Barbie can now add an eco-friendly dream mansion to her ever-growing list of accessories!
Mattel and the American Institute of Architects (AIA) hosted a competition for architects to design a new Barbie dream house in honor of Architect Barbie’s release on August 15th.
The public got to vote and the winners were Ting Li and Maja Paklar, Harvard graduates who have designed a sustainable Malibu mansion for Barbie, filled with eco-friendly perks. According to Business Insider, the design includes “solar panels, low-flow toilet and sink fixtures, energy-saving light bulbs, operable shading devices, Bamboo flooring, and a rooftop green house and irrigation system (for Barbie’s love of nature).”
According to the AIA, there’s more. “The house occupies minimum footprint as it cantilevers over a bluff, she landscapes her yard, roof and terraces for cooling and visual effects. In order to reduce CO2 emission,
Barbie opts to ride her Pink Vespa around town instead, and if she needs to haul her shopping bags, Ken is never far behind in his convertible.”
Mattel will not be selling the eco-dream house in stores, and have said that if it were built as a real mansion it would sell for $3.5 million. However, the company is donating $1,000 to Charter High School for Architecture and Design in Philadelphia in the winning architects’ names.
About Jennifer Mishler
Jennifer is an animal advocate and activist. She is a volunteer coordinator with The Girls Gone Green, a nonprofit organization advocating for animals rights, veganism, and environmentalism. She is also an Onshore Volunteer with the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, and a volunteer with CJ Acres Animal Rescue Farm, a nonprofit that rescues and rehabilitates farm animals. Along with writing for Ecorazzi, she writes about veganism and animal rights on her blog, A Dog's Eye View. She lives in Jacksonville, FL with her husband and their three animal friends. Follow Jennifer on Twitter: @jennygoneveganView all posts by Jennifer Mishler →
