A Seattle family tasked Atmosphere Design Build with creating a sustainable dwelling in Nevada City, California, the matriarch's hometown and a historic mining community. The firm's material-driven approach channels the pioneer spirit of the gold rush, without compromising comfort or high-efficiency standards.

By knocking down walls, Dominguez was able to open the previously cramped kitchen and add extra cabinetry and counter space. He was also able to make room for a peninsula with a waterfall edge.

The kitchen’s original galley layout was retained, and the walls and utilities were kept in place.

Simpatico Homes founder Seth Krubiner has lived in the prefab company’s nearly net-zero prototype since it was customized and lifted onsite in 2011.

Components for low-cost prefab homes designed by Habitat for Humanity and the firm Minarc for South Central Los Angeles were trucked in and assembled over three days. Photos by Art Gray.

Rice surfs the net at the built-in desk.

This Beverly Hills kitHAUS is comprised of modernist prefab modules that can accommodate a variety of uses: from yoga studios to home offices, and from weekend retreats to pop-up kiosks and guest rooms.

Wedge by Wheelhaus

Most impressive of all, a solar array on the roof empowers the residents to produce more energy than they consume on-site.

100 Contemporary Green Buildings, Volume 1 is available through Taschen

Weinfeld’s cinematic streak is also evident in the home’s interiors: he designed the entertainment center in the media room. The rug is from Clatt Carpete & Cia. Throughout the house, the Strozenbergs use floor-to-ceiling curtains for privacy.

100% Bollocks by The Wooden Truth, approximately 17 x 12 inches, $38

100 Quotes By Charles Eames, $25

A view of the installation at the House for Contemporary Art in Belgium.

Numen's Net, occupied by gallery attendees.

Hangar Meeting Table for MG LAB – This table premiered in 2012. It was designed with a space underneath the tabletop to stow away electronic devices that need to be close at hand without contributing to tabletop clutter.

Interior designer Cathie Hong transformed the kitchen of this San Jose Eichler into a bright open space, but kept the wood paneling in the adjacent room, to preserve the warm, midcentury feel.

Unité d'Habitation in Marseille, France

At a net-zero home in San Francisco, the house's green roof is more of a brown roof: a desert-like array of native and non-native succulents that require minimal irrigation. The soil area is maintained with motorcycle tires (including one from a Harley hog), which control erosion. Composting takes place here as well.

Metal shingles cut from scraps of sheet metal mix with new material as well as odds and ends, such as a road sign Baker bought at the Alameda Flea market. Baker designed stainless steel clips that allow any tile to be easily moved or replaced without the use of tools. Planter box panels add functionality to the facade and can be swapped out or relocated throughout the year.

While the rooms in the main volume at the front of the home had reasonable areas and floor-to-ceiling heights, the back of the existing house featured a stacking of smaller volumes typical to the period—and made the house unsuitable for contemporary family life.

Snuggle up on the couch with a graphic quilt from Louise Gray. Made of 100 percent cotton and featuring a neutral palette of light grey, charcoal, and black, this throw quilt has generous size. Each quilt is hand-assembled and hand-stitched by artisans in the United States.

Design for a cinema by Herbert Bayer. Image courtesy the Museum of Modern Art.

Wall hanging by Anni Albers. Image courtesy of the Museum of Modern Art.

Maya Sheinberger redesigned the MG House so that each floor would be more cohesive. The first floor was developed alongside the landscape design, the second floor shifts according to the family's needs, and the eldest daughter lives on the third floor.

Rather than a one-off custom piece, Baker designed the daybed as a prototype and worked with Ohio Design on its fabrication.

The Catch lamp is based on a butterfly net.

“These are homes that are truly sustainable—they don’t create any waste in fabrication, and there’s no waste onsite.” —Tryggvi Thorsteinsson, Minarc. Photos by Art Gray.

“There’s no drilling or chopping,” says Erla Dögg Ingjaldsdóttir, cofounder of Minarc. “It’s a very elegant way to build.” Photos by Art Gray.

100% California’s curated collection of furniture, jewelry, ceramics, and more, is definitely one of the most noticeable booths.

Exploring boundary between representation, and abstraction, Libeskind’s 100 drawings have been printed on glass and hung, scale-like, on a complex mounting that follows the challenging curve of Venice Pavilion. Photo by Massimo Listri.

NET was founded by renowned architect Alejandro Sticotti in 1990. The firm prefers to use South American hardwoods that, in addition to being durable, anchor their products in their Argentine origins. For instance, the Silla ska chair (seen here) is made from lenga, a patagonian wood that resembles American cherry. The satin black floor lamp is also from NET.

Bullitt Center (Seattle, Washington: 2013) Denis Hayes, chief executive of the Bullitt Foundation, said that if the Bullit Center, his organization’s ambitious experiment in creating a sustainable and “living” office building, is still the greenest space of its kind in a decade, it will have been a failure. That’s not bragging, that’s merely an insight into the scope and ambition of this revolutionary structure, a testing ground for water and energy self sufficiency (via rainwater collection, composting, and a large solar array) aiming to be a case study for radical change in how we build. Based on stats released on Earth Day in April, the building’s first anniversary, the structure is currently using 75 percent less energy than a similar structure and is on its way to a net zero energy certification. Photo by Benjamin Benschneider

The rugs are hand-tufted and made with 100% naturally dyed wool.

New York-based firm Khanna Schultz built a net-positive home in the Hamptons inspired by Japanese design.

Accessed by a ladder with alternating treads, the sleeping loft features custom casework by Kevin P. Clarke Custom Woodwork that holds Kid Robot figurines, Hopi baskets, and an iPhone gramophone by Lawrence LaBianca. Lights by Pablo Designs are perched atop a bed that Baker designed. Peeking out from under the rug (made by Baker’s mother, Emilie) is a salvaged maple floor, which was finished with VOC-free flaxseed oil.