inhabitat

rainwater harvesting

A rectangular, wooden prefab cabin with the facade opened up.

This tiny cabin on the Greece-Turkey border generates 100% of its own energy

Istanbul-based studio SO? Architecture & Ideas has completed a tiny off-grid cabin perfect for reconnecting...

Operable panels Escarpment House by Atelier Andy Carson

Modern gabled guesthouse embraces passive solar in Australia

A sleek and modern take on the Australian farm building has popped up in the coastal town of Gerringong. Atelier...

The Kumaon by Zowa Architects, The Kumaon in Uttarakhand, The Kumaon in India, The Kumaon hotel, Indian Himalayas rustic hotel, bamboo clad concrete buildings, bamboo clad hotels, rainwater harvesting hotel

Soak in views of the Indian Himalayas at this bamboo-clad hotel villa

Perched high in the mountains of Uttarakhand, India sits The Kumaon, a rustic yet elegant hotel with breathtaking...

SOM's Paris Skyscraper, Charenton-Bercy tower, sustainable skyscrapers, green design, sustainable design, net zero buildings in paris, paris sustainability, new sustainable projects in Paris, net zero skyscrapers, rainwater harvesting, grey water systems, led lights, sustainable home design, green skyscrapers, modern skyscraper design, european skyscrapers, vertical gardens, garden walls, sustainability in europe, europe's most sustainable buildings, europe's most sustainable skyscrapers

SOM’s net-zero Paris skyscraper will be one of the most sustainable buildings in Europe

Prolific firm Skidmore, Owings and Merrill (SOM) just unveiled plans for Charenton-Bercy, a net-zero Paris skyscraper...

Battersby Howat, Valdes Island Shack, Hinterland Design, prefab cabin, Vancouver, off-grid cabin, British Columbia, cedar cladding, cabin, tiny house, solar power, rainwater harvesting, green architecture, plywood

Solar-powered seaside cabin blends prefab design with traditional building techniques

This small solar-powered hideaway in British Columbia mirrors the natural incline of the cliff on which it sits....

Barn Gallery by INCLINEDESIGN, Barn Gallery Lopez Island, Barn Gallery guesthouse, Lopez Island art gallery, Lopez Island guesthouse, Lopez Island holiday home, INCLINEDESIGN green architecture, eco-friendly summer cabin, reclaimed timber cabin, rainwater harvesting Lopez Island

Dreamy cabin harvests rainwater and natural light for a minimal carbon footprint

Nevada-based INCLINEDESIGN proves sustainable design can be beautiful in this dreamy timber cabin on Lopez Island,...

Northcote Solar Home by Green Sheep Collective, Northcote Solar Home Melbourne, sustainable Melbourne architecture, energy efficient Melbourne home, energy efficient suburban architecture,

Beautiful Northcote Solar Home shows off modern energy-efficient family living

Sustainable design principles are embedded throughout the Northcote Solar Home, a beautiful Melbourne home that...

Miner Road by Faulkner Architects, weathering steel facade, Corten Steel home, weathering steel architecture, site specific architecture in Truckee, Truckee contemporary home,

Weathering steel wraps around a solar-powered California home

When Faulkner Architects was tasked with building a family home just outside San Francisco, the clients emphasized...

Arkup floating homes, Arkup, Koen Olthius, Waterstudio, floating homes, solar power, solar panels, off-grid living, green architecture, waste management, flood-proof architecture, rainwater harvesting, zero-emission

These hurricane-proof floating homes are packed with green features

These solar-powered, zero-emissions floating homes are packed with green goodness. Designed by Dutch architect...

Jintai Village by Rural Urban Framework, Rural Urban Framework, Rural Urban Framework in China, post-disaster construction, China post earthquake construction, self sufficient rural architecture in China

Green-roofed village shows a more sustainable way to rebuild after disasters

When the 8.0-magnitude Sichuan Earthquake devastated China in 2008, nearly 5 million people were left homeless....

Magnificent Macaws, Indianapolis Zoo Bicentennial Pavilion and Promenade, Indianapolis Zoo Bicentennial Pavilion and Promenade by RATIO Architects, RATIO Architects Indianapolis, Lilly Endowment Indianpolis Zoo, rainwater harvesting pavilion, artful rainwater design Indianapolis, sustainability in zoo design

Rainwater-harvesting pavilions mimic a lush rainforest at the Indianapolis Zoo

Artful rainwater harvesting design has taken root at the Indianapolis Zoo. RATIO Architects recently completed...

LEED Platinum, San Francisco, Noe Hill Smart Ecohome, energy efficient home, EAG Studio, solar power, native plants, drought-tolerant plants, rainwater harvesting, natural light, LED lights, green architecture

Solar-powered Noe Hill Smarthome is an eco-friendly dream in San Francisco

The LEED Platinum-certified Noe Hill Smart Ecohome marries state-of-the-art green technology and the indoor-outdoor...

reACT by the University of Maryland, reACT House Solar Decathlon, University of Maryland Solar Decathlon, Solar Decathlon 2017 Team Maryland, Team Maryland reACT architecture, sustainable UMD architecture, Resilient Adaptive Climate Technology

Food-producing reACT home sustainably and intelligently adapts to your needs

The homes of the future will be smart, responsive, and even save us money. University of Maryland students let...

NeighborHub by the Solar Decathlon Swiss Team, NeighborHub, NeighborHub Solar Decathlon, Solar Decathlon Swiss Team, Solar Decathlon sustainable architecture, solar-powered neighborhood hub, prefabricated neighborhood hub, transformable architecture eco-friendly

Transformable solar building changes shape to teach people how to live sustainably

How do you persuade people to adopt sustainable lifestyles? A team of Swiss architecture students believes in the...

Bloomberg European Headquarters by Foster + Partners, Bloomberg European Headquarters, Bloomberg London Headquarters, BREEAM Outstanding London architecture, world’s most sustainable office, sustainable office architecture, Bloomberg office architecture, BREEAM rated London architecture

Bloomberg’s new London HQ rated world’s most sustainable office

Bloomberg’s new European headquarters in London scored a 98.5% against the latest BREEAM sustainability rating...

modern rain barrels, Raindrop rain barrel, Raindrop by Studio Bas van der Veer, Raindrop by Van der Veer, Raindrop Design Academy Eindhoven, stylish rainwater harvesting, beautiful rainwater harvesting,z

Raindrop makes rainwater harvesting at home beautiful and easy

Traditional rain barrels are often clunky eyesores, which is why Studio Bas van der Veer designed a beautiful modern...

rainwater barrel, rainwater collection, harvest rainwater, water collection

3 ways to capture water for your backyard garden (that won’t break the bank)

One major issue a lot of backyard farmers have to contend with is water. All plants need water in order to thrive,...

Center for Environmental Studies (CES), Bishop O’Dowd high school, California, green classroom, green school, LEED Platinum, Zero Net Energy, Siegel & Strain Architects, green architecture, rainwater harvesting, natural materials, recycled materials, double glazing, solar gain

This high school in California embodies sustainability at every possible level

The new Center for Environmental Studies (CES) at Bishop O’Dowd high school in California is one of the greenest...

Thunder Valley Regenerative Community Master Plan, Thunder Valley Community Development Corporation (CDC), BNIM, Pyatt Studio, KLJ Engineering, Studio NYL, green masterplan, Indian Reservation, South Dakota, rainwater harvesting, solar power, wind power, geothermal energy, community gathering space

Wind and solar-powered Thunder Valley Regenerative Community rises in South Dakota

The Thunder Valley Regenerative Community masterplan is a sustainable community of single family homes, multi-family...

MINI Living Breathe, MINI Living at Milan Salone del Mobile 2017, MINI housing, MINI Living Breathe by SO – IL, SO – IL Architects and MINI, MINI at Milan design week, Milan Design Week house, futuristic housing, housing shortage solutions

MINI’s tiny innovative home for three purifies the air in Milan

How do we cope with the increasing shortage of attractive housing in today’s cities? Car manufacturer MINI teamed...

Cloud House by Matthew Mazzotta, Cloud House in Springfield, artful rainwater harvesting, rainwater art installation, environmental art in Springfield, Cloud House rainwater, Cloud House makes it rain,

Cloud House makes it rain on demand with creative water harvesting system

You won’t have to do a rain dance to make it rain at the Cloud House—sitting in one of its rocking chairs should...

Madrona Passive House, Shed Architecture & Design, net zero, Seattle, solar power, energy efficiency, modular house, green roof, green architecture, insulation, passive house, rainwater harvesting, heat recovery, energy consumption

Ultra-green house in Seattle marries aesthetics and sustainability

This ultra-green house for a Seattle family of four has achieved an exceptional level of sustainability without...

Annandale Seascape Cottage, Pattersons, New Zealand, green retreat, green cottage, rainwater harvesting, reforestation, earthquake-resistant home, glass facade, seaside home

Seascape cottage is a self-sustaining getaway made from locally-sourced materials

New Zealand-based architecture firm Pattersons created the Annandale Seascape Cottage - a gorgeous retreat set...

Casa Sanchez, Juan Carlos Menacho, Bolivia, rainforests, gated community, rainwater harvesting, green architecture, natural building materials

Casa Sanchez combines urban living with the lush Bolivian rainforest

Looking like a modest, one-story building when seen from the road, the Sanchez House actually boasts three spacious...

Murphy House, Richard Murphy Architects, solar power, Edinburgh, monopitch, solar panels, photovoltaic cells, rainwater harvesting, shutters, irrigation, grey water, grey water storage, green architecture

Unique solar-powered home in Scotland functions like a Rubik’s cube

This unusual corner house that architect Richard Murphy designed for himself combines sustainable technology with...

Concave Roof by BMDesign Studios, rainwater collection roof designs, Concave Roof for collecting rainwater, double roof system for rainwater harvesting, natural cooling roofs

Bowl-shaped roofs harvest rainwater and promote natural cooling in arid environments

Water scarcity is felt unequally throughout the world with some regions worse off than others. Iran-based BMDesign...

Amy's Kitchen Drive-Thru Restaurant, green-roofed vegetarian restaurant, restaurant serving non-GMO food, healthy food drive thru in San Francisco

Gorgeous living roof tops AMY’S Kitchen drive-thru near San Francisco

It's been a year and a half since Amy's Kitchen, an all vegetarian drive thru, opened in Rohnert Park, CA, about...

Cedar Rapids Public Library by OPN, Cedar Rapids Public Library LEED, Cedar Rapids Public Library sustainable architecture, Cedar Rapids Public Library in Iowa, Cedar Rapids Public Library rebuilt, eco-friendly library, sustainable library architecture, LEED Platinum library

Cedar Rapids turns tragedy into triumph with new LEED Platinum public library

Tragedy struck Cedar Rapids, Iowa in June 2008, when a devastating flood swept the city and destroyed hundreds...

Pear Tree House by Edgley Design, Pear Tree House in London, house built around a tree, architecture built around a tree, Victorian fruit orchard house, Jake Edgley house design

Daylit eco-friendly home in London is built around a 100-year-old pear tree

The 425-square-meter Pear Tree House is a self-build project for the firm director Jake Edgley’s own family home....

Sky Stage in Frederick, Sky Stage by Heather Clark, Heather Clark by MIT Digital Structures, adaptive reuse historic Maryland building, Frederick historic building art project, sustainable Sky Stage

Twisting ribbons of plants transform a badly burned Maryland building into an interactive public artwork

https://vimeo.com/181187568 Located in Frederick’s downtown historic district, Sky Stage is a temporary artwork...

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