What has nearly 100,000 LEGO pieces, spans nearly 2.5 miles and can be used to transport a Lilliputian army? The world’s longest LEGO railway, of course! On May 10th and 11th, Lego enthusiast Henrik Ludvigsen and 80 friends got together in Denmark to assemble the longest LEGO track in the world, and for their troubles (which sound like a lot of fun), they received the Guinness World Record.

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Post tags: Guinness World Record railway, Guinness World Record train, Guinness World Record train track, Lego bricks, lego building, LEGO railroad, LEGO railway, LEGO records, lego world record, world's longest LEGO railway, world's longest LEGO train track

Many people bemoan the fact that they can’t grow their own food (or even flowers) because they lack any kind of garden space, but guess what? You can actually grow more than you realize in really small areas as long as they get a bit of direct sun. Hell, you can even grow things indoors under a lamp, but there’s something special about plucking your own food from a stalk that’s been sitting in summer sunshine all day. In any case, whether you have a little concrete slab behind your house, a fire escape outside your window, or even a tiny balcony, your urban garden can be a veritable Eden of fresh, healthy, home-grown vegetables, and herbs.

Read the rest of DIY: How to Plant a Personal Garden In a Small Urban Space

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Post tags: balcony garden, companion planting, food, herbs, Organic vegetables, patio garden, patio gardening, self sufficiency, tomatoes, urban food gardening, urban food solution, urban garden, urban gardening, vegetables

Heads up San Francisco Bay Area architecture fans – AIA SF’s 2013 Marin Living:Home Tours is back again! For the past three years, the owners of some of Marin County’s most impressive homes have opened their doors, allowing the public to look at their private spaces. And once again, AIA San Francisco and the Center for Architecture + Design are gearing up to host the Marin Living: Home Tours event, which will take place on TOMORROW (May 18th) from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. This year’s program includes a houseboat in Sausalito, a LEED Gold-certified communal living facility in San Rafael, and Koji Tsutsui & Associates’ gorgeous Multicellular House in Mill Valley (pictured at top). Head over to the Home Tours website to preview all the homes and purchase tickets.

BUY MARIN LIVING:HOME TOUR TICKETS >

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Post tags: AIA san francisco, AIA SF, AIA SF Home Tours, Andrea Ponsi, bay area, David Spurgeon Architect, Feldman Architecture, Koji Tsutsui & Associates, marin county, mill valley, North Bay, Ross, San Francisco, San Rafael, sausalito, Tiburon, Van Meter Williams Pollack

Japanese artist and landscape designer Mineo Mizuno grows moss on large ceramic pebble-like spheres, creating beautiful sculptures that forge a symbiotic relationship between materials. Inspired by his native Japan, the Brooklyn-based artist designs miniature landscapes, complete with highlands and valleys, grass and forests. The pieces are part of a series called “Coexistence.”

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Post tags: Art, art horticulture, art installation, ceramic sculptures, eco art installation, green art, green sculptures, Japanese designers, Japanese landscape art, Mineo Mizuno, Mineo Mizuno Coexistence, moss sculptures, pebble art

By now, you’ve probably heard of the High Line, but did you know that there is also an underground park called the LowLine proposed for downtown Manhattan? It may have seemed like a pipe dream at first but with many residents backing the project and New Yorkers in awe of what a subterranean park could mean for the city, the LowLine is picking up speed and could soon bring an amazing new public space (not to mention added revenue for the city) to the Lower East Side . Inhabitat’s very own Editor-in-Chief, Jill Fehrenbacher, recently caught up with the LowLine team, James Ramsey and Dan Barasch, to pick their brains about what could be New York’s next design landmark. Click through to see the video, and learn more about this incredible initiative.

SEE THE VIDEO >

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Post tags: dan barasch, delancey underground video, fiber-optic daylighting, greening new york, high line nyc, high line park, Interview Dan Barasch, Interview James Ramsey, James Ramsey, landscape design, les parks, Low Line, low line nyc, low line park, low line underground park, low line video, lower east side parks, new york parks, new york public space, new york urban design, new york urban planning, ny parks, raad, raad architects, subterranean park, sunlight transportation, sustainable new york, The Low-Line, underground park, Urban design, video interview of the delancey underground

Beijing-based Decode Urbanism Office has designed a conceptual skyscraper with a façade composed of thousands of small wind turbines that would be able to produce enough energy to power the entire building. At night, the diamond-shaped generators are lit with thousands of tiny LED lights incorporated into the building envelope.

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Post tags: Beijing architects, Decode Urbanism Office, kinetic energy wind, LED facade, LED lights, renewable energy sources, sustainable tower, Taichung buildings, Taichung towers, Taichung Wind Tower, Taiwan Wind Tower, tower plum blossom, wind facade

Read the rest of Hiroshi Nakamura and NAP Architects’ New Green-Roofed Tokyo Plaza Features a Dizzying Kaleidoscopic Entrance

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Post tags: community table, green roof, green roof garden, Hiroshi Nakamura & NAP Co. Ltd, Japan, mirrors, multifunctional steps, NAP Architects, parks, public space, rooftop park, shopping area, shopping mall, Tokyo, Tokyu Plaza Omotesando, Urban design, Urbanism

MOKO Architects just unveiled plans for a diving and skydiving center constructed out of two abandoned silos and a series of staggered shipping containers. The ten story multi-purpose recreation center will be built out of existing silos located in the Żerań industrial area just 12 km outside of Warsaw’s nucleus.

Read the rest of MOKO Unveils Plans for Crazy Skydiving Center Made From Silos and Shipping Containers

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Post tags: adaptive reuse projects, eco design, green design, MOKO Architects, Poland skydiving center, repurposed silos, shipping containers, sustainable design, Urban design, urban diving and skydiving center in Warsaw

Read the rest of First-Time Dutch Home Buyers Can Build Their Own IbbN Flat-Packed Prefab Houses for Under $150k

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Post tags: "flat pack", "sustainable architecture", 8a architecten, 8a architects, affordable housing, eco design, first time home buyers, flat pack home, green architecture, Green Building, green design, green homes, I build affordable in Nijmegen, ibbn, Ik bouw betaalbaar in Nijmegen, kit home, nijmegen, prefab construction, prefab home, prefab kit home, Sustainable Building, sustainable design, the netherlands

Read the rest of Xiangxiangxiang: China’s First Boutique Shipping Container Hotel Opens its Doors

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Post tags: Architecture, china, Daylighting, hotel, hotel boutique, Prefab Housing, recycled containers, Tongheshanzhi Landscape Design Co, Xiangxiangxiang Boutique Container Hotel

Read the rest of Hiroshima’s Optical Glass House Hides a Secret Garden Behind its Glazed Façade

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Post tags: "energy efficiency", Architecture, Botanical, Daylighting, glass, glass bricks, glazed facade, Hiroshi Nakamura & NAP Co. Ltd, Hiroshima, Japan, Optical Glass House

Read the rest of Sky City: World’s Tallest Tower to Break Ground in June

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Post tags: "sustainable architecture", Broad Sustainable Building, changsha, china, City in the Sky, eco design, eco skyscraper, eco tower, extreme density, green architecture, green buildings, green design, prefab sky city, prefab skyscraper, prefab tower, sky city, Sky City One, Sustainable Building, Tallest Building in the World, urban density

Read the rest of Atelier Oslo’s Lanternen Pavilion is Made From Sustainable Norwegian Wood

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Post tags: Architecture, Atelier Oslo, Daylighting, glazed shelter, Lanternen, norway, Norwegian Wood, stilts, Sustainable Materials, sustainable wood

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Post tags: "leed", BREEAM, composting, greywater reuse, Living Building Challenge, Living Future unConference, Method Homes, mobile classroom, portable classrooms, prefab buildings, prefab classrooms, rainwater collection system, SEED Collaborative, SEEDClassroom, SEEDClassroom Seatlle, self-sufficient classroom

Read the rest of Kamvari Architects’ Bridge-Like Crete Bioclimatic School is a Haven for Progressive Learning

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Post tags: Crete, Crete Bioclimatic School, eco design, green design, Kamvari Architects, outdoor classroom, sustainable design, sustainable school

Read the rest of BIG Unveils Plans for Massive Green Overhaul of Miami Beach Convention Center

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Post tags: "sustainable architecture", Art, Art Basel, Art Basel Miami Beach, big, Bjarke Ingels Group, Convention Center, eco design, eco-art, green architecture, Green Building, green design, green landscaping, green renovation, green roof, miami beach, miami beach convention center, miami beach square, pedestrian friendly, Sustainable Building, sustainable design, Urban design, west 8

Aamodt Plumb Architects, a young design studio based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, saw its second completed project built this January along The River Trail at The Forks in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The firm’s Smokehouse, a collaboration with felt artist Rebecca Howdeshell, was one of three winning entries to The Warming Huts v.2013: An Art + Architecture Competition on Ice. Jury members selected designs that best “push the envelope of design, craft and art” in an open competition that drew over 100 entries. Their winning design responds to the harsh winter conditions of The River Trail by employing natural materials and primitive building methods to create a unique space that provides shelter and warmth.

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Post tags: "sustainable architecture", Aamodt Plumb Architects, green architecture, Manitoba, Rebecca Howdeshell, Smokehouse, The River Trail at The Forks, The Warming Huts v.2013: An Art + Architecture Competition on Ice, winnipeg

Read the rest of Dirk Van Der Kooij’s Spectacular 3D Printer Robot Places Newly Printed Furniture Outside His Shop Window

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Post tags: "green furniture", 3D Printing Robot, ana lisa alperovich, Chubby Chair, Dirk van der Kooij, dutch design, Dutch Design Week, Green Design Events, recycled CDs, recycled e-waste, recycled fridges, Recycled Materials, zero waste

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Post tags: 1917 Bungalow, Austin renovated bungalow, Austin renovation, Clarksville bungalows, daylit homes, daylit house, green renovation, Miguel Rivera, Miguel Rivera house, Miro Rivera Architects, natural lighting, renovated home, renovated homes, renovation design, texas architecture

In an effort to create a cleaner and greener future, last week the Essex Wildlife Trust officially opened the new Thurrock Thameside Nature Park – a 120 acre reserve built on top of a former landfill. Over the past half a century London has shipped piles of trash up the River Thames to the Mucking Marshes Landfill where it festered as a blemish reminding the world of how messy the human race can be. But after many years of rejuvenation, this new nature park has proven that we can make substantial efforts to reverse what past generations have trashed.

Read the rest of England’s Essex Wildlife Trust Turns Landfill into 120 Acre Nature Park

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Post tags: conservation, England, Essex Wildlife Trust, green renovation, landfill, Mucking Marshes, nature reserve, river thames, Sir David Attenborough, Thurrock Thameside Nature Park, van Heyningen and Haward Architects