It seems that South-East Asia is catching up fast with the marvels of eco-architecture that till now has been showcased in the dusty panorama of the Middle East. Singapore is leading the green trend in the region by adding more greenery to its delightful city structure. More designers and construction firms are being encouraged to design and develop sustainable and zero-energy buildings. Designed by TR Hamzah & Yeang and sponsored by the National University of Singapore, the “Ecological Design In The Tropics” (EDITT) is a building that has a brilliant cover of glittering green.

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Architects of this era are focusing their creative energies to churn out futuristic model/designs that are green (as in less taxing on the environment), sustainable, stylish and comfortable. The green architecture, I am going to talk about today is an entire complex- a collection of five buildings that blend effortlessly with the nearby lush greens (read forests/jungles). This ITER complex has won accolades at the international competition (for new buildings) of the CEA Cadarache Research Center.
Designed by Juan Herreros Architects, this ultra-green complex respects the forest space by employing a site-tailored approach to construction. The philosophy behind the design of this complex is the construction of a symbiotic architecture which stresses upon minimum alteration of natural conditions so as to preserve the forest density and its microclimate.

The design as conceived by the eco-savvy architects at Juan Herreros comprises five lean buildings in a beautiful forest location-one brimming with a lot of biological activity. The construction of these tall buildings would involve removing only those trees that are growing along the sides of these slender corridors. A tightly-knit connection between the complex and its green surroundings will be established.

The height of the buildings will not exceed the height of the trees found in that forest so that a perfect blend between human and natural creations can be maintained. Because of such considerations, the jury at CEA Cadarache Research Center found this ITER complex to be a brilliant example of minimum-impact green architecture.

It is not yet decided where such a complex will be erected. In general, the CEA is dedicated to wide-ranged research work in climate and environmental science. It also is focusing on alternative energies including hydrogen and solar power so that structures, buildings and complexes of future leave a tiny carbon footprint and still retain their efficiency.

Via: Archdaily

In times of water scarcity, every drop is precious. While some people & institutions realize this fact others still go on living in their ignoramus style.

Belonging to the former category is the High School in Arlington (Virginia) along with its Langston Brown Community Center which has set a fine example of green concept (to the world) in terms of rainwater harvesting efforts. The building has a LEED Silver rating for its interesting green features, which are:
• Presence of two 11,000-gallon water tanks (one being on the roof of the building) that store about 280,000 gallons of rainwater per year!
• The water so harvested is used for sidewalk washing, onsite irrigation and such uses.
• Presence of waterless urinals- contributes to the project’s 23% reduction in potable water use.
• Each classroom provides a minimum of 4 switches to control lighting levels.
• The high school’s indoors feature use of adhesives, solvents, paints, and carpets with low levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
• Presence of Sunshades-these provide indirect daylighting while still being effective in maintaining more than 90% visibility in building’s occupied spaces.
• Clerestory windows are present on third-floor classrooms to provide additional daylighting.

Source: treehugger.com