Anyway, I was paging through the latest issue of GreenSource mag (flippin’ awesome, BTW) and saw a feature on Onion Flat’s latest project, the Thin Flats.  I can assure that you’ve never seen anything quite like the facade on this project before.  Its jagged configuration of glass, metal and wood-composite gives the impression that there are many more than eight units in the building.

In typical fashion, the multifamily structure is jam packed with eco-features (it’s shooting for LEED Platinum certification):

• Open floorplans flooded with natural light
• Energy Star appliances and lighting
• Dual Flush toilets from Caroma
• FSC Certified white tigerwood flooring from EcoTimber
• Solar Thermal panels (for hot water heating)
• Low and no-VOC finishes
• Two 6,000 gallon rainwater cisterns
• Low-e coated, double-glazed, and argon-filled windows
• Intensively planted roof gardens for upper units

I don’t think I can rave enough about what these guys are doing.  They have a unique business operation with complete creative and building control.  Everything is handled in house, from CAD drawings to PV installation, ensuring that the final product is exactly what they envisioned.  And cool dudes to boot!  Pat was a rockstar… not only did he open his doors to a stranger, but he gave me a lift back to the train station in his sweet little electric ride that is completely powered from his rooftop PV panels!  Damn…. I got me a little bit of green envy!

-j

Pictured below is their E Flats project, which is integrated into a neighborhood of traditional row homes that are oh so prevalent in Philly.

Here’s a shot of the interior… gorgeous minimal space.

And how about using your rooftop as a place to kick it with friends?  Damn skippy!

Like I briefly hinted at above, urban infill development really is at the heart of ‘going green’.  It’s about taking coal and turning it into a gem…. It’s about bringing beauty and life to areas that are left for dead.  This in turn rewards not only a specific property, but entire communities.  People begin to see these older neglected neighborhoods as a hip place to be and bring fresh energy and innovative ideas… and obviously building on a previously developed site, opposed to virgin lands, gains you good karma from Mother Earth.

Let’s take a gander at another Onion Flats development, the Rag Flats.

Here is the before shot… the site used to house an industrial rag factory.  It is now the home to a residential garden community.  Check this thang out!

Yeah… that’s sick!  Another angle…

Incredible transformation!… but what about on-site renewable energy?

Gotcha covered… rooftop solar installation, no big deal.

Here’s another fun one… an old firehouse-turned-residence. Top is a picture of the exterior, very conspicuous…. interior pictured below, not so much.

And speaking of interiors, the Onion crew has done an incredible job of preserving a lot of the architectural integrity of the existing buildings, designing custom spaces that would be impossible to create with solely new materials.  The next couple images are from the Capital Flats.  Keep your eyelids peeled for the mixture of old and new.

What’s in store for the folks at Onion Flats with their many layers?  You know, continuing to take over Philadelphia with epic, inspiring projects, like the Thin Flats and New Market, respectively.  Both under construction now.

So what can we learn from this Fishtown crew?  How about that high density, low budgets, and difficult sites can be opportunities for good design instead of obstacles…. and borrowing the motto from Blu Dot furniture… Good design is good.

-j