9 Most Amazing Green Roofs In The World

Jun 14, 2015

Green roofs have plenty to offer. Not only are they architecturally interesting, they have a drastic effect on reducing a building’s carbon footprint. Covering any roof in a thick layer of properly drained vegetation naturally insulates the interior, but also absorbs heat that would typically be reflected back into the sky, preventing all kinds of ecological problems on a large enough scale.

Architects have taken notice, and are beginning to embrace green roofs as a focal point of their designs. Here are 9 green roofs that will knock your socks off (which is good, because no one wants to walk on grass with socks on).

1 | 8 House | Bjark Ingles Group (BIG)

BIG is known for going…well…big! This green roof is no different. The symmetrical shed roofs provide the perfect opportunity for the dual cascading green carpets that meet at an exterior courtyard at the base of the structure. (source)

2 | CR Land Guanganmen Green Tech Showroom | Vector Architects

When a green roof isn’t enough, why no couple it with some green walls? Vector Architects have left no exterior sufrace naked, creating an extruded square shell that naturally protects the interiors from swings in temperature. (source)

3 | California Academy Of Sciences | Renzo Piano

If I didn’t use ‘undulating’ and ‘elegant’ in the same sentence to describe this one I’d have an angry gathering of former architecture professors burning me at the stake (not literally). Mr. Piano is a master of his craft, and this is one of the truly iconic contemporary buildings in the Western Hemisphere. (source)

4 | Marcel Sembat High School | archi5

High school has changed a lot since my day. This beautiful structure is highlighted by the (don’t say undulating…don’t say undulating) faceted curvilinear roof structure (nailed it). (source)

5 | Beijing Capital International Airport | Foster + Partners

In a stroke of perfect irony, visitors to the world’s most industrial, pollutant contributing city are greeted with one of the world’s most sprawling green roof. China is no stranger to environmental paradox, as they are a leader in sustainable development, yet continue to degrade the planet through their bustling industry. (source)

6 | School of Art, Media, and Design | CPG

Two interlocking sloped green roofs wrap around a central public space in this project by Singapore based firm CPG. The roofs are accessilble to visitors, providing a lush carpet to make a picinic and take in a view of the surrounding Nanyang. (source)

7 | Villa Bio | Enric Ruiz-Geli

Spanish architect Enric Ruiz-Geli designed this home intented to reflect the landscape of the area. Even though it’s surrounded by homes that are less-than-camouflage, the green roof acts as a bridge between natural and man-made.(source)

8 | Chicago City Hall | City of Chicago

In 2001, the City of Chicago tasked a team of architects, landscape architects and engineers to design and build a 38,800 square feet of green space. It is an initiative that makes great strides towards covering our cities in well-manicured lawns. (source)

9 | Vancouver Convention Center | LMN + DA with MCM

A lush carpet of green velvet covers this convention center, which sits in a prestigious waterfront site in the heart of downtown Vancouver, BC. The architectural team created a man-made peninsula that mirrors the surrounding landscape. (source)

This Dome-Shaped Solar Home Floats on Water And Is 98% Recyclable

Mar 17, 2015

A fully recyclable home that has the potential for self-sufficiency, environmental and functional adaptability, and out of this world curb appeal was the dream that eventually gave way to the Waternest 100. Designed by London-based EcoFloLife in collaboration with Giancarlo Zema Design Group, this dome-shaped structure can be configured as an office, home, restaurant or exhibition space and is entirely powered by solar panels that are smartly integrated into the convex roof.

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The generous 1,000 square foot allow for a multitude of interior uses while never feeling cramped or starved for space. This particular model of a housing application has a kitchen, living and dining areas, two bedrooms and a full bath. A simplified version of the design could even be mass-produced and deployed as relief shelters. When the life-span of the home comes to an end, the materials used for construction are 98% recyclable, making the home as fundamentally eco-friendly as it looks.

Offgrid Cabin With Rustic Design & Modern Innovation

May 13, 2015

Sometimes it’s the little things that remind us of the beauties of nature, and the importance of place. The “Sky House” designed by Vancouver based Platform Architects and set in the dusty, rolling planes of Eastern Washington single-handily juggles the stark juxtaposition of earth and sky. This modest cabin built for two is firmly rooted in its relationship to the ground, yet sits atop a raised plain and emphasizes verticality in a way that pulls attention to the sky.

The 840 square foot building is composed of pre-fabricated panels that made delivery of materials and on-site construction cost-efficient and minimally invasive. Stacking the interior spaces on two stories allowed the cabin to maintain a small footprint while utilizing the tall volume to maximize stack ventilation. In addition to being aesthetically beautiful, the house is also completely off the grid, a necessity given its seclusion.

The exterior is clad in raw steel panels. Over time, seasonal rains give the steel a reddish patina, matching the color of the surrounding bedrock and further cementing the structure in its setting.

Interiors are subdued and industrial, creating a cold, yet intimate space that offsets the endless views beyond.
Space-savers such as this operable bed platform combine uses to maximize functionality in such a tiny space. Because of this, nothing ever feels cramped or constricted.

The setting is as serene as it is majestic. Large south-facing openings take full advantage of sprawling views of the Cascade Mountains.

Photos: Jesse Garlick, The Morrisons

Tiny EcoCapsule Packed With Sustainable Technology Aims To Reshape Offgrid Living

May 21, 2015

This egg-shaped capsule may look like something from outer space, but it’s being developed here on planet earth by Bratislava’s Nice Architects. The concept brings a micro shelter with an impressive array of sustainable technology that includes solar power, rainwater collection and filtration, and wind power. They plan to reveal a prototype in the next month, and make it available for sale later this year.

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Inside you’ll find a cozy quarters of just 86 square feet. Designed to be easily transported, it can serve as a tiny house or office, and includes a toilet and shower, kitchenette, work and dining area, folding bed and storage both inside and out. Perhaps most exciting is the built-in technology it comes with, including a 28 square foot solar array and a silent 750 watt wind turbine.

Details are still fuzzy, though we expect to learn more once the firm makes its reveal on May 28 at the Pioneers Festival in Vienna.

This Luxury Bunker Will Make Any Prepper/Survivalist Jealous

Apr 9, 2015

When most folks build a “bug-out” shelter for the approaching end-of-days scenario, they take a fairly straightforward approach. Dig a hole, bury a container, hide lots of water, and just enough supplies to survive. Not this guy. He wanted a more permanent residence, where his family and a few others could carry on existing in comfort. So he got in touch with Al’s Army Navy Store to arrange the purchase and installation of several 32′ x 10′ corrugated tubes that cost around $60k each.

The foundation for the underground bunker is shown prior to being buried underground.

An inconspicuous square opens to reveal the entrance to this underground domain.

When the zombies come or the sky begins to fall just climb down the ladder to gain entrance into this hidden home.

Welcome to your new home! You are now 20′ underground.

Stacked bunk beds offer a place to catch some zz’s while the world falls apart overhead.

The kiddos don’t seem to mind the prospect of their new digs one bit. We’ll see how well they adapt once they learn there’s no exiting.

Demonstrating the under storage beneath the beds…

This news anchor takes a tour of the home, and exits through the secret escape hatch.

There’s a working kitchen, though we don’t see any stovetop. We’re thinking Sunday mornings without pancakes might not exist in the post-apocalyptic world…

A diner-style table provides a place to gather and share stories of zombie killings and fending off roaming vagrants.

A bunch of stinky teenagers living in tight quarters would be enough to drive most people back up the escape hatch to face reality. Luckily there’s a full bathroom, with a 2-in-1 combo washer to ensure your clothes stay fresh.

I hope they have a stockpile of DVDs somewhere!

The master bedroom seems nice. Does she come with it?

These images show the layout of the secret bunker, accessible through the main home.

The Atlas Survival Shelter comes complete with bunk beds that have under-the-lid storage, an escape hatch for emergency attacks, mudrooms with a lockable laser cut interior door, countertops, a kitchen with a sink, low voltage electric lights, electric outlets and a toilet. If that doesn’t impress you much, you can also go for the optional flatscreen TV, shortwave radios, camera surveillance, 300-5,000 gallon water tanks, 100-500 gallon fuel storage tanks, DVD player, power-generating exercise bicycle, red oak cabinets and beds, solar panels, restroom facility or an electric toilet with tank. Sounds like you’ll have just about everything needed to stay happy, healthy, and safe!

It’s Alive! This Home Uses Compost For Climate Control

Jun 25, 2015

A collection of crafty and clever students at Japan’s Waseda University have developed a way to utilize the natural fermentation process of straw to heat and cool your home. On the interior, pre-fabricated acrylic boxes are stuffed full of common straw. The straw is left to ferment and compost, naturally giving off a staggering amount of heat – up to 86 degrees Fahrenheit!

The design of the home is fairly simple – meant to be more of a shell for experimentation than a display of architectural ingenuity. It serves its purpose well enough to showcase this nontraditional building technology, and the exterior is also clad in straw, showcasing its use as an effective weather barrier.

The fermentation is a result of a low-odor composting technique called “bokashi” (meaning “fermented organic matter”). The process happens over a four week period, so the real downside to this type of system would be the maintenance. If anything, the project is an example of what is possible using natural processes in building tech. The acrylic boxes are placed strategically throughout the interior so as to provide each space with the appropriate amount of heat. In the summer, the dormant straw that has already been composed acts as a natural insulator – keeping the home passively cool. They will even release moisture, which acts as a natural cooling mechanism. This floor plan shows where the boxes are hung on the interior walls.

Designed by Masaki Ogasawara, Keisuke Tsukada and Erika Mikami, the students hope the prototype ushers in new and interesting investigations into natural building technologies. Their “Recipe to Live” house is certainly an example of the possibilities as we move towards a move eco-conscious society.

Images by Waseda University.

The Ultimate Cold Climate Solar Cabin Of Our Dreams

Mar 7, 2015

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This Unique “Ultra Green” Building Is Covered In A Green-Wall Exoskeleton

Sep 7, 2015

Brazilian architecture firm Triptyque have designed an office building in Sao Paolo that not only collects rain water, but utilizes a sophisticated filtration and delivery system to irrigate naturally insulating green walls. A maze-like network of water pipes snake up and down the building’s facades, fitted with misters that provide the living walls with freshly recycled rain water.

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The project is an ecological experiment aimed at challenging how society deals with water – how it can be collected, recycled, and redistributed with little need for waste or run-off. In addition to the green wall system, a series of planted roofs further mitigate the structures environmental footprint. When the misting nozzles are on full tilt, the building is enveloped in what appears to be a stationary cloud, reinforcing the issue of water conservation in both function and aesthetic.

In 2010, the unique green features won this office building the ‘Built Environment’ award from the Zumtobel Group.

19 Beautiful Forest Cabins That Will Make You Wish You Were A Hobbit

Sep 5, 2015

Forest cabins hold a special place in many of our hearts. There is a calm serenity, a quiet solitude, a comforting familiarity that accompanies a rustic old cottage. For your viewing pleasure, here is a collection of 19 such structures, all neatly tucked into their surrounding canopy of elms, oaks, maples and pines. Enjoy!

Someone definitely wrote a novel here.

Just stop with that sun perfectly filtering through the trees.

I guess Fall is when you take pictures of your cabin.

Lights, camera, cabin!

No cabin is complete without a creepy, overgrown driveway.

Hobbit party.

If there isn’t a German living in there, I’ll give you a thousand dollars (I won’t, actually).

Every forest cabin needs a pool. Wait, what?

For the modernly inclined forest dweller.

Abe Lincoln would be proud.

No swing? You call that a porch?

Pretty run of the mill, right? Get it?

I got nothing.

Be one with the forest.

Ghost face cabin.

Use the forest, Luke. Use the forest.

Did I already use my ‘mill’ pun?

Peeping Tom’s cabin.

All that’s missing is an ogre and a talking donkey.

Humanitarian Pop-Up School Built With Up-Cycled Shipping Container

Jun 10, 2015

In a small rural province outside of Cape Town, South Africa sits this up-cycled shipping container; fitted and fashioned as part of a humanitarian design competition aimed at providing underprivileged farm children a safe place to learn, study and, of course, play. Woolworths, Safmarine and AfriSam are the three South African companies that sponsored the competition resulting in the Vissershok Container Classroom, which was won by 15 year old student Marshaarn Brink.

Marshaarn’s concept of an outdoor jungle gym space was then handed over to Tsai Design Studio and manifested in the recycled shipping container building. A curvilinear canopy structure is perched on top of the container, providing shaded exterior spaces for kids to recharge their high-velocity motors. The 12 meter (40 foot) container boasts instant shelter and a cool place for kids to focus and learn.

The concept image shows the design intent of the shipping container classroom, which was fully realized in the final product.
The adjacent ‘play’ area has swings, a small play set, and a ton of interesting spaces for kids to expand their imaginations.As seen in this diagram, the project is broken up into four distinct functions: play, learn, gather and grow.
Inside the container is narrow and intimate, promoting collaboration among students who share the learning space. The form of the canopy structure is a nod to the rolling hills that surround the school.