Five eco-friendly buildings that are changing architecture

Most of the buildings built within the last decade represent an incredible shift in the way new buildings are constructed with sustainability in mind.

Spaces spanning from Europe to South America are making real statements about what the future holds to keep green architecture fun as well as functional.

See the most impressive ones below:

 

1.Cube Building, Berlin

The Cube “smart office” structure is a new addition to the Berlin skyline unveiled last year by 3xn architects. It made headlines for its striking sculptural glass interior design, which is covered in solar panels, along with its claim to be Europe’s first office compatible with the demands of the 21st century.

 

2.Museum of Tomorrow, Rio de Janeiro

 

Over 25,000 people visited Rio’s Museum of Tomorrow on the first day of its opening in 2015, where it was later awarded for its innovation by MIPIM, one of the world’s most prestigious architecture bodies. Described by the Guardian as “a compelling invitation to imagine a sustainable world”, the museum features moving solar panels designed to maximize the sun’s rays and a natural air-conditioning system that requires.

 

3.Vancouver Convention Center, Vancouver

The Vancouver Convention Center is home to the largest rooftop garden in all of Canada, where more than 4,000 different plant species thrive among its visitors. Its seaside setting is an apt reminder that the center saves water equivalent to 300,000 toilet flushes each year thanks to its special efficiency system. The roof is also home to around 240,000 bees kept under control by a healthy team of beekeepers.

4.Shanghai Tower, Shanghai

The world’s second-tallest skyscraper features 43 different sustainable technologies, including renewable energy, landscaping to cool the building and a spiral parapet that collects rainwater, which is recycled into an air conditioning system.

 

5. CopenHill, Copenhagen

CopenHill, the world’s cleanest waste-to-energy plant, converts over 440,000 tons of waste into clean energy annually. It may also be the only power station in the world with a year-round outdoor ski slope on its roof.

Bonus the works of the architect Stefano Boeri in Milan and China which impress with their sustainable architecture based on the logic of the vertical forest in the center of the city!

euronews, convergences.gr