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solar gain

black building with giant weathered steel tree shapes over the facade

Weathered steel trees wrap around a solar-powered school building

Delft-based architectural office cepezed recently completed a solar-powered branch for Graafschap College in Doetinchem...

aerial view of tall white tower with twisting middle

Zaha Hadid Architects unveils designs for sculptural Maltese tower

Zaha Hadid Architects is bringing its modern, sinuous designs to Malta, a nation renowned for its historic sites....

Hotel restaurant

Foster + Partners turn an office tower into Hong Kong’s newest luxury hotel

Foster + Partners transformed a former government headquarters tower into a luxury hotel in Hong Kong, and it has...

Esslingen redevelopment, Milestone by MVRDV, Milestone in Esslingen, crystalline architecture, pixelated architecture, solar powered Esslingen architecture, fritted glass architecture, redevelopment in Esslingen

MVRDV unveils solar-powered Milestone building that looks like a crystal rock

MVRDV just unveiled designs for a new mixed-use building in Esslingen, Germany that looks as if it were unearthed...

Østfold cabin by Lund+Slaatto Architects, Østfold cabin in Norway, contemporary Østfold cabin, contemporary Scandinavian cabin, modern Scandinavian architecture, Norway coastal home,

Timber-clad Østfold cabin embraces the Scandinavian coastline

Natural light and stunning coastal views fill the enviable Østfold cabin, a cedar-clad dwelling in southeastern...

LUMISHELL by Christophe Benichou, LUMICENE glass, LUMISHELL pre-order, LUMISHELL architecture, Christophe Benichou, prefab glamping units, prefabricated architecture for travel, reversible window concept,

This pop-up prefab cocoon can immerse you in the heart of nature

Immersing yourself in nature without leaving the comfort of your room may sound too good to be true, but that’s...

FPT University administration building by Vo Trong Nghia, Vo Trong Nghia Hanoi Architecture, Hanoi green facade, tree in balconies architecture, FPT University masterplan, sustainable university campus

Trees grow on every balcony of this Hanoi university building

This university building in Hanoi weaves Vietnam’s tropical landscape into its checkerboard facade, with trees...

Practice for Architecture and Urbanism (PAU), Pennsylvania Station, transport hub, New York City, glass facade, solar gain, passive heating and cooling, natural light, green architecture

PAU unveils a light-filled renovation for New York’s Penn Station

Practice for Architecture and Urbanism (PAU)'s revamped Pennsylvania Station plan represents a more inclusive...

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...

LED lighting, low impact, small footprint, Sho-Sugi-Ban cedar, Axis Architects, Benchmark Modern, cedar cladding, solar gain, Rossie Hill, Park City, solar passive house, smart home, green home, cedar cladding,

Stunning mountain passive house uses burnt cedar cladding

Tucked into the sloping mountainside near historic Park City, Utah sits a modern, passive solar dream home marked...

Nguyen Huy Hai, Do Van Thoan, Nguyen Ngoc Quynh, Nguyen Dac Nguyen, Nguyen Dang Quang, Ba Vi mountain, green space, solar gain, Mian Farm Cottage, Idee Architects,

Mian Farm Cottage is a lush getaway from city life with an on-site farm

Tucked in a grapefruit grove in Vietnam sits the Mian Farm Cottage, a remodeled home that features ample green...

Agile Corporation Headquarters Tower, SOM Architects, green tower, Guangzhou, China, high performance facade, fritted glass, solar gain, energy consumption, green architecture

SOM’s elliptical Agile Corporation Headquarters has strategically-placed fins to mitigate solar gain

The design features of the elliptical Agile Corporation Headquarters Tower in Guangzhou, China, make it perfect...

Gemdale Changshou Road by Aedas, Shanghai Changshou Road architecture, Changshou Road skyscraper, mixed use building in Shanghai, Aedas Shanghai projects, Gemdale Changshou Road in Shanghai

Aedas’ sleek office tower and green space will bring a “missing humanism” to Shanghai

The 45,000-square-meter Gemdale Changshou Road development is nicknamed “Cloud on Terrace” after its rounded...

4 Stan Road office building, MDS Architecture, green office building, Johannesburg, energy efficient lighting, office building, 4-Star Green Star, green certification, waste management, water consumption, solar gain, glass facade

South African office building was designed to keep its occupants healthy

The office building is located in Sandton, area situated within the metro area of Johannesburg, South Africa. It...

Diriyah Urban Heritage Administration Center by Zaha Hadid Architects, oasis architecture, Diriyah architecture, contemporary Diriyah architecture, Zaha Hadid Architects in Saudi Arabia

Zaha Hadid Architects reveal oasis-inspired designs for Diriyah’s Urban Heritage Administration Center

The 8,780-square-meter Urban Heritage Administration Center is considered a crucial part of the preservation and...

geodesic domes, romanian dome home, romania, dome home 8.5 richter scale, Biodome Systems SRL, disaster-proof dome homes, romania dome home, geodesic dome home romania

Stunning geodesic domes from Romania can handle earthquakes up to 8.5 on the Richter scale

"Geodesic domes are extremely strong for their weight due to their omni triangulated surface that provides an inherently...

Ballart Regional Soccer Facility by k20 Architecture, passive solar architecture in Australia, soccer facility design, sports facility sustainable design,

Beautiful solar-powered soccer facility stays naturally cool in Australia’s heat

As with all k20 Architecture’s works on Inhabitat, sustainability is at the heart of BSRF. Solar panels power...

Lockeport Beach House by Nova Tayona Architects, Nova Scotia beach house, passive solar beach house, rainwater harvesting beach house, Lockeport Beach House

Passive solar Lockeport Beach House harvests rainwater to save energy

Clad in black-stained eastern white cedar, the single-story Lockeport Beach House blends in with the surrounding...

600 Collins Street by Zaha Hadid Architects, energy efficient architecture, mixed use architecture, Melbourne mixed use tower, Melbourne eco-friendly architecture

Zaha Hadid Architects’ Melbourne high-rise will use 50 percent less energy than the typical mixed-use tower

Located between Collins Street and the Docklands on the west edge of Melbourne’s Central Business District, 600...

Leaf Architects Studio, Grand Masoutis, Grand Masoutis facade, louvered facade, locally sourced wood, locally sourced wood, sustainable wood, sustainable building, sustainable building techniques, solar gain, solar gain control, louvered solar control, green building

Striking louvered facade controls solar gain and updates an aging retail space

The building consists of two main volumes with a footprint of 70 by 52 meters. The building has three stories,...

rammed earth, clay, passive design, solar water heater, solar panels, southern exposure, solar gain, glazing, Design Build Bluff, Utah, Navajo, Suzie Whitehorse, natural cooling, natural ventilation

Navajo mum gets new lease on life with this solar-powered home

Design Build Bluff built this charming off-grid home for a mother of four in Utah. Suzie Whitehorse fled her alcoholic...

Gota Dam Residence by Sforza Seilern Architects, Gota Dam Residence, East Africa architecture, beautiful Eastern Africa home, home built above reservoir

Stunning home made of local materials in Africa matches its jaw-dropping reservoir views

Built for a musician, the 1,500-square-meter home and recording studio are sandwiched between two oversized cantilevered...

Anders Berensson Architects, Stockholm, wooden skyscraper, wooden structure, Sweden, wooden tower, wooden facade, cross-laminated timber, green architecture, rooftop terrace, solar gain, tall structures

Anders Berensson unveils wooden Trätoppen skyscraper with a numerical facade

The skyscraper will be retracted six meters (20 feet) from the facade of the existing car park in order to preserve...

Kontum House by Khuôn Studio, Vietnamese architecture, low-cost architecture, low cost concrete architecture, beautiful concrete architecture, concrete facade, beautiful concrete facade, Vietnam low cost contemporary architecture, Vietnam contemporary home

Low-cost perforated home in Vietnam shows off the charms of concrete architecture

Located in Vietnam’s Central Highlands, the Kontum House sits on a west-facing site in a tropical climate that...

Leawood Speculative Office, Kansas City ,office building, perforated metal screens, minimize solar gain, solar gain, metal facade, green architecture, solar design, El Dorado

Kansas heat is no match for this moving facade of perforated screens

The glass facade of the 18,000 square-foot, two-story building is wrapped in perforated metal panels that run parallel...

wooden house, Frank Hamon, South Carolina, affordable housing, open air, sloping roof, St Helena, natural light, solar gain, natural ventilation, green architecture, porch home, giant porch home, island home Saint Helena

This breezy island home may look like a giant screened-porch but it’s so much more

Sabrina Terry and Jon Lamb decided to leave Boston and move to the South, where they have been vacationing for...

Twelve Architects, Diamond building, Sheffield University, university building, cellular architecture, green facade, solar gain, natural light, atrium space, research spaces, facade pattern

Sheffield’s striking Diamond Building is wrapped in a cellular pattern that controls solar gain

The Diamond building, named to reference its distinctive facade, is a 19,500-square-meter facility used by engineering...

Dwell Development, Emerald Star House, Seattle, Built Green, green certification, energy efficiency, zero energy, solar panels, heat recovery, solar gain, recycled materials

Dwell Development’s outstanding zero-energy Emerald Star home in Seattle is almost entirely reclaimed

With a cutting-edge combination of green features, Dwell's most recent residential project will be the firm's 100th...

Mamaroneck House, Benzing Architects, passivhaus, passive house, New York, retrofit, green renovation, heat recovery ventilation system, solar panels. heat gain, solar gain, wooden frame. timber frame, sustainable building

Gorgeous Passive House renovation in New York wins the ‘Oscars of existing buildings’

The architects deconstructed the existing roof and recycled all the asphalt shingles, added a second floor and...

aluminum clad architecture, bridge house, Höweler + Yoon Architecture’, Bridge House by Höweler + Yoon Architecture, McLean, family house, multi-generational home, multigenerational housing, triple glued windows, recycled materials, solar heat gain, solar gain

Aluminum-clad Bridge House is a multi-generational home optimized for solar gain

Although the Bridge House looks like a single-family home from the front, the building actually accommodates three...

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