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.
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The newest building concept to spring from the mind of eco-designer and artist Michael Jantzen is a testament to the power of renewable energy. His monumental Wind Farm Celebration Center is designed to serve as a visitor center and is very appropriately powered by an awe-inspiring 1.5 MW wind turbine that sprouts up from the structure like a blooming flower.
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COBE Architects blasted away its competitors with a sexy and bike-friendly new design in the recent competition to redesign Copenhagen’s Norreport train station. Almost retro in its lines, the architects’ vision of the new station is composed of a series of rounded, floating roofs set upon striking glass pavilions. Since bicycles are a preferred means of transportation in Copenhagen, ample bike parking was a main feature of the new structure, and other green features will include energy-efficient lighting and natural ventilation.
Multi-functional centers are great – same complex, different uses, minimal infrastructure. The House of Music in Aalborg, Denmark is just such a place, combining public and performance space with cultural and education functionality. Designed by Coop Himmelb(l)au this multifunctional center is a marvel of Solar passive design and features a south-facing facade covered with thin-film photovoltaics that help to reduce its energy use. With a concert hall, auditoriums, public courtyards and sustainable design features, Denmark has a wonderful addition to its cultural scene.
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Last year, we wrote about the groundbreaking of the Green Lighthouse, an exciting carbon-neutral building located at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark. Designed by Christensen & Co, the spectacular sundial-shaped structure was recently completed, making it the first public carbon neutral building in Denmark! The student services center will be showcased during the UN Climate Conference (COP15) this December, where it will serve as proof that carbon neutral buildings are possible with good design and planning. In fact, 75% of the energy reductions achieved were a direct consequence of architectural design, not fancy technology.
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Back in 2008, a devastating fire tore through the Bouwkunde building where the Faculty of Architecture at the Delft University of Technology resided, resulting in a loss of more than just a structure, but also a home base for many students and faculty. To put the tragedy in the past, the university set out to start anew with a design competition to rebuild the Bouwkunde that would focus on community, sustainability, and adaptability. One of the designs is from Adam Wojtalik for his masters project, and resembles the biggest skateboard ramp you’ve ever seen. His clever solar panel-clad design for The New Bouwkunde features well thought out work areas for both students and faculty and lots of public space for relaxing and meeting.
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Weilburg, a medieval city not too far from Frankfurt, has announced plans to demolish a parking structure on the edge of its dense core and replace it with a mixed-use development with retail, residential and park space. Recently they revealed this beautiful proposal from ACME, which won the all-important public vote and second place from the professional jury. Inspired by the nearby Baroque terraced-landscape design of the Weilburg Castle Gardens, the Rathaus Terraces will feature green roofs, as well as natural ventilation and daylighting.
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Buildings consume 76% of electricity generated; they create 48% of our greenhouse gases; a quarter of our waste in landfills comes from construction. Yet we continue to tear down perfectly good ones and replace them with new ones that don’t perform as well and don’t last as long. If we understood what old buildings are saying to us, we would be less eager to rip them down, and perhaps might even emulate them in our new buildings. Read on for examples.
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With a focus on connecting workers and visitors to nature and providing a green ambiance, this proposal for an office building in Hamburg talks the talk and walks the walk. Designed by Düsseldorf-based firm Greeen! Architects for the Building and Environment Authority (BSU) of Hamburg, the Eco Towers provide a very low use energy structure with gardens and green roofs scattered all over for use by workers and the public. Considerate of the surrounding environs, the design for the Eco Towers aims to provide a quiet, tranquil and environmentally friendly working place.
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Farms are close to nature – places to harvest the fruit of the land and care for animals and livestock. As such they should be built and operated with respect for life through sustainable construction and operation. The Mason Lane Farm Operations Facility in North Carolina is just such an example. Designed by De Leon & Primmer Architecture Workshop out of Louisville, KY, the beautiful eco farm facility supports 2,000 acres of agriculture, recreation, wildlife habitat and conservation land as part of the University of North Carolina. Two barns were designed and constructed on a well planned site using sustainable materials like locally-sourced bamboo and prefab panels and trusses.
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It’s always a pleasure to see a stunning home with sustainable features, but isn’t pretentious about it. This beautiful residence in Atherton in the Bay Area is such a house – gorgeous, with an obvious connection to the outdoors and sustainable features that could go undetected by the casual observer’s eye. Featuring many green design elements, this home designed by SF-based Turnbull Griffin Haesloop Architects, includes solar power, environmentally friendly materials and passive heating and cooling.
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Last year we reported on Okhta Tower, a new super eco-skyscraper located in St. Petersburg Russia. After months of push and shove, and mixed reception, the plan for this 77-storey tower designed by RMJM has finally gotten the green light to commence construction. The twisting tower will primarily serve as the headquarters to Gazprom’s oil unit OAO Gazprom Neft, with additional spaces dedicated to a concert hall, museum, hotel and a business center. Once constructed, it will become the tallest building in Europe, and one of the most environmentally sustainable buildings in the word.
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Populous, a new venture recently spun-off from leading sustainable architecture firm HOK has unveiled its design for the stadium that will be the epicenter of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. Although the plans are still hazy, the project will feature several sustainable factors including a shimmering crystalline skin.
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Like a cluster of pleated, venetian blind-esque volcanoes, this new convention center in Taiwan has “skin” that will naturally ventilate the structure and generate energy from solar power. Beijing-based MAD Architects recently designed the Taichung Convention Center as a commission by the Taiwanese government. The center is intended to become a new local landmark and help redefine the cultural landscape of the city, while also drawing attention to sustainable development and growth.
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Toby Long, principal architect of CleverHomes and tobylongdesign, recently led the effort to produce one of the first CHPS (Collaborative for High Performance Schools) certified relocatable classrooms in the United States. Working with the Chartwell School, Long and his San Francisco-based design/build/prefab company designed, prefabricated, and installed two green portable classroom structures, which were completed this summer in four weeks flat.
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A team of students from Penn State recently unveiled their Natural Fusion residence, which has been selected as one of 20 ultra-efficient homes set to make an appearance at this year’s Solar Decathlon. The elegant structure is wrapped in living walls and utilizes a host of energy-efficient features including a green roof lined with photovoltaic panels and large windows that bathe the interiors in daylight.
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Shipping container homes just keep on getting cooler. Developers Katie Nichols and John Walker along with architect Christopher Robertson wanted to create affordable and sustainable homes for the emerging hipster crowd – modern, colorful and creative. This single-story home, located on the outskirts of downtown Houston in a “transitional neighborhood,” is made from 4 shipping containers sourced from nearby ports. The house is constructed using some fairly advanced building techniques that make it an extremely sturdy and well insulated structure, not to mention incredibly cool.
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One of our favorite projects from last weekend’s AIA Homes Tours was the Randall House in Glen Park, by LSarc design team. The site, typical of San Francisco contours, slopes nearly four stories from front to back making the rear lower floors a challenge to daylight. The architects did a stunning job of working with this difficult site while reusing existing construction materials, incorporating FSC certified timber, and creating a healthy interior environment through the use of sustainable materials.
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Some people like suburbia for the wide open spaces, yards, and the sense of privacy, but the ‘burbs are not nearly as efficient as urban centers are. What if there was a way to bring all of the positive qualities of exurbia into the city while keeping all of the efficiency of an urban core? What about stacking blocks of suburban space onto blocks of urban space, similar in theory to vertical farms, creating modular gardens, orchards, parks, playing fields, community centers and even homes? The concept is already out there. Dreamed up by two Sydney-based architects, Skyburbs introduces the qualities of the suburbs into denser urban environments.
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Several months ago, Architecture for Humanity, in partnership with Orient Global, put designers all around the world to the test in their 2009 Open Architecture Challenge for the Classroom of the Future. The mission? Address the unique issues that schools everywhere are facing in order to provide innovative, cost-effective and sustainable learning spaces for students. Over 400 entries were submitted and the winners were just announced this week. Read on for our overview of the top 5 winning designs!
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A bubbly new soccer and rugby stadium is popping up in Melbourne that will feature a highly engineered exterior structure combined with many sustainable features. Designed by Cox Architects, the Melbourne Rectangular Stadium is a marvel of architecture and engineering with it’s bubble-like facade inspired by Buckminster Fuller’s geodesic dome. Construction is fully underway, allowing a glimpse into how the cantilevered structure is being put together.
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New projects on display at Copenhagen’s ShowHow promise innovations in everything from zero-carbon building practices to sustainable manufacturing
NASA has planted its flag on planet Earth (for a change) with the groundbreaking of their “Sustainability Base” this week. The new endeavor is located on their Ames campus in Moffett Field, CA just outside of Silicon Valley and has specs that are pushing green building to new limits. In order to deliver in true sustainable style, NASA recruited Inhabitat favorite, William McDonough + Partners, to take on the 50,000-square foot collaborative support facility.
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House on the Water by Poland-based Formodesign is a stunning floating home that relies on the surrounding sea and radiating sun to keep it self-sufficient in terms of energy and h2o. Accessible only by boat, the cantilevered home rests offshore from a beautiful beach and is intended to be used as a rental home for those seeking a life offshore.
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Construction has begun on the Shard, a skyscraper that will be the tallest building in Western Europe and will provide amazing views of London. Designed by Renzo Piano Building Workshop (who was also responsible for the California Academy of Sciences), the Shard was inspired by towering church spires and the masts of ships that once anchored on the Thames. The new mixed-use development is located in the heart of London Bridge Quarter and will sit adjacent to the London Bridge Station, one of the busiest train stations in London.
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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.
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This simple, yet striking residence in Indonesia was built with a surprisingly small budget – $17,500. Looking at it, one would never guess such a low build-out cost, but there it is. The 3-bedroom D-Minution House is intended to provide affordable housing and was built on a 1,000-square-foot site in Jakarta, Indonesia, by SUB. Studio for visionary design. Constructed with simple materials, such as concrete, steel, wood and glass, the home blends into the surrounding architecture in Jakarta, but is a far cry from the average home.
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Driven by a progressive environmental strategy that will exploit sustainable energy design, Spanish-based firm Moho Arquitectura’s design for a mixed-use tower in San Jose will become a new benchmark for eco-friendly design in Costa Rica. In addition to its eco-conscious features, the unique “peeling” quality of the tower is sure to turn some heads!
This sleek modern hilltop residence was designed by Japan-based architecture firm Suppose Design Office to make optimal use of passive solar building principles. Every aspect of the residence’s innovative design has been carefully considered to make the best use of available sunlight and natural ventilation, demonstrating how efficient building practices can inform and give shape to elegant modern architecture.
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Germany recently joined the ranks of the green elite with the completion of Citigroup’s stunning new Data Center in Frankfurt. Designed by leading sustainable architecture and engineering firm Arup Associates, the 230,000-square-foot facility’s efficient use of energy and resource-conserving design have made it the first data center in the world to achieve LEED Platinum! That’s no small task considering the energy required to keep stacks of servers running smoothly in a climate-controlled environment.
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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.
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In a perfect world we’d all be getting back to our zero energy, prefabricated homes by foot, bike or public transport, but on a planet where cars won’t be disappearing anytime soon, it’s nice to know that some car companies are trying to reduce their carbon footprint when producing new vehicles. In 2003 BMW set out a design competition for a new building and distribution center located in Munich, Germany. The results were more than grand; not only is the new BMW Welt aesthetically pleasing with its sinuous curves and gleaming façade, but it was also consciously designed to save energy in its production of cars through efficient solar heating and natural ventilation systems.
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Santa Monica-based architecture firm Jesse Bornstein Architecture, known for their environmentally conscious custom single-family residential homes, recently completed a sustainably designed and built 5-unit townhouse project aptly named “Green on 19 Townhomes” located in Santa Monica, California.
Seeking an eco-friendly update to musty old libraries and sterile offices, Greeen! Architects has unveiled the Bibliosphere, a massive sustainable structure where city and university are combined. Bearing more than a passing resemblance to an earth-bound death star, the great green globe features a number of low-impact and sustainable features including natural ventilation, sweeping views of the cityscape for natural lighting, solar protection, and the use of renewable energy sources.
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Australia has stunning beaches, some of the best natural landscapes, fascinating wildlife, beautiful people and now the world’s greenest convention center – how is any other country supposed to compete with that? Well, it’s going to be tough because the newly designed Melbourne Convention Centerhas set a new standard for green design. Officially opened in June of this year, the center has received the highest rating to ever be bestowed upon a convention center, a 6 Star Green Star certification!
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