NL Architects recently unveiled a beautiful green-roofed office complex for the Welfare Department and Work Agency of the City of Groningen in the Netherlands. Featuring ample amounts of daylight, large open public spaces, and an ascending series of terraced green roofs, the new SoZaWe office is sure to welcome the citizens who come in for assistance while inspiring for the employees who work there.
Imagine a building designed with the latest green technologies that also showcases innovative technologies of the future. Kind of blows your mind, right? Well that’s exactly what Spain’s green roofed and solar powered BTEK Technology Interpretation Center accomplishes. Designed by architecture firm ACXT, the new building is part of Spain’s Vizcaya Technology Park, where it will serve as an interpretation center that introduces student visitors to all kinds of forward-looking technologies.
Daniel Libeskind recently unveiled his remarkable design for the Kö-Bogen, a new mixed-use development in Germany. Set in downtown Düsseldorf, the retail and office complex is crowned with a grassy green roof and is designed to fit in with the surrounding historic architecture of Köenigsallee Boulevard. This lofted space connects two city blocks and creates a whole new zone for pedestrians, shoppers and employees to walk, run and enjoy open space in the heart of the city.
Al Johnson’s Swedish Restaurant & Butik, photo Luanne Lozier
Green roofs are wonderful things; like a thick blanket, they keep roofs cool in summer and warm in winter. They have been around for centuries in Scandinavia and Iceland, where they moderate the cold winters and sometimes very hot summers. They reduce the “heat island” effect, where the air above and around the old black roofs gets hotter, making them hot properties in cities. Some, like Toronto have made them mandatory; other cities like Chicago give financial assistance to promote them. The provide habitat for birds and insects, even goats.
No, we’re not advertising for PNC. But they are – on the side of their headquarters building in downtown Pittsburgh. They recently finished installing what is said to be North America’s largest living wall. Designed by Kari Katzander of Mingo Design and made possible with the expertise of Green Living™ Technologies, PNC’s living wall is not only beautiful, but should help reduce energy use as well. This spectacular vertical garden is impressive in size as well, and is roughly the size of a doubles tennis court! Check out a pic of the full wall after the jump.
High school students in Revin, France will soon be attending classes in a stunning new terraced building covered in green roofs. Seen from above the new Lycee Jean Moulin school will simply appear as a terraced landscape, practically disappearing into the hillside. Designed by Paris-based, Off Architecture in association with Duncan Lewis Scape Architecture and Jeans Giacinto, this green roofed marvel is curvaceous and organic, blending into the countryside. We’re admittedly a bit jealous – our high schools weren’t nearly as cool.
Aquaquest is a beautiful addition to the Vancouver Aquarium that was conceived as an education center to teach the surrounding Canadian community the importance of eco-friendly living. True to its nature, the complex demonstrates these principles through an impressive set of sustainable building strategies including a leafy green wall, rainwater harvesting, and a highly efficient heating and cooling system.
A jaw-dropping feat of architecture has risen in the Italian city of Nola, just a stone’s throw away from the cataclysmic Mt. Vesuvius. Designed by Renzo Piano, Vulcano Buono is an epic cone-shaped commercial center crowned with a gorgeous sloping green roof. Piano’s “good volcano” contributes a vital new space to the southern edge of the Nola commercial district, which is the most most important freight terminal complex in southern and central Italy.
Vancouver-based architecture firm Bricault Design’s vegetation-clad house in Venice, California is a sexy study in green. The mod abode incorporates sustainable design in a new residential addition that features a lush living wall on three sides of the house and a breezy roof garden perfect for relaxing in the sun. Read on to see the other eco-conscious touches that make other homes green with envy.
Today Germany’s historic Hamburg-Harburg Harbor announced the development of a sustainable ECO CITY that combines industry, entertainment and pedestrian life into one super green package. Designed by international firm Tec Architecture and the global engineering company ARUP, ECO CITY is one of the only projects in the world that is seeking to achieve the highest level of environmental certification from all three major green building rating systems (LEED, BREEAM and DGNB). The project is an exceptional example of how to integrate efficient technology and building methods while fostering social interaction and community rebirth.
This gorgeous plaza near the wharf of Santa Cruz de Tenerife represents the connection between the nearby ocean and the various ecosystems of the Canary islands. Designed by Herzog + de Meuron, Plaza de España introduces a beautiful green space that builds upon the past of the site and the future of the city. Many years ago the plaza was the site of a “Castillo,” and the graphic motif in the basin of water represents the foundation of the old castle. Around the basin, many architectural landscape elements — including the two structures with green roofs — represent the Islands’ diverse ecosystems and topography.
One look at this office nestled amid the treetops and you might contemplate how to change your life in order to have a workspace with such an incredible view. Peter Frazier, a customer experience consultant, decided after years of working at an office and gaining over 50 pounds that he needed to make a change in his life – so he built this incredible office in the woods. Set amongst the trees above Chuckanut Bay in Bellingham, Washington, his lofted cube serves as a workspace and guest room, and it has a green roof on top too.
Charlotte, North Carolina-based architecture firm Little Diversified Architectural Consulting has conceived of an incredible project that transforms a vacant parking lot in Dallas into a completely self-reliant eco-city. Dubbed the Entangled Bank, the project features a green-walled citadel emblazoned with solar panels, an agricultural field, and an extensive system for greywater treatment and recycling, providing its residents with sustainable sources for food, water and energy.
Israeli-based architect Zvika Tamari of TeaM Architects recently proposed a conceptual plan for the burgeoning city of Modiin in Israel that takes the form of an incredible grass-roofed eco-dome. Situated at the center of the city and surrounded by a series of green spaces, the Globe Ecological Hub functions as a museum and multi-use urban center that promotes sustainable living. The grass-crowned hub takes advantage of natural ventilation, daylighting, active solar systems, and a host of other green building strategies.
“How do you grow your own food in the big city if you ain’t got no land?” Easy – do what these Brooklynites did and start a Truck Farm! True, you don’t usually think “1986 Dodge Ram when you think “green vehicle“, but this pickup with ripe rows of arugula, lettuce, broccoli, herbs, tomatoes and habaneros thriving right in its flatbed, is definitely an exception. To make matters even more awesome, “four-wheel farmer” Ian Cheney and his partner Curt Ellis of Wicked Delicate, have even been documenting their automofarm in a series of musical, lyric-accompanied, video shorts (”The recession was upon me, my health was slipping away. I decided what I needed, was more vegetables everyday.”) resulting in both hilarity and a cult-like following as they spread love (and broccoli) around New York City.
Like the rest of the Inhabitat crew, I get to spend a good part of my day ogling the finest futuristic farming fantasies that the interwebs have to offer. From towering vertical agriscrapes to vegetation-packed geodesic domes, my eyes are bombarded with images of the perfect urban farm daily, but when it comes to actually growing anything myself, I must admit rather sheepishly that I don’t know my sugar snap peas from my snopeas. Well, all of that is about to change because Rooftop Farms, a real-life 6,000 square foot organic vegetable farm with a view of the Manhattan skyline is now open to anyone who wants to lend a hand. Luckily for me, that hand need not be blessed with a green thumb…yet.
Ballistic Architecture Machine (BAM) believes it’s time to go above and beyond when designing green rooftops. Exceeding the typical environmental and economical benefits of green roof systems, BAM’s green rooftop design supports a functioning biotope for migrating birds. This rooftop aviary will give our feathered friends a bird’s eye view of Manhattan.
Situated within the urban depths of South Korea’s largest shopping and business district, Dongdaemun Design Plaza & Park will provide shoppers, tourists and residents of Seoul with a place of leisure, relaxation and refuge when it opens in 2010. Designed by Pritzker Architecture Prize winning architect Zaha Hadid, the project infuses the city’s dense urban center with an emerald core replete with rolling grass-covered roofs.
The tightly-knit family of designers and innovators at the Onion Flats collective is raising the bar on innovation for Philadelphia architecture. They have discovered that by taking over the responsibility for everything from a project’s initial conceptual design, all the way to the financing, marketing, and construction, it has allowed them to explore totally new processes for things like water collection and green roofs, without the headache of outsourcing. Completed in 2006, one of their most notable projects are the Rag Flats, a group of modern residential units topped with green roof gardens, solar panels, and lounge spaces, which are built within the shell of a former rag factory.
Even when the most sustainable methods of construction are employed it’s a given that whenever you build something new there will be, for better or worse, a visual impact to the landscape. Polish architecture firm KWK Promes decided to embrace that inevitability and build their design for a new home beneath a grassy mound of land. By essentially lifting the existing land and placing it on the roof, the OUTrial house maintains a subtle presence and pays service to the surrounding landscape.
Fading right into the Big Sur landscape, this three-bedroom house is nearly invisible when viewed from certain angles. And that’s just how Mickey Muennig, the mastermind behind the project, wanted it. The 74-year old architect kept the environment in mind when he designed the sod roof and seeded it with native grasses and wildflowers. The roof is part of a garden that starts at Cooper Point, Big Sur, and stretches out to the Pacific Ocean.
Throughout April, we have been covering a number of design events and trends that seem to increasingly capture the public’s attention. We like that being green doesn’t mean being crunchy. Rather, eco-consciousness is transcending stereotypes and rethinking how we live and relate to our world. As public awareness increases, we see that people are finally understanding that green design is vital and viable. …
While most people might see New York City as a densely developed, built-up city with little space for greenery, Brooklyn-based Alive Structures sees the opportunity to make open green space — and has actively created it up on the rooftops of NYC buildings. The business, founded by Marni Horwitz, has made a name for itself by planting native groundcovers and wildflowers in their green roof and living wall installations. Green roofs, besides being more pleasant to look at than concrete, improve air quality, reduce energy dependence, and provide native habitats for wildlife. And what’s especially exciting is that Alive Structures will be offering tours of one of their installed green roofs in East Village, the Wild Project Theater, for NYC Wildflower Week on May 2. Tours of the Wild Project Theater green roof will be given from 10 am to 5 pm at 195 3rd Street in the East Village.
Graft Architects has wowed us again with this spectacular living hill high rise concept complete with a giant green roof that drapes over the top and down the sides. The AO Project is restricted by size, height, and setbacks, and so it expands from its confines and improves the space with lots of lush vegetation.
Innovation sometimes strikes from the least likely places, and this concept is proof of this statement. The Grama, by Portuguese luxury car company Tolos, is a hydrogen-powered vehicle that compliments its sleek design with a brand new fueling solution. Whereas most hydrogen vehicles face the problem of a lack of fueling stations, the Grama solves this by turning water into hydrogen thanks to its unique green roof!
Addressing the urgent need to green our built environment, Kjellgren Kaminsky Architects have conceived of a Super Sustainable City that re-envisions Gothenburg, Sweden as a future-forward ecotopia. Designed as a dense and interconnected urban area, the master plan incorporates everything from green rooftop gardens to water and energy harvesting roadways, towering solar arrays, and soaring wind turbines. These measures address the issues of density, energy, and food production, while staying true to the city’s architectural heritage.
On the western outskirts of Shanghai, China, a dragon is coming to life. Constructed of concrete, steel and glass, the new corporate headquarters of Giant Pharmaceutical Corp looks for all the world like something between a sci-fi battleship landing on a highway, and a steampunk dragon frozen in time. L.A.-based architectural firm Morphosis is focusing on the building’s sustainability as much as its aesthetics, with a green roof, generous use of skylights, and advanced insulation materials like cement-fiberboard paneling and a double-layer, fritted-glass curtain wall.
Situated on the outskirts of the ancient town of Olomouc in the eastern Czech Republic, Slunakov is a center for ecological and educational activities that acts as a gateway to the Litovelske Pomoravi natural reserve. Inspired by the shape of a solar eclipse, the beautiful biocenter is built along the curve of the land and takes full advantage of passive design by employing a southern facade of windows with adjustable blinds.
Taiwan recently broke ground on a trio of interconnected energy-efficient skyscrapers topped with lush rooftop gardens. Designed by Los Angeles-based NBBJ Architects in collaboration with Fei & Cheng Associates, the Chinatrust Bank Headquarters will take advantage of a host of green building strategies geared towards reducing energy consumption and optimizing passive heating and cooling. The complex is expected to receive the Taiwanese equivalent of a LEED Gold rating upon its completion in 2012.
Can’t decide on a green roof or a vertical garden? No problem, just do both! R&Sie Architects designed the aptly-named ‘Lost in Paris‘ house for an ‘urban witch’ who feeds the house through 300 glass-blown pods. A potion of rainwater and plant nutrients nourishes 1200 ferns drop-by-drop throughout the year. The houseplants are entirely hydroponic, and completely engulfing the 1400 square foot concrete home. The blanket of ferns protects the house from outside elements and regulates its inside temperature, all the while adding life and freshness to the neighborhood.
The debate is still out on what kind of puppy Malia and Sasha will get. It seems the choices have been narrowed down to two dogs – a Labradoodle or a Portuguese Water Dog, both are very sweet, cuddly, and soft, not to mention hypoallergenic, which was a main criteria in deciding what kind of puppy to get. Now that they are getting closer to having a First Dog, the Obama Family needs to discuss housing options. We’re excited to announce that Sustainable Pet Design has created a house specifically for the Obama Dog and modeled it after traditional presidential architecture. Their Greenrrroff Animal Homes are customized pet homes made from red cedar with beautiful green roofs.
Deep in the northern chill of Iceland, just outside the arctic circle, the Hof House sits snugly within its landscape. Built on an existing estate, Studio Granada Architects salvaged whatever materials possible from the site to be incorporated into the new residence, converting telegraph poles into a sun screen and basalt pillars into stepping stones. Even the grass on the green roof came from local site leftovers after clearing way for its foundation. Designed for the extreme weather conditions of the Skagafjörður Fjord, the Hof House relies on passive solar design, geothermal heating, and some pretty hefty concrete walls.
In a city covered by over 4,000 square miles of asphalt and cinder block, the green roof movement may have just won a serious coup with SYNTHe, an urban rooftop garden prototype designed by SCI-arc professor and architect Alexis Rochas. Located atop the Flat, a downtown Los Angeles residential mid-rise building, SYNTHe is a fertile oasis in the sky that will ultimately grow a variety of edible plants. Through an active collaboration between students, faculty, and city officials, SYNTHe proves that green roofs could indeed have a fruitful future in LA.
Monterey Bay Shores is a stunning new development set to break ground this month that will convert a desolate disused sand mine into a thriving environmental preserve and eco-resort. Replete with living walls and a five acre green roof, the development boasts an impressive list of green design elements and is working towards LEED Platinum certification. Now, saying that you’re the “Greenest Eco Resort” is quite a claim, but if the Resort builds out all that they have promised, it really will be the most environmentally friendly resort in the US, and possibly in the world.
Los Angeles recently saw the groundbreaking of Rock Row, the city’s first Small Lot Subdivision to be certified under the USGBC’s new LEED for Homes program. Developed by Heydey Partnership, the complex is aiming to prove that modern sustainably built homes can be affordable as well. As a result, homes in Rock Row, located in an historic neighborhood in L.A., will range from $475,000 to $550,000.
LOTS MORE GREAT GREEN DESIGN STORIES HERE... KEEP READING!
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