Several years ago a Swedish-American company called Plantagon unveiled plans for a series of massive skyscraper greenhouses that stood to transform urban farming in large cities. While the spiraling vertical farms seemed too good to be true at the time, Plantagon just broke ground on its very first vertical farm this week in Linkoping, Sweden! The “Plantscraper” will grow and supply fresh vegetables while creating solutions to some of the most vexing city pollution issues.

Read the rest of Plantagon Breaks Ground on its First ‘Plantscraper’ Vertical Farm in Sweden!

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Post tags: "sustainable architecture", Architecture, Eco Architecture, eco design, green architecture, green design, green plantagon, greenhouse, plantagon, plantagon garden, plantagon vertical garden, Sustainable Building, sustainable design, Urban Farming, urban farming architecture, urban farming design, urban greenhouse, urban vertical garden, urban vertical greenhouse, vertical garden, vertical greenhouse

Read the rest of Spiraling Tower of 15,000 Books Celebrates Abraham Lincoln at Ford’s Theatre

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Post tags: "sustainable architecture", Architecture, Art, book building, eco design, eco-art, Ford's Theatre, Ford's Theatre Center for Education and Leadership, green art, Green Building, green design, green materials, recycled books, Recycled Materials, sustainable design, tower of books, Washington DC

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Post tags: "green furniture", Architecture, Argentina, Art, brazilian art, Buenos Aires, Ernesto Neto, Faena Arts Center, Faena Group Architects, green renovation, Jessica Morgan, Mike McCormack, Neo-Concrete art, no glue no screws, Norman Foster, Phillip Starck, Puerto Madero, recycled building, Recycled mill, Tate Modern

Christopher Simmonds has given an already gorgeous boathouse in Canada a sustainable upgrade that we can’t help but envy. The original boathouse located on Muskoka Lake north of Toronto was feeling a little cramped, so the designer gave it a second story guest room and a roof terrace, and an overall minor upgrade that used very little in the way of new materials. Step into our gallery to see pictures of this gorgeous project or hit the jump to find out more details.

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Post tags: Architecture, boat house, canada, Christopher Simmonds, eco design, green design, minimalist, Muskoka Lakes, Nature, solar gain, sustainable design

If you’ve ever wanted to get more involved with the good humanitarian work of Architecture For Humanity, there’s an even better chance to volunteer now through your local chapters. The American Institute of Architects and Architecture For Humanity have announced a major strategic partnership that will expand the industry’s commitment to disaster assistance and long-term reconstruction. While the two organizations’ missions are different, they have recognized their complementary skills and the new collaboration will provide architects a way to use those strengths in their local community. We couldn’t be more thrilled that these two organizations are teaming up and providing more options for volunteering.

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Post tags: "sustainable architecture", aia, aia afh collaboration, american institute of architects, arch for humanity, Architecture, Architecture for Humanity, architecture non profit, architecture organization, Disaster Relief, eco design, green architecture, Green Building, green design, humanitarian aid, humanitarian design, humanitarian relief, natural disasters, new partnership, Sustainable Building, sustainable design, volunteering

Image @Iwan Baan

Four years ago, Ai Weiwei and Herzog & de Meuron made waves with their Bird’s Nest National Stadium for the Beijing Olympics. Now they will be turning heads again, this time by designing the 2012 Serpentine Gallery Pavilion, which will be on display during the London Olympics. This will be their first project together in the UK and one of Ai Weiwei’s first major works after his incarceration in China last year. The trio’s intriguing design for the Serpentine Gallery will actually dig into the ground to uncover traces of each of the eleven previous pavilions, much like an archeological dig.

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Post tags: "sustainable architecture", 2012 serpentine gallery, 2012 serpentine pavilion, ai wei wei, Ai Weiwei, Architecture, green architecture, Green Building, green design, Herzog & De Meuron, herzog and de meuron, London, news, serpentine gallery, serpentine gallery pavilion, Serpentine Pavilion, Sustainable Building, sustainable design

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Post tags: Architecture, Daylighting, eco design, green design, Japan, japanese architecture, natural ventilation, setback regulations, sustainable design, tiny houses, Tokyo, tower, Unemori Architects

The Houston Museum of Fine Arts has just chosen Steven Holl Architects to design a new building for their expansive institution. One of our longtime favorite firms in sustainable design and recent winner of the American Institute of Architects Gold Medal, Holl and Co. will certainly produce an eco-savvy and innovative addition to the museum. With buildings already designed by iconic artists Isamu Noguchi, Mies van der Rohe, and Rafael Moneo, the museum’s newest structure is certainly in good company.

Read the rest of Steven Holl Architects Chosen to Design Houston Museum of Fine Art Addition

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Post tags: Architecture, Art, art museums, art news, eco design, green design, green museum houston, green museum news, green museum of fine arts, green museums, green news, houston museum of fine arts, museum of fine arts houston, museums, museums news, news, Steven Holl, Steven Holl Architects, steven holl news, steven holl news houston, sustainable design

Read the rest of Water Works Park Will Connect Residents With the River Watershed in Des Moines, Iowa

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Post tags: "sustainable architecture", AES, Architecture, clean water, Des Moines, des moines water works, eco design, green design, green park, green space, Landscape Architecture, park, racoon river, RDG, river, Sasaki Associates, urban green space, urban park, water issues, Water Works, water works park, water works parkitecture, Watershed

We’re pretty big nerds when it comes to architecture and design, so when we saw this board game over on Archinect this morning, we immediately added it to our wish list. The Modern Architecture Game designed by NEXT Architects pits you head to head against your fellow intellectuals to see who knows the most about architecture and the architects behind their masterpieces. This trivia board game may not help you be a better designer, but at least you’ll be able to prove who has the biggest brain.

Read the rest of Modern Architecture Game Tests Your Knowledge Of The Great Masters

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Post tags: Architecture, architecture education, architecture game, board game, green design, modern architecture game, next architects, the modern architecture game

If you’re planning to visit Iceland, bring a coat (or several!) – situated just south of the Arctic Circle, the Nordic country has a frigid climate. With winter temperatures in the negative double digits, and blistering glacial winds and dust storms, it’s called Iceland for a reason. The locals have spent centuries adapting to these challenging conditions, and their super smart green-roofed turf houses are some of the coolest looking hillside homes we’ve seen. Built with the simplest of natural materials, the turf house is a warm and cozy escape from the chilly countryside.

Read the rest of Iceland’s Cozy Green-Roofed Turf Houses are Countryside Cabins Built Into the Earth

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Post tags: Architecture, eco building, eco design, Green Building, green design, green houses iceland, iceland homes, iceland houses, Sustainable Building, sustainable design, turf, turf homes iceland, turf houses, turf houses iceland

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Post tags: Architecture, Bangkok, green interiors, green renovation, green resources, humanitarian design, local materials, local people, Recycled Materials, recycled wood, sustainable library, tyin tegnestue

Read the rest of INTERVIEW: Architect and Author Alejandro Bahamon on ‘REMATERIAL From Waste to Architecture’

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Post tags: "sustainable architecture", Alejandro Bahamón, Architecture, book review, eco design, green architecture, Green Building, green design, green materials, Maria Camila Sanjinés, material reuse, Recycled Materials, rematerial, Rematerial from waste to architecture, reuse, Sustainable Building, Waste

Through an extremely in-depth report, paired with dazzling visual representations, design and think tank group Rollerhaus imagined an eco-centric future vision of Chicago that is without cars, with new systems for energy and water, and built in a whole new architectural language. Their project was started in response to the Living Future Institute’s Living Cities competition, whose challenge was to conceptualize what a city of the future may look like if it work like a certified Living Building. Their interpretation of a reclaimed eco-architecture city — featuring reused parts of building facades and billboards pieced onto skyscrapers — drew a lot of controversy, but we echo Rollerhaus in their proposal, which begged the question: Is a sustainable city really the picture perfect one we’ve seen in past architectural movements?

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Post tags: Architecture, concept, Eco, Futuristic, illustration, living cities, rollerhaus, Sustainable, virtual

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Post tags: Africa, African-Themed Gingerbread Geodesic Dome, Architecture, DIY, eco design, geodesic dome, gingerbread house, green design, Henley-on-Klip, kruger national park, Scout Regalia, South Africa, sustainable design

Unveiled for Queima das Fitas do Porto festival in Portugal, the BLUETUBE BAR uses TUBE-IT, a construction system that uses standard corrugated plastic tubes and plastic clamps. Designed by Dose Architecture, the temporary bar measures 10 x 10 x16 feet and (due to its translucent qualities) glows at night. The structure has a beguiling, shaggy look to it thanks to the plastic ties and all of the materials can be reused in another project thanks to their flexible nature.

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Post tags: Architecture, blue bar, bluetube bar, corrugated plastic tube, corrugated plastic tubes, dose architecture, eco design, green design, modular architecture, portuguese design, prefab architecture, Queima das Fitas do Porto festival, Recycled Materials, standard materials, temporary bar

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Post tags: active school, Architecture, back to school, bamboo, biodegradable materials, boat-shaped building, bordE Architects, David Barragán, eco-travel, ecuador, Escuela Nueva Esperanza, local materials, New Hope School, palm wood, Pascual Gangotena, Sustainable Building, Sustainable Materials, sustainable school

Read the rest of Round Tower: De Matos Ryan Renovates a Countryside Castle With a Secret Underground Eco Home

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Post tags: "sustainable architecture", Architecture, castles, de matos ryan, de matos ryan architects, Eco Architecture, eco design, english architecture, english green architecture, Follies, folly, gloucestershire, green architecture, green design, preserving castles, Sustainable Building, sustainable design

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Post tags: "sustainable architecture", Architecture, beach restaurant, Design, Eco Architecture, eco design, green design, green getaways, green ocean restaurant, green restaurant, local architecture, local products, local sourcing, ocean restaurant, restaurants, rock restaurant, sustainable design, tanzania, tanzania restaurant, tropical restaurant, zanzibar, zanzibar restaurant

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Post tags: "energy efficiency", Architecture, bere architects, eco design, energy efficient, green design, green roof, London, passivehaus, rainwater recycling, roof garden, solar thermal hot water heating, sustainable design, the muse, triple glazing, urban gardens