NewActon Nishi is a new apartment complex in the middle of Canberra that is aiming to be Australia’s greenest residential development. But don’t go thinking that this will be a boring ‘green building’. NewActon Nishi will feature a sexy minimalist aesthetic in addition to some exciting eco-conscious features.
When most of us think of convention centers, we think of big empty spaces that are certainly not very environmentally friendly. That’s not the case for the next generation of centers — case in point, the very cool looking Qatar National Convention Center. The striking 177,000 square meter structure is seeking a LEED Gold Rating, a first for a building of its type in the region. When it’s completed next year the center will boast 3,700 square meters of solar panels in addition to a host of other resource-saving features.
The architects behind South Korea’s new eco dome have hatched another stunning project that plants a 131 acre green roof in the heart of Seoul. Designed by Samoo Architects & Engineers, the plan renovates the run-down Garak Wholesale Market with an eco-upgrade topped with a sprawling public garden.
The historic city of Augustenborg, Denmark may soon provide a new view of its surrounding waters thanks to a revitalized city center complete with a modern castle. Successfully combining old and new, Deve Architects plan to transform the city’s aging industrial buildings into a new downtown area that celebrates the country’s modern yacht culture. The new plans call for ground-source heat pumps, wind turbines, and biogas as well as solar arrays and kinetic plates to generate energy.
A round of applause for California! In an effort to trim statewide emissions by 1/3 by 2020, the state of California recently adopted CALGREEN, the first mandatory state-wide green building code in the country. The code was unanimously passed by the California Building Standards Commission and will take effect on January 1st, 2011. The building codes cover everything from construction waste recycling to indoor air quality standards.
Each year over 2.8 million people visit the Suncheon wetlands in Korea, which comprise world’s 5th largest tidal flat. To host them, Gansam Architects’ G.lab* have designed a visitor’s center that works to both enhance and protect the wetland that it is built on. It’s no easy feat, but the architects have succeeded in creating a minimally invasive project that goes with the ebb and flow of the tides.
Go into any bookstore or search on words “Stock House Plans” and you will find thousands of them, mostly junk. Perhaps 50% of are stolen and just about all of them get twisted and stretched before they actually get built. But for decades, a few architects have seen them as a way to democratize design, to make good designs available at a lower price to a larger audience. Now, when clients have less money and architects are reliving that joke of a decade ago (What do you say to an architect with a job? “I’ll have fries with that.”), perhaps it’s time for talented architects to take the stock plan business seriously.
An old sugar refinery in Brooklyn is getting a second chance at the sweet life thanks to the designers at Rafael Vinoly Architects (RVA) PC, who have proposed a massive green renovation for the 2.8-million-square-foot complex. The mixed-use project will create 2,200 apartments, with at least 30% of the new housing being designated to lower-income families. The conversion of the old industrial site will also provide the Williamsburg residences with a fantastic view of Manhattan, the Brooklyn Bridges, and New York Harbor via the project’s green roof.
The New California Craftsmen have begun to make a name for themselves on the Los Angeles design scene, thinking up one-of-a-kind creations made from re-purposed scraps and found materials. Collaborators since first meeting in art school years ago, James Cerasani and Justin Murphy pride themselves on their uncanny ability to design just about anything from, well… anything! From bent wood pendent lights to sculptural steel plant walls, their portfolio is chalk full of inventive and inspiring pieces.
New York City’s Freedom Tower is currently 5 stories high, and as it grows taller and taller it could take up to 45 minutes for construction workers to get to the bottom, making it impossible to go out for lunch during their half hour break. That’s why the project’s contractors have hired sandwich maker Subway to build a restaurant at the same level as the ongoing construction. Last week, the franchise hoisted nine shipping containers alongside the tower, which will serve the construction workers with the same menu offered on street level – even the freshly baked bread.
Hamburg’s Office for Urban Development and the Environment (BSU) recently unveiled plans for a brand new eye-catching and energy-efficient office that is sure to promote their green agenda. Designed by Sauerbruch Hutton, the colorful prismatic building will combine both passive and active measures to bring the structure to the forefront of energy-efficient design in 2013.
The Cooper Union’s new Manhattan building opened this year to much acclaim, and Inhabitat recently had a chance to take a look inside NYC’s first LEED platinum certified school! Read on for our exclusive tour of this striking project, from the sweeping energy-efficient steel facade, to the atrium that bathes the interior in light, to the green roof garden …
It’s been a big year for green architecture and a landmark decade for green building awareness. Ten years ago, most people thought green building was still some hippy-dippy exercise in building grass-covered hobbit-huts, and now we know that not only can green building be modern and chic – it is also one of the best ways to combat climate change. Our passion for green building isn’t just that we are into environmental friendliness, but because green buildings are better designed, healthier, have lower energy bills, and are just plain smart. Read on for our top 6 green architecture stories of the year, and vote on your favorite!
The blogs are full of “best of the year” lists, but architecture moves more slowly – it takes a long time for ideas to get built, technologies to evolve and for knowledge to spread. Instead, we look at the themes and memes of the past decade of architecture in TreeHugger. From the rise of modern prefab to the growth of green roofs, read on for the most notable trends in sustainable building.
This five star hotel is going under – underground that is! Designed by ReardonSmith Architects for a proposed development at Hersham Golf Club in Surrey, London, this new subterranean hotel will pay its ultimate respects to London’s Green Belt by placing all 200+ guest rooms underneath it! The entire scheme is covered with a plush green roof that takes its cue from the surrounding countryside.
What’s black and white and sunny all over? It’s the BUMPS housing complex in Beijing, created by SAKO Architects. Typical buildings in China face north and south, but SAKO’s design rotates the buildings 45 degrees from the north-south axis to provide maximum exposure to sunlight. The designers …
Designs have just been released for Bay South, an incredible botanical preserve topped with super-tall solar trees that is set to be Singapore’s largest garden project. Conceived by Grant Associates, the 101-hectare expanse of lush green space will be situated right next to the Marina Bay resort and will feature two botanical biospheres and a series of towering tree structures that double as vertical gardens.
In a location as picturesque as Vals, Switzerland, it’s difficult to imagine any new construction that wouldn’t impose on the beautiful landscape. So when the rare opportunity was granted to construct a new dwelling just a stone’s throw away from the famed Vals thermal baths, it was of paramount importance to not disturb the tranquil site. Designed by the architects of SeArch and Christian Müller, this underground house exemplifies the notion that thoughtfully constructed buildings can live in harmony with their surrounding environs.
As COP15 delegations continue in Copenhagen, Danish architects MAPT have erected a striking pavilion composed of a set of old shipping containers stacked up like building blocks. The recycled pavilion will host an interactive exhibit focusing on urban sustainability, and the interior of the structure is constructed entirely of materials salvaged from the wood and wind turbine industries.
It sounds like the plot of the movie Jurassic Park (minus the dinosaurs), but JDS Architects have created an incredible plan for a zoo located on the South Korean island of Dochodo. The island could, according to the architecture firm, be a “case study to define a tourist region based on sustainable development only, where natures and structures function in equilibrium, symbiotically feeding one another.”
LOTS MORE GREAT GREEN DESIGN STORIES HERE... KEEP READING!
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