprise, but our city was recently listed as one of the Top 10 Greenest based on CO2 output – Austinist: Practically Verdant: Austin Named in Top 10 Greenest Cities List. Perhaps the aforementioned rail system can help us climb the list.
• The Statesman notices the homes being built at I-35 & Riverside. Statesman: Modern homes rise above I-35 and Riverside Drive
• An interesting article about the limits of Wind Power for our city – Statesman: Wind power has its limits, Austin official says

Green

• An new business venture in Austin, Green Banking – Statesman: New bank aims to make green even greener
• The President signed a new energy bill that will take traditional lightbulbs off the market in 2012. See details here – That Other Paper: Say goodbye to your light bulbs
• Here’s a neat list of the Top 10 Green Campuses, unfortunately no Texas schools made the list – SierraClub: 10 That Get It
• In solar technology news, Austin will be the home for HelioVolt’s new solar panel plant – Austin Business Journal: HelioVolt picks Austin for first plant. Hopefully they can help drive down prices, like another solar startup targeting $1/Watt – CNET News: Nanosolar ‘prints’ first flexible solar cells

Architecture

• From the ‘Problems I wish I had’ file – FastCompany: Brains behind billionaire homes
• Big News for Lautner Fans – Archinect: Lautner Retrospective @ the Hammer
• I linked above to the top 10 green campuses, here is a list of the top 20 ugliest campuses. As an Aggie I’m chagrined to report that we made the list – Campus Squeeze: The 20 Ugliest Colleges in the USA
• Here is a neat link for those considering a construction project. A team in Philidelphia is attempting to build a modern, green home for $100k. This boils down to a a 1000 sqft 2/1 for $100/sqft – 100kHouse.com

Misc

• This is somewhat Real Estate related (I wish I lived on this street): Some Douglas Adams fans in Portland want to rename a street after the author. Which street you ask? 42nd of course – Rename42nd.org
• Finally, Popular Mechanics has a thorough story about a newcomer to the electric/hybrid vehicle market. Aptera’s Super-MPG Electric Typ-1 e: Exclusive Video Test Drive

Finally, I’d like to wish my clients, friends, and readers a very Happy and safe holidays. In lieu of a personal holiday video, here is some great holiday music over A Charlie Brown Christmas:

Well folks, some of you may have noticed that my Austin Home Search data hasn’t been updated in about a week. The Austin Board of Realtors (ABOR) recently upgraded their MLS database engine which resulted in changes to how the listing data I receive is formatted.

Unfortunately, ABOR didn’t warn me of these changes, so I’ve been scrambling to update code and repair my database ever since. I think I’m finally back to a state of functionality, so be sure to check out my Austin Modern Home Search page if you haven’t looked in awhile.

Here are some photos of modern listings that came up after I fixed the issues:

Check out the search here: Austin Home Search, or via the map-looking link in the upper right corner of the page.

I’d like to thank my friend Robert for his modern holiday wishes. He found this great modern gingerbread cake on Uncrate.com.

Here’s a link with details: Modern Gingerbread Home at RedEnvelope.

The butterfly roof reminds me of this KRDB Project in East Austin.

I wonder how much it costs for a custom built cake. I’d love to see some of Austin’s fine modern architecture in gingerbread.

Update:
As Ben (of modernaustin.com) pointed out, the upstanding modernists at IF+D hosted a modern gingerbread house making party this week. Check out photos on their blog: IF+D Modern Gingerbread Houses.

A wide variety of links this week – something for everyone:

Austin (Good) News

• Austin gets high marks in yet another nationwide ranking- Austin Business Journal: Survey: Austin high on most-desirable list. Perhaps this survey states the obvious (of course people want to move here!), but its nice to get the national recognition.
• Today Show Real Estate Expert (and successful investor) Barbara Corcoran calls out South Austin as one of four “up and coming” neighborhoods in the country. See the video – MSNBC – Barbara Corcoran on up and coming neighborhoods.

Green Building & Architecture

• I’ve seen a lot of architects make customer furniture, however there are several other venues for their design skills. Archinect points out some notable examples – Archinect: Architects’ Designs on Fashion and Boating
• Great news for green entrepreneurs – Techcrunch: Google Takes on Global Warming. See the full Google press release here.
• Even the famous Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center has gone ‘green’ with solar panels and LED lights – Apartment Therapy: Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Goes Green.
• For those considering a remodel or addition in the near future (myself), here is some good news – The Real Estate Bloggers: Time To Rebuild The Deck, Or Lumber Prices Decline On Low Demand.

Real Estate

• Check out this listing: Lautner Designed Lucien Hubbard’s Desert Hot Springs Motel For Sale for only $495,000! Seems like a deal to me! I think a certain local modern blogger (and Lautner fan) may need to move to Desert Hot Springs, CA. For more cool listings with great photos checkout ArchitectureForSale.com.
• Another unique home in the desert (although not for sale), the USA Today tours magician Teller’s home – USA Today: Teller’s magical Vegas retreat speaks volumes.
• If you have $40 Million to spend here’s a great Richard Meier designed condo for you Curbed: On the Market: What $40 Million at Meier Gets You.
• Finally, read this post for a tough lesson on Adverse Possession – BoingBoing: Land grab case in Boulder incites anger and protests

Misc

• Google Maps adds terrain data Google LatLong: Explore new terrain.
• Perhaps some holiday gift ideas for your favorite bookworm NY Times: 10 Best Books of 2007.

Have a great weekend. Enjoy the beautiful fall weather while it lasts!