sustainable design

A visitor center built within an extinct volcanic formation has been completed in Inner Mongolia, China. The 3,532-square-meter (38,018-sq-ft) project minimizes its footprint on the fragile landscape, while focusing on soil erosion prevention.

German designers are taking a whole new approach to seating furniture. The pieces they've created are convertible, durable, recyclable, and could potentially become one of the most sustainable offerings the industry has ever seen.

This stunning concept machine combines race-inspired styling and a number of innovative ideas for maximizing performance – including the use of a sustainable, lightweight natural composite for its bodywork.

Zaha Hadid Architects has revealed plans for the largest airport in Africa. As you might expect from the firm, this ambitious building is very striking, and it will take the form of a massive futuristic structure in the desert.

While this may look like a minimalist pair of titanium chopsticks, it's so much more. It's actually a modular everyday-carry tool that can shapeshift into four other different forms. And there are only a few days left to get it at its discounted rate.

Inspired by a vision to support nature, architectural firm Studio Link-Arc has completed the Yunlu Wetland Museum in Yunlu Wetland Park in Shunde, within southern China’s Pearl River Delta. It combines a bird-watching tower with exhibition spaces.

Shaped by a vision to maintain the ecological and architectural integrity of a post-war neighborhood, architectural firm OFIS has completed the House under the Poplars in the Murgle district of Ljubljana, Slovenia.

This year has produced more than its fair share of fantastic buildings. From a house that was 3D printed using soil, to an upcoming megatall skyscraper, here's our selection of the best architecture from the past 12 months.

From water-skipping robots to elephant-skin inspired cooling materials, engineers have continued to find inspiration in nature in order to move technology forward for humans. And it's set to take center-stage in the new age of robotics.

ARIA – 'Anyone Repairs It Anywhere' – is more than a clever acronym. This prototype EV created by students at TU/ecomotive aims to convince the car industry and policymakers that sustainable, repairable vehicle design is commercially achievable.

Inspired by the humble old greenhouse, a futuristic self-contained food ecosystem offers us a glimpse at a how we might one day have "farm to table" on our apartment block rooftops or in space-poor urban areas. Think of it as a tiny house of produce.

Putting greenery on skyscrapers is one of the better architectural trends as far as we're concerned. MVRDV's latest project leans into the idea with a Gaudí-inspired plant-filled tower that provides city dwellers with a daily dose of nature.