The World’s Greenest Office Building Opens in Munich by Lori Zimmer

Munich, Germany now boasts the greenest office building in the world. NuOffice is off the charts in all sustainability metrics, easily achieving LEED platinum status. European research project DIRECTION and scientists from Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics banded together to help design the über-green building, hoping it will serve as a model for future new construction across the globe.

NoArq Extends Roof of NP House into the Ground to Enlarge a Home for Four in Portugal

 

NoArq renovated the NP House to expand the living space for a growing family in Northern Portugal. In order to double the available space without causing undue environmental harm, the designer opened up the existing rooms by eliminating partitions and extended the roof into the site’s western slope.

                           

The renovation increased the home’s footprint from 262.09 to 469.11 square meters with very little disruption to the beautiful site in Vila Nova de Famalicão. A covered courtyard accessed by all of the living and sleeping areas is sandwiched between the new and old spaces; weathered Corten steel doors lead from there into the larger garden.

The extension has been reserved for three bedrooms, while the original part of the home is dedicated to living and social areas. Raised on a structural system of walls, retaining walls and reinforced concrete, the home has a clean, minimalist interior with American pine floors. Cutouts provide natural lighting throughout.

Source / Fuente: inhabitat.com

Author / Autor: Tafline Laylin

 Date / Fecha: 14/06/13

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Hiroshima’s Optical Glass House Hides a Secret Garden Behind its Glazed Façade

The Optical Glass House in Japan takes its name from its unique translucent façade, which shields the home’s tranquil courtyard from the surrounding urban environment. Designed by Hiroshi Nakamura & NAP Co. Ltd., this single-family home in downtown Hiroshima features a gorgeous secluded patio with a garden and pool, all hidden behind the bricked-glass wall. The translucent wall filters sunlight and provides some privacy, while protecting the house from the noisy street.

Christopher Polly Carves Vaulted Ceilings and Light Wells into Sydney’s Cosgriff House

 

Christopher Polly Architect transformed Sydney’s tiny Cosgriff House into a gorgeous, modern, light-filled home. The Australian designer added a room underneath and behind the existing structure and left much of the original masonry intact. In so doing he expanded the footprint by a meager 20 square meters but doubled the floor area. He then carved vaulted ceilings and light wells into the roof to illuminate the space naturally, and it looks like a whole new house.

Indonesian Architects Work to Preserve Traditional Mbaru Niang Cone-Shaped Eco Huts

Mbaru Niang, the traditional cone-shaped eco huts in the remote Flores Island region of Indonesia, make up one of the most important cultural heritage sites in the world, and they’re finally getting their due. Last year, the huts were given an award of excellence in the 2012 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation. Now, we’re excited to learn that the preservation effort has been named a finalist for the prestigious Aga Khan Award for Architecture.

Park Royal Tower: WOHA’s Stunning Vertical Garden Tower Opens in Singapore

The initial renderings of WOHA Architects’ Park Royal Hotel in Singapore showed a building almost completely overrun with gardens, water features and green pathways – and now we’re excited to say that the project is complete! The lush urban oasis features cascading planter terraces and waterfalls, creating an almost otherworldly botanical microcosm in the midst of busy Singapore.

This Charming West Village Townhouse Boasts a Backyard Treehouse Above Its Garden

New York apartments come with all kinds of amenities, but it’s not every day that you see one with its own treehouse! Nestled in the city’s West Village, this lovely townhouse recently became available on the market and offers the perfect melding of city living with an escape to nature right in the back yard. Buyers attracted to the charm of this local jewel should expect to pay a pretty penny for a home with a bit of green real estate attached. The listing price for this treasure we discovered via Curbed NY is a whopping $5,995,000, but click through the gallery to take your own (free) tour.

Destino: Sostenibilidad Urbana

El metabolismo urbano nos muestra el comportamiento de las ciudades con respecto al medio natural y el territorio que las rodea.

Nos enfrentamos al reto de crear ciudades compactas, complejas y funcionales.

En los últimos 50 años, la población española que vive en áreas urbanas se ha duplicado, suponiendo en la actualidad casi el 77% de la población total. Esto es, más de 36 millones de personas que se concentran en una superficie aproximada de 88.000 km2, que representan únicamente, el 17,4% del territorio nacional(1).

Arquitectura Sustentable & Sostenible

Hace ya varios años que venimos escuchando la palabra “sostenibilidad” y “sustentabilidad” y el hecho es que están cobrando cada vez más fuerza y se están convirtiendo en condición indispensable para llevar adelante cualquier tipo de tarea.

Developing, attracting sustainable tourism

Norfolk County has joined three other Ontario communities that also have a world biosphere designation to figure out how to develop their tourism industries without ruining the environment.

The idea is to bring in more people to hike and bike trails, canoe down creeks, and fly across tree-tops on ziplines without damaging the attraction itself.

Arend Groenewegen Turns Thatched Flemish Barn Into a Gorgeous Eco-Friendly Office

Dutch Architect Arend Groenewegen has transformed a beautiful old Flemish-style barn that used to store hay and rural machinery into a modern wooden office. Built in the 1800s at the outskirts of Bolberg, The Netherlands, this traditional shelter features slatted walls that allow natural light to filter in and it’s topped by a biodegradable roof made from local dried plants.

Minimalist Carling Residence in Pristine Canadian Landscape Requires Zero Air Conditioning

TACT Architecture designed this striking minimalist home in the spectacular Muskoka region of Ontario, Canada. Located on a wooded 26 acre lot near Georgian Bay, the Carling Residence is nestled between two rocky ridges and shaded by a bevy of existing trees. Incorporating natural resources to reinforce thoughtful, passive design strategies, TACT was able to eliminate the need for air-conditioning altogether.