These environmentally conscious buildings, neighborhoods, and even towns prove that going green can inspire great architecture
By Andrew BlumTen years ago, the large-scale green building was still a pipe dream. Most of the designs were the architectural versions of horsehair shirts, neither very comfortable nor very pretty. Using less energy meant making do with less—less heating, [...]

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Norman Foster’s renovation of the Reichstag showed the world that green architecture could be a powerful symbol. Embracing the bones of the historic parliament building allowed for a recycling of both materials and ideals. The new glass dome brings daylight deep into the building, while opening up the government functions inside to public scrutiny. Technically, [...]

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The IBM Tower in Kuala Lumpur was the first modern green skyscraper—although its architect,Ken Yeang, prefers to call it a “bioclimactic” building, because of the way its natural
ventilation strategies make the building feel as if it were breathing. The design was the
first to bring low-energy use to a high-density urban environment, reflecting Yeang’s idea
that only [...]

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Renzo Piano’s cultural center in the South Pacific was the first to show that green architecture is as much about culture as technology. The use of local iroko wood and traditional construction methods reflect sustainable principles—both by reducing the distance materials must travel, and drawing on this French island territory’s local economy. By riffing on [...]

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There’s no shortage these days of projects rated “gold” on the Green Building Council’s LEED—for Leadership in Energy and Economic Development—scale, but what attracted attention to Colorado Court when it opened in November, 2002, was its combination of affordable housing and energy neutrality in a dense urban environment. It has 44 single-room-occupancy units for very [...]

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