Alt-Build

Yesterday I took a trip to Santa Monica for the Alternative Building Expo to see what is new and innovative in Green Building. Here are some of the highlights.

Real Door, Inc. makes custom doors, furniture, shutters and misc (they had a sink with a built-in towel rack on display. It looked like a frying pan) using scrap wood. Everything is built in Los Angeles and uses sustainable practices and materials.

Patrick Vogel is a Long Beach based artist who works with various cities on beautification projects. He also does custom metal and glass work for residential and commercial buildings and has created a line of outdoor furniture on the side. His fun, funky and inspirational work uses a finishing process on the metal that is chemical free and requires no maintenence on the pieces once they are installed. The 'Alma' bench shown above is currently retailing for around $1300.00. Pretty sweet.

Samuel Moyer uses a lot of raw edge sustainable woods and traditional joinery to create a look that is highly unique and suitable for a variety of spaces.




Dicover Green is a building supply in Los Angeles that is a great resource for many materials that can't otherwise be found locally or sold to the public. They have everything from paint to flooring to LED light fixtures and solar panels

This easy composter leaves no excuses. It uses heat to break down the material quickly and without having to be churned or drained. Made from 100% recyclable materials and costs about $0.50 per month to run, this is a great option for apartment or condo living. Find it at Vernare.com.