Team Israels Net Zero Energy Building at Solar Decathlon China 2013 [Video]

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Freshome founder Micle Mihai-Cristian recently visited Israel thanks to Kinetis ( Kinetis is a nonprofit educational organization established to promote, at home and abroad, the recognition of Israel as a vibrant and inspirational source of creativity and innovation). It was there that the connection with Architect Joseph Cory of Geotectura was established. This is how we found out about the Solar Decathlon China 2013, a design competition that will challenge collegiate teams to design, build, and operate solar-powered houses that are Net Zero Energy Buildings and are affordable, energy-efficient and attractive.

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According to the press release we were sent by Joseph Cory, the summer of 2013 will be the first year that a team from Israel will participate in the Solar Decathlon competition. Team Israel's design for a house draws much of its inspiration from the Mediterranean "4 Room Israelite House", an ancient building archetype found in archaeological remains in the region from 3500 years ago, with rooms built around a central courtyard. It focuses on the link between the indoors and outdoors with a large patio that creates a gradual threshold from public to private space.

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The building incorporates passive design features that create an improved thermal envelope that will maintain a comfortable living environment with minimal space heating or cooling. Windows, walls, and floors are made to collect, store, and distribute solar energy in the form of heat in the winter and reject excessive heat in the summer. Since 2002, the Solar Decathlon has involved over 90 teams and influenced thousands of collegiate participants in interdisciplinary research, design and construction of energy-efficient, solar-powered houses. Finally have a look at the video for more information!

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Brighter Weekends with These Brilliant Lighting Tips for Your Home

Home improvement tips normally are carried out either to make extra space or sometimes it is carried out to repair your house. Sometimes it may be for adding extra beauty to your house which can be well done by adding more light to your rooms.

In this article we will discuss about how you can make your home improvement during your weekends so that it becomes brighter and more attractive.

Let us move on with trying to find out the lightning opportunities that can be carried out in your room.

Try to make the improvement with a theme in mind

You will find a lot of lighting alternatives in the market these days but it is left for you to select the best which fits your settings in the room. Try to go ahead with a theme of how to make the best out of the lighting system that you can get in the market.

Set about by planning for a color theme. You can easily achieve color themes with lights and some extra items. Think of adding few color lights which will produce an exceptional mix of colors and then put in some pieces in the room for those illuminations to mirror. You can also go ahead with an outdoor theme and bring the same inside the room in your house.

Try to be imaginative with some lamp shades

You can think of saving money but at the same time adding actual flair to the room to which you want to add some good lighting. For this just try to purchase some inexpensive lamps and matching shades for it. Some of your local second hand stores may have some of them which can perfectly suit your home needs.

Get the lamp and buy some matching shades and decorate it in your room based on the theme you want to set in your room. You can even try putting some bulbs of different colors in the lamps so that it provides a vaguely unusual look that everyone would just love to see.

These home improvement and lighting tips will merely cost you handful of dollars to achieve what you want. And at the same time the room would provide some very nice themes.

If you are not able to get any ideal idea there are 100s of additional tips to improve your homes on the internet. Just browse some websites and gather some brilliant ideas so that you can make your weekend a brighter one by improving your homes.

All this will additionally add quality to your life. Your room appearance becomes brighter and displays your mind, and whenever you are in it you will feel relaxed.

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Elevated Above Mesmerising Views in Seattle: Ballard Cut Residence

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Prentiss Architects completed the design and development of Ballard Cut, a modern residence with a daring architecture, situated on an uneven terrain in Seattle, USA. The project consists of two stacked rectangular volumes, the second of which is partially rotated from the axis of the linear first floor. This building approached lead to sheltering a covered entry, a stair enclosure and the access to a roof garden.

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The materials employed for the construction pay tribute to smart and reliable building: “An inexpensive concrete fiber board was used for most exterior surfaces, accented by smaller area of cedar siding. Tight-knot rough cedar is selected rather than expensive clear cedar. Rather than install an expensive curtain-wall system, less expensive aluminum nail-fin windows were ganged together and trimmed with aluminum break shapes to achieve a similar effect for a reduced cost.” The interiors are minimalist, with large windows throughout and white curtains enhancing the breezy, holiday-like feel.

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Rectangular Box Optimized for Contemporary Living: SL House in Tel Aviv, Israel

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SL House is a modern-minimalist suburb residence built on a plot of 475 square meters in Tel Aviv, Israel. Its shape resembles that of a rectangular box, transparent on its front and back and opaque on the sides. Gray plaster was chosen for the exterior finish, subtly contrasting the surface of the swimming pool it neighbors, as well as the vivid green backyard. The creative team at Domb Architects divided the house in two functional areas, separated by a large void.

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The first level of the residence accommodates the social areas: a generously-sized living room, with plenty of space for having guests over and a dining table for six. Wide glass doors allow natural light inside, together with the fresh garden atmosphere. The bedrooms are located on the second level. There is also a basement, providing enough space for various games and a fitness center.

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