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Easy Being Green: Off the Grid

We trek far afield each issue to bring you energy-efficient residences from around the globe, and they appear in all their green glory in our “Off the Grid” section. We revisited our archives to find some of our favorites, uncovering everything from an Austrian Alpine retreat to a sod-covered home in the Polish countryside. We also collected them into a map so you can find sustainable inspiration in your own neck of the woods.

Mind the Gap
On an eight-foot-wide site in London, architect Luke Tozer cleverly squeezed in a four-story home equipped with rain-water-harvesting and geothermal systems.
London, England
Prince of Tides
For all the joys of beachfront living, it’s not without its risks. But with some smart design and sound engineering, this small coastal house stands tall against the threat of rising tides.
Stinson Beach, California
A Lot to Love
In a leafy residential area a few miles from downtown Kansas City, Missouri, an enterprising architect saw opportunity where others saw trouble. He took a sloping, triangular lot and designed a new…
Kansas City, Missouri
Best in Snow
Most homeowners would avoid living within striking distance of an avalanche, but Marcell Strolz and Uli Alber embrace Alpine extremes. They built a house that could weather even the fiercest storm.
Lech, Austria
Brand-New Secondhand
Fifteen minutes from downtown Seattle, architects Annie Han and Daniel Mihalyo transformed the neighborhood dump—a lot that had been vacant for 30 years—into their dream home.
Seattle, Washington
Highly Sod After
In southwest Poland, architect Robert Konieczny, of KWK Promes, raises the roof—with sod intact—on Jacek Perkowski’s modernist rural getaway.
Książenice, Poland
Hay Is for Horses, Straw Is for Houses
In the Napa Valley, one sustainable residence elegantly demonstrates straw bale technology.
Healdsburg, California
Made for the Shade
The rusted red corrugated-steel canopy that covers Jim Austin’s home at Rimrock Ranch is visually striking in its desert surroundings
Pioneertown, California
Pole Star
By creatively manipulating the angles and levels of exterior surfaces on this modest Polish country house, architect Peter Kuczia achieved exceptionally high solar exposure, increasing its capacity…
Lake Laka, Poland
Operation Desert Shed
Architect Lloyd Russell’s design for this desert getaway passively mitigates the elements with a utilitarian solution, turning a modest modern retreat into a hardy, region-appropriate home.
Pioneertown, California
The Lowest Utility Bill on the Block
Hybridization is hit or miss (i.e., the jackalope). But this Houston home combines two housing types to create a conscientious alternative.
Houston, Texas