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Here is one way to minimize one's impact on the environment when building on a slope- follow it. H Arquitectes (David Lorente, Josep Ricart, Xavier Ros, Roger Tudó) built this cute little 109 m2 (1179 SF) number in Costa Brava, Spain.

"this project looks to respect the natural environment on this strongly slopped plot with dense Mediterranean vegetation. We tried to modify as little as possible the environment by building the house on a slope, and thus reducing the land movements, foundation and generation of waste products. We also have maintained the vegetation in order to not lose the current shade...

photo by laurenatclemson via flickr

Rising oil prices may be making wind power cost-competitive in Spain, but the key to Spain’s rapidly growing solar industry has been generous government subsidies creating market stability. Although nothing is definite yet, simply the mention of reducing the level at which subsidies are capped has created waves in the Iberian solar industry.
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For those of you who are fed up with consumerism or simply don’t like shopping and are looking for another way to acquire things or get rid of stuff, check out Vols Tens in Catalonia, Spain. Similar o Freecycle, this web site let’s you find or give away things in a very easy way, although it is in Catalan only. Vols Tens, meaning ‘Want Have’ in Catalan, is an anti-consumerism, non-profit project, created to get/give things without having to pay.

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photo courtesy of General Motors

Yet another “world’s largest” in solar power: General Motors has partnered with Clairvoyant Energy, Veolia Environmental and the Government of Aragon to install what will be the world’s largest rooftop solar array on its Zaragosa, Spain assembly plant.

According to GM the array will be 12 MW in size and cover two million square feet and consist of approximately 85,000 panels. Installation is expected to be completed this fall. The space for the project will be leased from General Motors by Veolia Environment and Clairvoyant Energy, who will operate and maintain the installation. According to GM the project will help the corporation reduce cost...

The team behind the Danish pavilion at the World Expo 2008 in Zaragoza, Spain consists of three Copenhagen-based firms — architects Spektrum Arkitekter, graphic agency Loop Associates and communications agency 2+1.

The Danish pavilion houses Círculos de Agua (Circles in the Water), an exhibition about sustainable living and lasting solutions that echoes the World Expo 2008 theme of water and sustainability. Círculos de Agua highlights Danish technologies that have started out small yet have the potential to affect global change. The underlying message is that everything we do spreads like ripples through water.

You can find a few second hand markets in Barcelona, such as Antiguos Encantes, but finding cool stuff at a decent price is not easy, especially when you are not a local. On the other hand however, we all (Barcelonians are no exception) have a few too many objects sitting at home that we grew tired of, while constantly looking for new gift ideas or a special something for ourselves. So while the idea of second hand is attractive to many (cheap, more pers...