Google Sketchup is an architectural design tool. As a New York design/build firm we use it to show clients 3D renderings of our jobs. We’ve used it for all sorts of things – decks made out of salvaged glass sheets, natural pools, salvaged kitchen cabinet layouts, store layouts, green roofs, buildings…you name it. Sketchup has some …
In green construction, the largest monetary gain in energy saving over a buildings life-time is achieved with a relatively small investment in sealing the building envelope. As a green design and building firm, we try to adhere closely to Passive House Guidelines, creating extremely well-insulated, virtually air-tight buildings that protect the occupants the most from the outside environment. Even though …
As an ecological NY gardener we have to admit that the greenest gardening is gardening done by the client and not us. Here is a quick do it yourself activity that you can complete for your New York City green garden in a few hours that can have lasting ecological, aesthetic, and environmental benefits. Create …
The main metaphor of Betty Smith’s novel “A Tree Grows in Brooklyn” is the hardy Tree of Heaven. The major inspirational theme that she used was that the Tree of Heaven’s persistence was like her character’s and families ability to overcome adversity and thrive. Little did she know that this plant is an invasive species …
Check out this song about fracking. As a New York green contractor we do a lot of eco kitchens because people want cabinets without formaldehyde, a cancer causing chemical. Fracking releases formaldehyde into the water, as well as Benzene, both very toxic and cancerous chemicals. We understand these chemicals and have made a conscious effort to remove them …
I was bidding on a green roof in lower Manhattan the other day and the architect threw out a price of $25-$35 per square foot as a typical price to install a green roof. He is correct that a green roof can cost $25-35/sq.ft. I have even seen really large jobs cost less. There are …
Here is a great graphic showing how green roof construction mimics in a few inches what normal soil does in a couple feet. Plants want water, but not too much. They want something to dig their roots into that also provides nourishment. Green roofs have to provide this but because it is a roof you …
Spring gardening is upon us and as a New York soil remediation company we are getting a lot of calls from clients wanting to remove lead contaminated soil from their back yards. We just finished a job last week. The clients had a beautiful garden in the back yard of their brownstone in Bedford Stuyvesant. …
A Fresh Start for a Contaminated Brooklyn Garden Read More »
I read the book Design Revolution, 100 Products That Empower People by Emily Pilloton to see if any of the designs could apply to a New York green contractor. The book is organized into eight sections: Education Enterprise Water Energy Mobility Food Well-being Play There were plenty of great ideas that could be applied to a …
Design Revolution Book and a New York Living Machine Read More »
The book Japan Style – architecture + interiors + design, by Geeta Mehta and Kimie Tada contains lush photographs by Noboru Murata and is an inspiring insight into how traditional Japanese buildings are deeply green. Green building is a symbiosis of many levels that forms a harmonious whole, and architecture in older societies like Japan …
