Green Building : Jetson Green

Glassy Greenhouse in Belgium

Wow, isn't this home striking?  It's a green house and a house meant to act like a true greenhouse -- the steel-framed structure is enveloped in alternating layers of insulated transparent glass and translucent polycarbonate plates, so when the sun comes through the glass and heats up the interior, the insulation in the glass keeps the heat inside.  The insulation and translucent materials also provide a level of privacy, particularly on the first level, whereas the glass is featured prominently in the more public areas of the home. 

Chinatrust Bank Complex Features Modern Buildings with Green Roofs

If you've ever been to Taiwan, you'll probably agree that this design for Chinatrust Bank's headquarters is spot on for the region.  Taiwan is so lush and green -- the extensive allowance for green roofs, vertical courtyards, and open space in the central plaza likely blends right in to the terrain.  Designed by the LA office of NBBJ, with the assistance of local firm Fei & Cheng Associates, the development includes a 30-story headquarters building, 21-story commercial office building, 10-story hotel, and four-level retail center.  The development just broke ground earlier this month and will end up with 2.5 million square feet by about 2012. 

Casa 100k Green Prefab Homes [Italy]

It looks like the 100k House idea has migrated overseas because a similar prototype just popped up in Italy last year.  Mario Cucinella Architects has conceived Casa 100k, which is a prototype home for Є100,000 that prioritizes three main elements: style, sustainability, and affordability.  It's billed as a low-cost, dream home with zero bills and zero emissions.  And as you can see from available renderings, the method of accomplishing such goals is primarily through prefabrication and passive and active design strategies. 

A Living House by R&Sie Architects

We've seen some interesting living walls and green roofs, but this goes beyond these applications and into the realm of being a complete living house.  Referred to as the Lost in Paris House, the structure took five years to complete and was designed by R&Sie architects.  The unique living envelope comprises 1200 ferns (or Dryopteris filix-mas) in a hydroponic system – the plants are not sustained by soil but by a chemical mixture of bacteria, nutrients, and rainwater. 

Zira Island Planned as Zero Energy City

Following in the footsteps of Dongtan and Masdar, the Danish firm of Bjarke Ingels Group has just released details of their masterplan for a zero energy resort and entertainment city on Zira Island, which is located within the bay of Baku, Azerbaijan.  The plan calls for roughly 10.8 million square feet of architectural landscape based on the natural landscape of Azerbaijan.  Indeed, Zira Island will feature seven residential developments, each in the shape of one of seven peaks of Azerbaijan, and 300 private villas with views over the Caspian Sea. 

Gwanggyo Green Power Centre Designed to Mimic Nature

This is Gwanggyo Power Centre, a concept design for a new town located roughly 20 miles south of Seoul, South Korea.  MVRDV won a competition with this design, which consists of skinny, hill-shaped buildings that contain housing, offices, parking, retail, leisure, and educational spaces.  Although the concept plan is currently under review for feasibility and cost estimations, if everything moves forward, Gwanggyo Power Centre will become a self-sustaining town of 77,000 inhabitants. 

Natural Design for a Creative Exchange

This building in Cambridge, England is not only called “Creative Exchange,” but it functions as one, too.  Designed by 5th Studio, the structure has a purposely small footprint and smart design that allows natural light to flood into interior spaces.  The interior spaces are open and function more flexibly than a typical office so occupants can collaborate and share ideas.  Similarly, the top floor has a working garden that also facilitates congregation and interaction among the occupants.  Other than the few private workspace areas, everything is quite open and communal at Creative Exchange. 

Rødovre Tower to be Plush Sky Village

Rødovre, an independent municipality of Denmark, was looking for a new residential tower and MVRDV, with co-architect ADEPT, rose to the challenge.  On Monday, it was announced that their "Sky Village" concept won a design challenge to create the next Rødovre skyscraper.  The 116 meter (~381 foot) tower will feature apartments, retail, offices, an hotel, as well as a public park and plaza.  The architects' contemporary design is based on a flexible grid of boxes, or "pixels," which are ~646 square feet each and arranged around the building's central core. 

Iconic Dubai Anara Tower Looking Forward to LEED Silver Certification

Developer Tameer Holding has another iconic tower in the works for Dubai called Anara Tower.  Designed by Atkins, the 600 meter (~1969 feet) tower won't be as tall as the world's tallest tower, Burj Dubai, which is ~707 meter (~2,320 feet), but it's not too far behind.  With 125 stories, Anara will have office space, 300 residential apartments, 250 hotel keys, and all sorts of other luxury amenities, such as pools, shops, and sky gardens every 27 floors. The design was inspired by the minaret, tall spires near Muslim mosques, with a purpose of being instantly recognizable worldwide. 

Will There Be One Global Green Building Standard to Rule Them All?

This article was written by Phil Clark who blogs about green building and development in the UK at Zerochampion.  Make sure to come back after visiting his site ...

Will there ever be one green building standard to rule them all?  It’s an interesting question given the explosion of new ones that are emerging around the globe: in the past month news has reached us over here of a new standard planned by the recently German Sustainable Building Council (this was discovered by Building Sustainability columnist and U.S. expert Jerry Yudelson, a reference of which is in this article) and of a new guide for eco-friendly projects in New Zealand.