Green and living architecture are becoming more popular each and every day. More people are realizing the importance of sustainable design and are looking for ways to incorporate it into their homes and businesses. This article will look at amazing examples of green and living architecture worldwide.
Serpentine Pavilion
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Sustainability Enthusiast Vikki Nicolai La Crosse WI agrees that one of the most impressive examples of green architecture is the Serpentine Pavilion in London. Designed by award-winning architect Zaha Hadid, the pavilion is made from a sustainable material called PET plastic. PET plastic is made from recycled water bottles and is 100% recyclable. The pavilion features a rainwater harvesting system that collects and stores rainwater for use in the landscape and also has a living roof covered in sedum plants.
Guggenheim Museum
Biomimicry is a new field of architecture that takes inspiration from nature to create sustainable buildings. One of the most famous examples of architectural biomimicry is the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain. Designed by Frank Gehry, the museum was inspired by fish scales. The building’s titanium panels reflect light and heat like fish scales. The museum also has a rainwater harvesting system that collects and stores rainwater for use in the landscape.
Pearl River Tower
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The Pearl River Tower in Guangzhou, China, is the greenest office building in the world. Designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, the Pearl River Tower is a LEED Platinum-certified building. The tower features a double-skin façade that helps to regulate temperature and reduce energy consumption. The tower also has a rainwater harvesting system that collects and stores rainwater for use in the landscape.
Museum Of Tomorrow
The Museum of Tomorrow in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, is an incredible example of sustainable architecture. The museum features a double-skin façade and a roof that collects and stores rainwater, designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava. The museum also has a wind turbine that generates electricity for the building and a pumping system that takes water from the bottom of a nearby bay for use in the air-conditioning system in the building.
Shanghai Tower
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The Shanghai Tower in China is the tallest green building in the world. The tower has an advanced waste management system that recycles or composts 90% of the waste generated by the building. A transparent second skin wrapped around the tower helps regulate temperature and reduce energy consumption. Also, 270 wind turbines generate electricity for the outside of the building.
Bosco Verticale
The Bosco Verticale in Milan, Italy, is a residential building with a vertical forest. The building was designed by Stefano Boeri and is covered in over 800 trees and plants. The vegetation helps to regulate temperature, provides natural insulation, and improves air quality. The apartments are sometimes called “apartments in the sky.”
ACROS Fukuoka Prefectural International Hall
The ACROS Fukuoka Prefectural International Hall in Japan exemplifies a “green” building beyond just being environmentally friendly. The building was designed to be aesthetically pleasing and to blend in with its natural surroundings. The building features a garden on every level, and the façade is covered in greenery. The 15 garden terraces help regulate the temperature of the building as well as support different birds and insects.
Pixel Building
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The Pixel Building in Brisbane, Australia, is an example of a “living” building. The building was designed by Australian architect Chris Bosse and is covered in over 18,000 photovoltaic cells that generate electricity for the building. The cells also act as a shading device to help regulate the temperature inside the building. It also features vertical wind turbines and a roof that captures rainwater.
One Central Park
One Central Park in Sydney, Australia, is an example of a “vertical garden.” The building was designed by French architect Jean Nouvel and featured a vertical garden on one side of the building. One of the parks featured at the bottom of the building continues to climb up the side, helping to showcase the over 250 species of Australian plants and flowers.
Copenhill
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Vikki Nicolai La Crosse WI also recommends Copenhill. Copenhill in Copenhagen, Denmark, is the world’s first waste-to-energy power plant doubles as a ski slope. The building was designed by Danish architect Bjarke Ingels and featured a façade that is covered in greenery. The power plant produces enough energy to power 150,000 nearby homes, and the ski slope is open to the public. Four hundred forty thousand pounds of waste are incinerated daily to produce clean electricity and heating for the homes.
Marco Polo Tower
The Marco Polo Tower in Germany, is a residential building designed by German architect Meinhard von Gerkan. Each apartment floor has a different layout, and the building features a double-skin façade. The outer skin of the façade is made of glass, and the inner skin is made of concrete. The space between the two skins is used as a solar thermal collector to heat the water for the apartments. The apartments also turn on an axis that allows them to follow the sun throughout the day, which helps to regulate the temperature inside the building.
Final Thoughts
These are just a few examples of the amazing green and living architecture that can be found around the world. With more people becoming interested in sustainable design, we can only expect to see more incredible examples of green architecture in the future.
