Green Roofs

Vincent Callebaut Architectures recently won a competition to renovate a historic thermal baths in Aix-les-Bains, France. The proposal calls for significant sustainable design and technology, including lots of greenery, solar panels, rainwater collection, and more.

Vietnam's Vo Trong Nghia Architects' overriding goal is to add greenery to its homeland's cities and the firm highlights this again with its recently-completed Breathing House. The project involved covering a narrow home in an awkward crowded plot in Ho Chi Minh City with a "green veil" of plants.

With its tropical climate, Singapore is well-suited to greenery-covered architecture and Serie Architects and Multiply Architects' lush Oasis Terraces is a worthwhile addition to the city-state. It provides locals with a versatile mixed-use space containing a community center and health clinics.

Vincent Callebaut Architectures brings the outdoors into the workplace with its proposal for a new headquarters for French company Soprema. Named Semaphore, it will boast sustainable technology and have a massive amount of greenery, with around 10,000 plants, shrubs and trees.

Polish firm Biuro Toprojekt's aptly-named Kindergarten makes good use of an awkward plot. Bringing to mind Vo Trong Nghia's Farming Kindergarten, the building offers additional space for the kids to run around outside with a play area on its roof.

Singapore's Kampung Admiralty has won the 2018 World Building of the Year at the World Architecture Festival. Designed by WOHA, it meets the needs of elderly people in a safe and green environment.

The aptly-named House behind the Roof is defined by its sizable green roof, which provides it with privacy from passing traffic and neighbors. The home was also designed with a focus on energy-efficiency, and reduces its grid-based electricity use with solar panels.

Building engineer Jim Costigan has spent decades constructing high-rises in Manhattan for a living. He's also spent a significant chunk of time putting his building experience to use realizing a passion project: a green-roofed energy-efficient hobbit home in New York State.

This new R&D facility by Morphosis was designed for South Korean textile specialist Kolon Group. It sports a distinctive shading system made from fiber-reinforced plastic, the same stuff used for bullet-proof vests, in construction, and elsewhere. It also boasts significant sustainable design.

Apple is paired with Foster + Partners, Google with BIG and Thomas Heatherwick, and Facebook's architect is Frank Gehry. The social media giant recently commissioned him to expand its HQ in California. The new building was completed in 18 months and has several sustainable features.

This fine example of barkitecture was designed by Studio Schicketanz for the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA). It features the kind of sustainable design you'd usually expect to find in a full-size home, including a green roof and solar power.

Judging by its attractive design and amazing views, we'd guess that the owners of the Off-Grid Guest House aren't lacking in visitors. Located in a rural area on California's coast, it juts out over the hillside, and as its name suggests, runs off-the-grid with solar power and its own well.