Simpatico Homes is featured in a recent article entitled All the world’s a Twitter. Published by our design partners at Hutner Descollonges, this latest trend in social networking is explained. We’ve just found it another great way communicate our message and engage the modern/green/prefab communities. You can find us microblogging as @simpaticohomes. Okay, we need to hop off our blog now and get back to our Twittering…
May 28th, 2009
Why should we care about nature? Because in the words of Harvard biologist E.O. Wilson, without it we “descend farther from heaven’s air if we forget how much the natural world means to us.” He popularized the “biophilia” hypothesis: the idea that our evolutionary history has blessed us with an innate affinity for living things. We thrive in the presence of nature and suffer in its absence.
Many studies show that even a limited dose of nature, like a chance to look at the outside world through a window, is good for your health. Hospitalized patients heal more quickly; prisoners get sick less often. Being in the wild reduces stress; spending time with a pet enhances the lives of everyone from autistic children to Alzheimer’s patients. The author Richard Louv argues the modern children suffer from “nature-deficit disorder” because they have been shut out from the physical and psychic benefits of unstructured physical contact with the natural world.
The above excerpts are from the article Natural Happiness by Paul Bloom in the New York Times Magazine.
May 19th, 2009
How consumer expectations about the home have changed, and how they might change again. (New York Times Magazine)
Today, given that many Americans’ consumption patterns have been affected by the economic slowdown, it’s interesting to consider whether a version of normal might emerge that is more environmentally sound. Among other things, the article explores our notion of ‘normal’ bathrooms.
April 27th, 2009
Simpatico Homes travels east to lend a hand to our friends at AMB Modular. Over the course of 2 weeks Simpatico worked side-by-side with the AMB team to help them set and finish-up 3 modular homes. Take a look at the Video Slideshow of the Modular Set on Feb 28 in Manasquan, NJ. These guys really know what they’re doing– start to finish this home set took only 6-1/2 hours! Maybe we’re biased, but this is just about the most fun you can have on a Saturday.
April 23rd, 2009
Simpatico Homes’ design partner Swatt Architects was featured in today’s San Francisco Chronicle. The article highlights the design of the recently completed spec home located in the Oakland Hills. All of this can be yours for a cool $1.65 million.
Additional information and photographs for this Swatt home can be found at 6201 West Woodway.
April 12th, 2009
That was the goal of the new LEED Platinum Certified California Academy of Sciences building in Golden Gate Park. Renzo Piano’s stunning design featured an undulating roof with skylights, which made planting the roof that much more challenging. The solution was to design a system of 50,000 porous, biodegradable trays made from tree sap and coconut husks as containers for the vegetation. These trays line the rooftop like tile, yet enable the roots to grow and interlock, binding the trays together like patchwork.
March 4th, 2009
Prefab housing is not a new concept; in fact it has been around for over a century. Dwell magazine is at the epicenter of the modern prefab movement and the most influential prefab structures of today have graced their pages. Check out their really cool article that chronicles prefab’s history titled An Introduction to Prefab.
February 15th, 2009
One of our favorite spots in Emeryville is the Community Ogranic Garden. Nestled along the greenway and between warehouses and businesses is a pie shaped slice of well-cared-for land. We often take a break from the Prototype site or the Swatt Architects office (each just a couple blocks away) to check out the varied garden plots. Its open to the public and is one of those hidden gems in a city known better for its traffic and its retail stores. This garden–the former 
home of Big Daddy’s Complete Rejuvenating Auto Detailing Shop–is a living example of what a community can do to turn an underutilized former industrial site into a thriving garden for its residents. If you’re in the neighborhood, stop by the garden, located at 59th Street and Doyle.
November 5th, 2008
When it came time to select materials for Simpatico Homes, tiles from Heath Ceramics from Sausalito were a natural fit. Of course we were attracted to Heath’s inviting colors and timeless mid-century designs. But a bigger part of the story for us was to source our materials locally and to support the work of local artisans. You may already be familiar with their tiles and tableware (many of the Bay Area’s best restaurants serve on Heath), but if not, be sure to check out the Heath Ceramics website. Then stop by the Prototype Home later this summer to admire our Heath tile kitchen back splash.
And yes, that is a Heath mug on the homepage of the Simpatico Homes website.
October 23rd, 2008
Mostly we were excited to participate in something that has such an important-sounding French name.
So what do a LEED professional, an architect, a landscape architect, a contractor, a modular factory, a mechanical engineer and a structural engineer have in common? They all spent a long day in a workshop aimed at making one home a little bit greener. Much to our surprise, after the initial calculations in the charrette, the prototype home is on track to achieve a LEED Platinum rating. Looks like that team of professionals is pretty good at what they do.
Stay tuned for more on some of the features that make the Simpatico Homes unique.
September 16th, 2008
Next Posts
Previous Posts