mighty minis

The first-ever Green Dollhouse Competition produced pint-sized winners, but it packed an extra-large ambition: to educate the public about green building. A group of organizations led by Sustainable San Mateo (Calif.) County ran the program, which challenged architects to design green, user-friendly dollhouses. Merit award–winning firm Hermannsson Architects of Redwood City, Calif., gave its tiny Tudor (shown) straw bale walls, a SIPs floor, and a standing-seam recycled metal roof. Among other winners were teams from Murdock Young Architects and Laura Schwartz & Associates, New York City; Andrea Traber Architecture + Sustainability, Berkeley, Calif.; and Anderson Brule Architects, San Jose, Calif. Judges included Berkeley’s David Arkin, AIA, and San Francisco landscape designer Topher Delany. An exhibit showcasing the winners will run from Sept. 24 through Dec. 3 at the Coyote Point Museum in San Mateo and will travel to other U.S. cities in 2006. For more information, visit www.greendollhouse.org.