The new buzz words of the 21st century—“organic,” “ecofriendly,” “sustainable”—have inundated today’s architectural vocabulary despite their indifference to definition.

Restrictive zoning, rather than necessity, is often the mother of architectural invention. Made to withstand the harsh winters of Martha’s Vineyard while treading lightly on the island, the VH R-10 gHouse, designed by architect Darren Petrucci, AIA, was so profoundly shaped by local restrictions that it adopted the zoning district—R-10—as part of its name.

It’s hardly a secret that Germany has long been at the forefront of energy-saving design. Even back in the early Modern days, its health-oriented obsession with getting natural light and cross ventilation into living quarters paved the way for later passive-energy-saving strategies.

It is said that the Palmyra tree can be used in 800 different ways. Its leaves make fine hats, thatching, umbrellas, mats, and baskets; its fruits and their sap, popularly called toddy, are a local delicacy.

While Henry David Thoreau’s solitary sojourn at Walden Pond lasted two years, two weeks, and two days, it took Michal Friedrich, owner of Delta Shelter, also known as Stilt Cabin [RECORD, April 2006, page 92], in Mazama, Washington, only a year and a half to realize he wanted visitors to his secluded mountain retreat.

With a limited budget of $147,000 and a 1.25-acre parcel of land in the suburbs of Santiago, Chile, a retired couple approached Marc Frohn and Mario Rojas of the firm FAR frohn&rojas to design a house for themselves and their son.

To the casual observer, Japan may seem slow in catching on to the current ecofriendly trend that has taken the architectural world by storm.

You can find pretty much anything in the Silver Lake neighborhood of Los Angeles: a pair of limited-edition sneakers, an obscure gourmet cheese, or a copy of The Da Vinci Code in Mandarin.