Housing Shows Signs of Life
from BusinessWeek
Housing sales are picking up in some of the hardest-hit markets. Cash-rich speculators are shopping for bargains. First-time buyers are finally rushing in, lured not only by plunging prices but also government incentives like ultralow interest rates and hefty tax breaks. Will confidence spread? More

U.K.’s National Health Service Adopts Experience-based Design Model
from NHS
The NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement is using an experience-based (ebd) design approach as a way of helping frontline NHS teams make the improvements their patients really want. Ebd is a new way of bringing patients and staff together to share the role of improving care and re-designing services. Where it has been used in the health service, it is having amazing results—delivering the sort of care pathways that leave patients feeling safer, happier and more valued, and making staff feel more positive, rewarded and empowered. More

As More Students Turn to Community Colleges, More Community Colleges Build Dorms
from The Chronicle
A small but increasing number of community colleges offer their students an unexpected option — residence halls. With community colleges being a more appealing options these days for many students, community colleges that offer housing can attract undergraduates who plan to transfer to state universities after their first two years of college. Other two-year institutions have built residence halls in recent years because the institutions have become popular with international students, and they need housing. More

Open Bathrooms a Hit at High-End Hotels
from Hospitality Design Magazine
Designers are bringing an edge to guestrooms through the use of open bathrooms. Some hotels feature tubs in the middle of the room, serving as freestanding sculptures, while others have embraced glass walls to surround the shower. More

TreeHugger Picks the Best of Green Design
from TreeHugger.com
The all-things-green Web site announces the results of its first annual best of the best list. If you ever wondered about the best-looking endangered species, the best magazine that gives a damn, the best solar boat, the greenest celebrity, the best electric scooter, the best hybrid car, the best biofuels and more, look no further than TreeHugger's Best of Green Slideshows. Plus you can cast your vote to rate winners in each category. More

Synagogue Turned East Village Penthouse
from Inhabitat
Living in New York City requires that your home be your sanctuary. There are numerous paths to this destination, but one lucky couple, Dominique Camacho and Gary Hirschkron, actually live in a sanctuary — more specifically a retro-fitted synagogue. Brooklyn-based Manifold Architecture Studio acted as consulting architects on this project, helping to fill the home with elegant touches, such as the custom-designed staircases, and worked with Camacho to incorporate eco-friendly finishes, such as low-VOC paints. More

Factors That Impact Office Furniture Design
from FacilitiesNet
Deciding what office furniture and systems will work best for occupants means examining the designs, materials and quality that will work for the next 10 to 15 years. That’s the length of time over which most furniture pieces remain in use, says Jim Cahill, vice president of systems, storage and education with HON Company. Both initial and life-cycle costs are of concern, of course. Increasingly, so is the products’ impact on the environment. More

Celebrating 90 Years of Bauhaus
from Spiegel Online
The legendary Bauhaus movement turns 90 this year and the anniversary is being marked by exhibitions from Berlin to Tokyo to New York. More

Living Hill Skyscraper
from Inhabitat
Graft Architects has done it again with this spectacular living hill high rise complete with a giant green roof that drapes over the top and down the sides. Designed for a Japanese client who had tight restrictions on size, height, and setbacks, the AO Project expands from its confines and improves the space with lots of lush vegetation. More