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.

Read the rest of Rathaus Terraces: Mixed-Use Development for Medieval German City

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: Architecture, Daylighting, germany, green roof, medieval city, mixed-use development, natural ventilation, public park, residential, retail, rooftop park

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.

Read the rest of Lessons We Can Learn From Old Buildings And Apply to New Ones

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: "energy efficiency", "sustainable architecture", Daylighting, efficient architecture, Green Building, Green renovation, natural light, natural ventilation

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.

Read the rest of Mason Lane Farm Showcases Beautiful Bamboo Construction

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: "leed", bamboo, Daylighting, De Leon & Primmer Architecture Workshop, farm, Mason Lane Farm, native vegetation, natural ventilation, north carolina, prefab construction, prefab materials, rainwater collection, stormwater infiltration

We’ve seen our fair share of backyard retreats, but Manuel Villa’s Habitable Polyhedron shapes up to be one of the most unique dwellings we’ve come across. Designed as an escape for young families: parents and their newborn, the Habitable Polyhedron offers respite from day to day household activities in a family’s back garden in Bogota, Columbia. One windowed side of the polyhedron opens to a teak deck leading into nature; and a skylight casts natural light on a workspace and sofa inside. Once the child grows up, the space may accommodate him in the same manner as would a treehouse or playhouse.

READ MORE AT INHABITOTS >

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: Daylighting, habitable polyhedron, Inhabitots, manuel villa, playhouse, sustainable design

Officials have recently unveiled the new design for the Elbphilharmonie, the new home for the Hamburg Philharmonic to be inaugurated in 2012. The concert hall is currently being constructed in the industrial quarter of HafenCity, an area undergoing major revitalization with the conversion of hundreds of dated warehouses. As one of the more understated German cities, Hamburg is hoping the striking design by architects Herzog + de Meuron will bring the sort of landmark cultural transformation that was seen more than a decade ago in Bilbao, Spain with the opening of Gehry’s Guggenheim Museum. But such a transformation won’t come cheap, with a price tag upwards of 323 million Euros, some are asking “Is it really worth it?”

Read the rest of Herzog + de Meuron’s Hamburg Philharmonic Concert Hall Breaks Ground

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: Architecture, Daylighting, Design, elbphilharmonie, germany, herzog and de meuron

Heathrow Airport is the world’s busiest airport for international travelers, and anyone who has flown through Heathrow knows it can be a bit chaotic there. BAA, who owns and operates Heathrow, recently unveiled a massive renovation project worth £4.8 billion that includes completely rebuilding Terminal 2 to help ease the congestion. Designed by Inhabitat favorite Foster + Partners, the new super-efficient, solar and renewable energy powered airport terminal will cost £1 billion and will produce 40% less carbon than the existing building.

Read the rest of Foster + Partners Unveil Energy-Efficient Heathrow Airport Terminal

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: airport terminal, Daylighting, Foster + Partners, heathrow, heathrow airport, London, Solar Power, terminal, terminal 2

LEED residences are becoming a standard item these days, but this particular residence hit our radar because of the high LEED score and its stunning appearance. The Sage Residence in Eugene, Oregon was designed and built by Arbor South Architecture, and received an impressive score of 110 in the LEED rating system — higher than USGBC founder David Gottfried’s LEED Platinum home, which only received 106.5 points. Beautiful inside and out, the home is a perfect example of how green homes can be beautiful, energy efficient and create minimal impact on the environment.

Read the rest of The Sage Residence: Super High Scoring LEED Platinum Home

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: "leed", Arbor South Architecture, Daylighting, fsc-certified lumber, Green Building, green home, green residence, high efficiency home, LEED platinum, LEED Platinum Residence, Oregon, residence, solar panels, Solar Power, sustainable residence

The Herbert Art Gallery recently received a stunning renovation by Pringle Richards Sharratt Architects that fuses a modern extension with the walls of an ancient medieval city that once stood on its site. The £20 million refurbishment and extension incorporates an ancient vault and includes 8 new permanent galleries, spaces for temporary exhibitions and events, educational gatherings and a new History Center along with Herbert Media Studios. The most notable addition is the 500 square meter glazed glass-covered court which lets in plenty of daylight from sunrise to sunset and is supported by the new prefabricated gallery extension.

Read the rest of Renovated Herbert Art Gallery Fuses Modern with Medieval

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: Daylighting, green design, Herbert Gallery, prefabricated architecture, Pringle Richards Sharratt, Refurbished Building, sustainable design

In 1999, The Greater Toronto Airport Authority (GTAA) set out to create a revolutionary fire and emergency services training facility that uses the newest and most innovative environmentally-conscious building standards. The result is this $13.5 million state-of-the-art training facility designed by Kleinfeldt Mychajlowycz Architects, which was awarded the Leadership in Energy and Environment Design (LEED) Silver Rating. The structure not only provides a healthy place to live and work, it reduces waste sent to landfills, conserves energy and water, and reduces harmful greenhouse gas emissions.

Read the rest of Green-Roofed Airport Training Center Achieves LEED Silver

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: "leed", Daylighting, FESTI, green roof, GTAA, toronto, toronto airport authority

The very heart of Singapore beats green, thanks to the new design for the National Heart Center conceived by Ong & Ong with medical planning and interior consultation by multinational firm Broadway Malyan. The ambitious 35,299 square-meter building at the center of Singapore General Hospital’s Outram Campus redevelopment plan will hopefully score high green marks with its unique design that places people first. Recognizing that the medical world advances quite quickly, the design incorporates modular building methods to ensure that the structure of the building remains flexible and adaptable both internally and externally, easily and efficiently allowing for future growth.

Read the rest of Singapore’s Energy Efficient Green Heart Center

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: "sustainable architecture", broadway malyan, Daylighting, Green Building, green design, singapore heart center, sustainable design

Soon, playing tennis at Wimbledon will no longer depend on the weather forecast, nor will spectators have to entertain themselves while they wait for the rain to stop and the courts to dry. A new retractable roof has been installed over Centre Court and the air management systems are currently being tested in preparation for its official debut in May. This new roof will is made out of translucent fully recyclable fabric, minimizing building materials while allowing daylight to stream down from above. The design will conclude the All England Club’s Long Term Plan, providing greater security for the grass courts, decreased play delays and more comfortable viewing for fans.

Read the rest of Wimbledon Set to Debut Innovative Retractable Roof

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: Daylighting, energy efficient architecture, Green Building, green design, innovative architecture, recyclable materials, sustainable design, wimbledon retractable roof

Most of the time, when we want to limit the amount or intensity of light as it streams into our homes, we install blinds or hang curtains. Not so with this house extension in Victoria, Australia designed by Andrew Maynard Architects. The owners of the home wanted to add a kitchen and living space to their home  that would be full of natural light — a desire easily met with glass facades that would allow light to stream in. However, in order to save the interior from baking in sunlight and to comply with local regulations, Andrew Maynard Architects decided to take a cue from nature and attach large, tree-shaped stickers that would filter the light as it entered the interior.  With this clever addition, the interior receives ample daylighting through static “tree branches” that provide leafy shade and subdued privacy all year round.

Read the rest of RESIDENCE: A House with A Tree Tattoo

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: Daylighting, energy efficient, filtered views architecture, framed views architecture, house extension, passive heating cooling, shaded home

The Helix Hotel in Abu Dhabi’s Zayed Bay doesn’t have floors like we’re used to – instead it spirals in sections of a corkscrew from top to bottom with no clear breaks, flowing from retail to residential, and hotel suites to saunas. The hollow center keeps foot traffic flowing while infusing interior spaces with coastal air and natural light, while on the outside GROW panels are fast at work harnessing solar and wind energy. Because of its unique design, every room has a slighly different view — perfect for watching over the contruction of Zaha Hadid’s Sheikh Zayed Bridge just next door.

Read the rest of Abu Dhabi’s Spiraling Helix Hotel

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: "sustainable architecture", "wind power", abu dhabi, Daylighting, Green Building, helix hotel, leeser architects, natural ventilation, renewable energy, Solar Power, spiral hotel, sustainable design

The beautiful and expressive (X) House designed by Multiplicities is one of 100 entries that have been cleared for construction in Inner Mongolia as part of the Ordos 100 project. Conceptually designed as a white lung wrapped in a black skin, the house employs a series of barriers to filter air, light, and rain, and features a smart passive design that will allow it to weather the harsh climate of Inner Mongolia.

Read the rest of Passive (X) House for the Ordos 100 Village

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: "good design", "sustainable architecture", (X) for ordos 100, *multiplicities, Architecture, china, Daylighting, Design, Green Building, green design, mongolia, mongolia architecture, ordos, ordos 100, ordos100, passive design

Water towers, TV antennas, parking garages and other structures tend to be ignored within the ubiquitous context of their surroundings, however these oft-overlooked structures can offer amazing opportunities for renovations. Take this water tower turned student housing complex in Jaegersberg, Denmark. This once practical structure was left unused until Dorte Mandrup Arkitekter ApS won a competition to renovate it into a multi-purpose building for student housing and a youth center.

Read the rest of Denmark Renovates Water Tower Into Green Student Housing

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: adaptive reuse, Daylighting, dorte mandrup arkitekter aps, Green Building, green design, sustainable design, sustianable architecture, water tower renovation