Mitchell Joachim, photo by Dorothy Hong

Mitchell Joachim sits in the Brooklyn studio of Terreform ONE.

"Urbaneering Brooklyn," one of the nonprofit's conceptual projects, imagines the New York borough 100 years in the future.

Mitchell Joachim was featured in our May 2012 issue. Read the full story here.

Joachim's propensity for sharing statistics in a stream often verging on the grim is not without a touch of self-deprecation. After noting that "the amount of waste and trash generated in NYC in one hour could fill the Statue of Liberty," he added, "Unfortunately, I'm loaded with these."

In response to another audience member's question about fuel efficiency, Mitchell responded, "Zero efficiency is stupid…it's like No Impact Man. Or Switzerland. What's the point of being neutral? We need positive efficiency - giving back to the environment, not just zero or neutral, but adding something good."

On the Gulf Oil Spill: "…Satan was vomiting crude oil into the ocean," yet even that wasn't a big enough crisis to get the public's attention to inspire change. Answering one attendee, Joachim considered the notion that ultimately, it may take financial crisis to motivate change. "We'll need one that hits our pocketbooks." In response, Dameron asked: "Does technological innovation happen only under duress?" Joachim: "Not at all. One example is cell phones replacing land lines. Innovation happens when there's a need for a better product, one that works better, looks better and feels better."

On what it will take for cities to become sustainable and self-sufficient: "The Green Revolution happened. It's done. We won. We have the answers. Now we need to implement the technology that's been created," says Joachim. "Which brings us to the next, more important question: What will it take for society to take notice that we can't keep growing at the current rate without serious repercussions?"

Waste as Source: Mitchell's Rapid Re(f)use takes one week's worth of e-waste and creates sculptural creatures—in the vein of Pixar's Wall-E—and displays them in a public square in Germany. "It's the best way to get people talking and asking questions," says Joachim. "Is it art, or trash?"

Mitchell's Fab Tree Hab homes challenge the status quo of instant gratification. Although such organic structures may require years in creation, Joachim says: "Seriously, a good scotch takes 12 years. So we have to wait a while…what's the big deal?"

The three levels of the house transition from public to private: The ground floor is composed of the kitchen and living-dining area; the bathroom and closet occupy the mezzanine, accessed by a ship’s ladder; and the sleeping loft hovers a couple steps above. The seminal 1970s tome A Pattern Language, written by Christopher Alexander, Sara Ishikawa, and Murray Silverstein, inspired the layout. “I’m a huge proponent of the [book],” says Azevedo. “I like the ideas of a bed as an alcove, natural light on two sides of a room, varying ceiling heights, and different levels of privacy.”

The extended clan, which includes about two dozen members, collaborated with Gray Organschi Architecture to design an inclusive home for three generations.

Challenged by the dimensions of the narrow lot, the team worked through significant programmatic and logistical constraints during the design and construction process. The final concept for the layout was a modern take on the side hall plan. The living spaces are stretched back deep into the lot, and strategically raised above grade to allow sunlight to penetrate into multiple living spaces. The multifunctional courtyard serves as outdoor workspace, gardening area, children's play area, and covered parking during winter months.

In studio esinam’s Landmark series, the architects celebrate three landmarks from famous cities all over the world. The Brooklyn Landmarks Architectural Print includes architectural drawings of three iconic places in the city including buttresses from the Brooklyn Bridge, the tower of the Williamsburg Savings Bank Tower, alongside examples of classic brownstone townhomes. Each print in the series is artfully printed on brilliant white, environmentally friendly acid free paper, and is available in an unframed version or with a thin maple frame—in a natural wood finish or modern black or white.

Tracy Beckmann and Ryan Trowbridge spent four years shopping for furnishings, fixtures, and lighting to outfit the guest rooms, sourcing steel hardware in Hong Kong, vintage lighting in Italy and France, and many mid-century pieces in their backyard, aka Palm Springs’s renowned vintage shops.

Finds included Bertoia barstools, a J. Wade Beam coffee table, and a chrome Thonet-inspired chair in Unit One and a Warren Platner coffee table and chair in Unit Four.

Each of the four units has a private patio.

The open observatory.

Resident Misha Bukowski plays with young Zachary in the walkway between the renovated buildings. The new units are clad in stained local cedar.

To maximize guests’ experience of Lautner’s legendary approach to daylight, Beckmann and Trowbridge forewent blinds or curtains on the windows and glazed walls, offering guests sleeping masks instead.

The eat-in kitchen features poured-in-place concrete countertops and redwood wall paneling.

“Your first impression is that the house is very closed,” says David Barragán of the building he designed with Jose María Sáez in Quito, Ecuador. Stacked concrete forms, developed by Barragán and Sáez and used as planters along the front facade, offer privacy and integrate the building with the site.

Bucket is currently trying to get funding for the Portland Press on the site Crowd Supply. Part of their pitch is that the Portland Press is a made-in-America product whose most delicate part is easily replaced. "The Portland Press is a french press for a Mason jar, made in the state of Oregon, out of materials sourced in the USA. It’s a simple, clean, practical design made out of fundamental materials: glass, wool, steel, wood. Most importantly, the Mason jar is easy to replace if it breaks, and the rest of the Portland Press is backed with a lifetime warranty."

Despite the cast-on-site concrete dividers, there's still an airy sense of space; the dividers support, instead of overwhelm. This approach came from the architects' constant sense of experimentation and playfulness, a deliberate approach that helped them find new ways to use recycled and salvaged materials.

Playmobilia stools by Tania da Cruz. See it at Salone Satellite booth C24.

"It was supposed to be as naked as possible," says Alexandru Popescu, one of the members of R3Architetti who helped design and build the 3 Vaults apartment. "The furniture is absolutely included in the architecture; it’s more like an indoor landscape instead of a typical open plan." The kitchen exemplifies their approach, with textured concrete walls contrasting with wood panels and salvaged industrial lighting. The table, custom built by R3Architetti, is made in part from pipes procured from one of their fathers, a plumber.

A 24-by24-foot Cor-ten-clad pavilion tops the three-story addition.

In the Dolomite mountains, an angular copper-clad apartment building echoes the topography of its site. Photos by Hertha Hurnaus

The sleeping cubbies lie beneath the walkway connecting front and back units. Cedar decking and soffit add warmth and texture to the transitional space.

"City | Inventory"

Corner of a building in Berlin, Germany.

Terminal 3, Beijing

Joachim's vision for a domicile made of printed meat.

Building Codes: Whether you are planning a renovation or building from the ground up, arm yourself with the knowledge that will help you navigate endless meetings and negotiations. Illustration by Andy Rementer

The yellow North Face tent looms over the top of the main building.

Building and stairwell in Essen, Germany.