Syncronos Design

Syncronos Design Inc. is a company that promotes the use of appropriate technology and sustainable design in our built environment. We emphasize the balancing of materials and user requirements with environmental considerations. Our main emphasis is currently on education about sustainable living and energy efficiency. The company was founded by Ted Owens and Rick Perkins, childhood friends who shared a common interest in motorless flight and sustainable design solutions.

Our Building With Awareness web site, video, and book on green building is part of this venture. This comprehensive resource provides information on constructing a straw bale solar house, including videos and a guidebook that showcase every aspect of building a green home with straw bale and other natural materials. The guidebook features over four hundred full-color photographs, diagrams, and illustrations, along with tips, suggestions, and step-by-step methods, all condensed into an easy-to-understand format.

The company has a rich history, starting from its first office and small machine shop in Hermosa Beach, California, where they worked on solar ovens for both developing countries and the US. Their interest in doing more with less furthered their work on solar ovens and eventually led to the design and manufacture of the first cylindrical solar oven that was commercially available.

In 1990, the business moved to Corrales, New Mexico, where an abundance of solar energy existed along with innovative building technologies. This move allowed them to manufacture solar ovens for a couple of years and begin design work on energy and resource-efficient houses.

Working to solve the world's ecological problems is sometimes a daunting task, but fun is also an important element of design and humor may even be good for the planet. Syncronos Design has even teamed up with You-Betcha Interactive on a software CD-ROM, jointly developing the children's creativity software "The Home Gene-Splicing Kit", which was awarded the top honor in the industry as "Best Entertainment Software of the Year" in 1999.

Ted Owens, president and co-founder of Syncronos Design, is a graduate of Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California, where he received a BFA degree. Since graduating, he has worked as a design generalist, combining his interests in design, appropriate technology, and film and video. His work has included designing permanent interactive exhibits on the environment for The California Museum of Science and Industry, to developing solar ovens.

Additional projects and collaborations have further solidified Syncronos Design's commitment to sustainable living and energy efficiency. Through their various initiatives and resources, they aim to inspire and educate individuals on the importance of balancing human needs with environmental considerations.