A lot of us can recall spending hours upon hours of stacking colorful Legos into shapes and sizes that tickled our imagination as children. While some of us outgrew that phase, thankfully some of us didn’t forget the charm of the little Lego man’s smile or the amazingness contained within every little block. As Parisian designers Simon Pillard and Philippe Rosetti have proved with their chromatic Munchausen Lego Kitchen: you’re never to old to play with Legos!

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Post tags: diy design, green design, green Interiors, Green Kitchen, Green renovation, lego kitchen, Munchausen Lego Kitchen Simon Pillard and Philippe Rosetti, Recycled Materials, sustainable design

Berlin is a burgeoning modern city with a compelling history, a diverse culture, abundant art, and distinctive architecture that rivals the likes of Paris, London and New York. But if there is one thing that can set the city apart from its pricey peers, it’s the unbelievably inexpensive property. Not unlike many of the uber-creative expatriates that have taken up residence there, two enterprising artists, Michael Elmgreen and Ingar Dragset, decided it was time to purchase and renovate a place of their own. So what can $700,000 get you in a city like Berlin? An apartment? A loft? Maybe a small house? How about a massive water pumping station!

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Post tags: adaptive reuse, Green Building, green design, Green renovation, ingar dragset, michael elmgreen, renovated pumping plant, sustainable design, wenk und wiese

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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Post tags: "energy efficiency", "sustainable architecture", Daylighting, efficient architecture, Green Building, Green renovation, natural light, natural ventilation

A historic zoo in Vincennes, France, originally built in 1934 is looking to complete a major renovation, boosting itself to sustainable park status. Backed by the French government, the Prime Minister pledged to help engage a public/private partnership to complete the project. With a focus on conservation, education and awareness, the renovated zoo will feature six exciting “biozones” to replicate endangered areas of the world. Run partially on solar power, the zoo will showcase several green buildings and sustainable landscape design.

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Post tags: biozones, conservation, eco zoo, france, Green renovation, Solar Power, sustainable zoo, zoo, zoological park

In 1896 the Viennese authorities decided to invest in large-scale gas and electric utilities, so they constructed what became Europe’s largest gas plant. After nearly a century long run the plant was decommissioned, and left behind were four massive gasometers. These incredible structures were cast off, but a recent revitalization project led by Jean Nouvel, Coop Himmelb(l)au, Manfred Wehdorn, and Wilhelm Holzbauer have transformed these four tanks into spectacular and thriving communities.

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Post tags: adaptive reuse, Coop Himmelb(l)au, gazometers, green architecture, green design, Green renovation, jean nouvel, manfred wehdorn, sustainable design, vienna gasometers, wilhelm holzbauer

San Francisco’s Bay Bridge is currently undergoing a massive renovation as an aging section of the East Bay span is replaced with a new one, and the old conduit has fired up architects’ imaginations for new ways to use the soon-to-be abandoned space. Inspired by the success of New York’s recently opened High Line Park, Rael San Fratello Architects haver proposed a hanging neighborhood and sky park complete with 1.92 miles of bicycle paths, climbing walls, gardens, and meadows.

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Post tags: bay bridge park, bicycle park, green design, Green renovation, green space, high line, paths, public space, San Francisco, sustainable design

Whether you’re religious or not, this old Dominican church will certainly bring you the enlightenment you’ve been seeking. After months of renovation this magnificent structure originally constructed in 1294 has opened its doors to the public as a “brand new” bookstore in the heart of Maastricht. A superb example of adaptive re-use, the Selexyz Dominicanen infuses rich and historic architecture with plentiful shelves ripe with information.

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Post tags: adaptive reuse, cathedral, Green Building, green design, Green renovation, Selexyz Domincan Church Maastricht, sustainable design

One of our favorite projects from last weekend’s AIA Home Tours was a stunning historic victorian that was constructed in San Francisco’s Cole Valley in 1896, weathered the trippy 60’s and 70’s, and was recently renovated by Mork-Ulnes Design. The beautiful renovation tempers the warp and warble of the home’s eclectic past with pops of modern scandinavian design, the extensive use of salvaged materials reclaimed from the building, and skylights that suffuse the interior spaces in daylight.

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Post tags: clayton street residence, green building recycled materials, Green renovation, mork-ulnes design, salvaged materials, San Francisco, sustainable design

One trend we noticed in this year’s AIA Homes Tours in San Francisco was how the frugal use of floor space and an abundance of natural light can add volume to otherwise downsized floor plans. Boor Bridges Architects managed to do just this in the adaptive re-use of a 1940s tap dancing studio, formerly used by famed dancer Betty Mae, into a kind of urban luxury cottage marked by modern minimalism and subtle hints of years past.

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Post tags: adaptive reuse, ames cottage, Architecture, architecture and the city festival, boor bridges architecture, green design, Green renovation, Reclaimed Materials, small space living, sustainable design

When Atlanta based ad agency The Jones Group decided it was time to revamp their image and headquarters, they turned to designer Caryn Grossman of CG Creative Interiors to complete the task. With two early 1900’s warehouses now in her hands and limitless possibilities, the crafty designer decided it was best not to skimp on the green. Her carefully drafted program called for the application of only sustainable materials and low-impact fabrication and construction, and what resulted was a striking environment ready to stir creativity within the new office.

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Post tags: adaptive reuse, cg creative interiors, green design, Green renovation, industrial space, jones group, Office, sustainable building materials, sustainable design

The White House is doing its part in leading the way to a more sustainable nation. Not only are they growing their own food on site with Michelle Obama’s garden, but now even they’re aiming for LEED certification! The Obamas are trying to show that reducing energy use and leading a greener life really aren’t that hard. This certainly isn’t the first attempt to green the White House, but it’s definitely the most significant attempt to date. The Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) and the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) are leading the effort to upgrade to more energy efficient equipment, improve procurement, reduce waste and toxins and lower the overall carbon footprint of the complex.

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Post tags: "energy efficiency", "leed", garden, Green renovation, historic renovation, leed certification, obama, renewable energy, The White House, white house

Recover, restore, and reuse.  That was the mantra employed by Portugal-based architecture team Ezzo, led by César Machado Moreira, in designing Paço De Pombeiro, a twentieth-century rural hotel in Felgueiras, Portugal. The hotel is located on 24-acres of farmland which are primarily used as vineyards, and had existing sixteenth-century buildings. The architects wanted to revive the old structure, so they designed the hotel to complement and enhance the characteristics of the existing structures — and provide space and amenities for up to 22 guests and an outdoor swimming pool.

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Post tags: building retrofit, Ezzo, Green renovation, hotels, Paco De Pombeiro, portugal, pre-existing buildings, refurbishment, retrofitted building, rural hotel, small hotel building

Magically appearing from the trees along Great Ocean Road, Australia is Cocoon, an incredible weekend getaway by the terrific design duo Bellemo & Cat. One part zeppelin, one part finely-crafted yacht, Cocoon was conceived as a “a matchbox inside an egg, a rectangle within an oval.”

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Post tags: bellemo & cat, blimp, cocoon, green design, Green renovation, Recycled Materials, sustainable design, zeppelin house

We love hearing about old structures being converted into comfortable living spaces, but a water tower?! Dubbed the “House in the Clouds”, this architectural marvel was constructed 85 years ago as a water tower to serve the township of Thorpeness in Suffolk, England, but today it serves as a bed and breakfast for anyone searching for a getaway overlooking England’s low lying hills. Read on for the tower’s history, which is just as curious as the tower itself.

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Post tags: "sustainable architecture", adaptive reuse, bed and breakfast, Green Building, green design, Green renovation, House in the Clouds, sustainable design, water tower renovation

The suburban landscape consists largely of endless expanses of paved parking lots pocked with strip malls, gas stations, chain restaurants, and McMansions. Rather than razing these structures with the aim of greening the suburbs, Galina Tahchieva proposes that we retrofit them to create “a more diverse, cohesive urban fabric within a walkable and identifiable public realm.” The winner of the People’s Choice Award in our Reburbia competition with over 2,300 votes, the Urban Sprawl Repair Kit offers a go-to set of solutions for transforming 5 structures spawned from suburban sprawl into mixed-use models of urban efficiency.

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Post tags: Galina Tahchieva, green architecture, Green renovation, reburbia competition, sustainable design, urban infill, Urban Sprawl Repair Kit