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At the edge of Manhattan's Chelsea neighborhood sits a nondescript, seven-floor office building built in the early 20th century. Inside, however, the plainness explodes with a modern office interior that is New York City's first-ever LEED Platinum project. Designed by Cook+Fox Architects in 2007, the office at 641 Avenue of the Americas was inspired by the desire to create a healthy and......read more
In the market for a beach house? Got green ideals and a few million to spare? If so, then we've found your dream home. It's in Encinitas, California, and it hits all the right notes (save for affordability). Called Neptune Norte, the 5,000+ square foot residence was designed and built by brothers Jeff Adams of Wave Crest and Steve Adams of Adams Design Associates, who managed to land the house......read more
This futuristic home concept, developed by Polifactory for British Columbia's 100 Mile House design competition, makes use of every sustainable technology imaginable to produce food and energy for its inhabitants. Dubbed HOUS.E+, the residence is constructed from rammed earth walls (using soil excavated on-site) that act like breathing structures that allow air exchange without significant......read more
Conceived as a fracture in the landscape, monovolume's Punibach hydroelectric power station is harmonically integrated into its alpine surroundings. A concrete slab separates the smooth hilly landscape and the raw building structure made out of natural, earth coloured materials. At night, the thin wood planks that form a lamellar wall allow warm light from the interior to glow in......read more
China's hyper-dense urban centers tend to conjure images of huge crowds, gridlocked traffic, and polluted air. The Great City, now under construction near the city of Chengdu, aims to be anything but that. Designed by Chicago firm Adrian Smith and Gordon Gill Architecture, the Great City is a plan for a sustainability-focused, pedestrian-based satellite city that 80,000 people will......read more
With "Nest," Paris-based architects Studio 1984 have created a nature retreat that would make Thoreau and Emerson proud. Designed for the Archi 20 competition, the small pavillion pays homage to traditional agricultural structures in the French Alsace region where it was built. But while the reference to rural heritage is strong, the building features future-forward technical innovations in......read more
New York's quirky, iconic water towers are being used for more than just great art projects these days. On the roof of a penthouse apartment in Greenwich Village, architecture firm Messana O'Rorke has transformed a terra cotta water tower into a Zen-like urban retreat. Called "Tank House," the space was conceived as the quintessential getaway zone -- a room for reading, relaxing......read more
There probably isn't a more appropriate symbol of childhood play and wonder than the tree fort. Now, German architecture firm Baumraum has created one for adults. The not-so imaginatively named "Treehouse," built in the forests of Belgium's Limburg province, features two cabins on different levels, connected by terraces and staircases and held above ground on 19 angled steel stilts.......read more
Fans of modern architecture have plenty to enjoy in these oil paintings by German artist Jens Hausmann. The large format works, spotted on Faith Is Torment, realistically depict modern houses in a colorful, intensive aesthetic you might find in an ad or a magazine editorial. The buildings, surrounded by fantastically coloured landscapes and bathed in a soft light, carry a distinctly southern......read more
David Hertz is widely recognized as one of green design's leading innovators. At the Studio of Environmental Architecture, the LA-based design firm he founded, Hertz focuses primarily on custom residential projects with particular experience in climate responsive, environmentally sustainable homes. He is perhaps best known for the seminal Wing House, an imaginative Malibu residence constructed......read more
