sustainable design

With concrete being a major contributor of carbon emissions, a team led by the Eindhoven University of Technology is researching whether flax could be used as a greener building material, and to this end has completed a sensor-packed footbridge.

With its huge amount of greenery, Kengo Kuma's Park Habitat will offer a more pleasant workplace than the average office building. It will also feature sustainable design, including an interesting cooling central atrium named the "Green Lung."

Woods Bagot and the Miller Hull Partnership have revealed plans to expand the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport with a sustainably-designed extension that will be defined by a stunning timber interior made from locally sourced Douglas fir wood.

Henning Larsen Architects continues its enthusiastic use of sustainable timber construction with a new experience center designed for automaker Volvo. World of Volvo takes the form of three tree trunks embedded into a heavily landscaped plot.

Populous has been commissioned to design a new multipurpose events arena in Munich. Described as Germany's first climate-neutral arena, it will integrate significant greenery on its exterior and will get power from thousands of solar panels.

As concerns about rising sea levels grow, the idea of people living in climate-resilient floating cities is gaining traction. UN-Habitat, BIG, SAMOO, Oceanix and others have joined forces on a plan to build a prototype floating city in South Korea.

Foster + Partners recently revealed a new NYC skyscraper that combines supertall stature with significant sustainability features, rising to a height of 1,388 ft and incorporating recycled materials, natural ventilation and water-saving design.

Back in 2020, Ikea revealed plans for a remarkable car-free store in Vienna, Austria. The project is now complete and features an eye-catching design that's conceived as an oversized bookcase covered in greenery.

The world's tallest hybrid timber tower – that is, primarily made from wood but with concrete reinforcement – is slated for South Perth, Australia. Assuming it goes ahead as planned, the building will rise to an impressive height of 183 m.

Slow Studio has recently completed a compact sustainable family home in Madrid that boasts a ventilated facade. Dubbed Casa en Cerros de Madrid, the residence is built on a slim plot of land with a narrow south-facing frontage.

BIG has revealed plans for an ambitiously sustainable new scientific research center in Spain. Drawing inspiration from Seville's shaded plazas, it will provide respite from the Spanish heat with a "cloud" of solar panel-covered canopies.

C.F. Møller Architects recently completed work on a new Lego Campus in Billund, Denmark, that boasts impressive sustainability features. The building references the toymaker's products with a facade that sports oversized Lego bricks.