Green Design

(image resource:http://www.iainclaridge.co.uk/blog/?p=1153)

As of now in the 21^st century, people are constantly trying to fix the problems they had brought to the surrounding environment. Designers these days emphasize more on the use of used or recyclable materials and tried to fit their designs with nature. Therefore, environmental friendly designs has brought up as an important issue these years. Looking back to one of my architecture books, I have found the Lot-ek MDU House can be an example for the green building.

The Lot-ek Modular Dwelling Unit was made in 2002 and it was made of shipping-container prefabricate. This construction depicts the simplicity and outdoor of green living. The simplicity of the structure is a well representation that blends in with the surrounding nature. Moreover, Lot-ek MDU house is a functional constructed; it includes everything that a house would need. For example, it has bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, living room and dinning room. All of these are filled with built-in furniture. Moreover, the space is divided into three parts, which accommodate social, entertainment, and private functions. Another famous feature of this green building is its multiple system. The multiple MDU system is “The vertical harbor is in constant transformation as MDUs are loaded and unloaded from the permanent rack. Like pixels in a digital image, temporary patterns are generated by the presence or absence of MDUs in different locations along the rack, reflecting the ever-changing composition of these colonies scattered around the globe,” says by Emily Pilloton. Furthermore, MDU can easily be transported from one spot to the next, with all the live and work amenitie.

Lot-ek MDU is an eco-friendly building that has the same function as the other normal houses. Unlike other houses, Lot-ek MDU house is made from used material, it is one of the original pioneers of shipping-container prefab. Despite its function, the design shows its aesthetics sense by using bright colors, clean lines, glass, and other used industrial materials to make the ugly shopping-container looks more beautiful. And it is how a good design should has which are good appearance (form) and functional (content).

Nowadays, green design is getting more and more essential in our society, although many debate that prefabricated house are not architecture, MDU house is still one of a good examples that eco-designers should think about when it comes to green design.   
image resource:
http://www.iainclaridge.co.uk/blog/?p=1153) 
http://www.inhabitat.com/2007/04/13/lot-ek-shipping-container-house/