Elevated living

No, this is not an alien ship that has landed in some Midwestern wheat field, it’s actually a design concept called Hybrid Forest from 24 Degrees Studio in which a building’s footprint is drastically reduced thus leaving the area in which it’s built virtually unscathed. In this case, making our homes compliment the natural environment rather than alter it. This idea is nothing new, Frank Lloyd Wright had this in mind a century ago with his notion of “Organic Architecture”. Technology has just allowed us to take it a step further.

Via EcoFriend

Image courtesy of 24 Degrees Studio

A retro-modern school in NYC

When it was time to expand, the Reece School decided to opt for a mid-century modernist look for their new building. Situated among more traditional brownstones, the building includes classrooms, a gym, library and office space for faculty.

Via ArchDaily

Image courtesy of Jonathan Wallen

Proposed Metropolitan Station 20, Bulgaria

This design proposal for Sofia’s metro station intends to bridge the historic district with the growing city center and maintain a minimal presence while still making a statement. The glass minimizes its effect on the surrounding area and maximizes capture natural light fore the station below.

Via Archinect

Images courtesy of Zeybekoglu Nayman

Casa dos Cubos

Architects weren’t able to alter the exterior of this building due to the city’s (Tomar, Portugal) historic preservation ordinances but that didn’t stop them from transforming it from within creating a rather unusual venue for exhibitions, meetings and other events.

Image courtesy of EMBAIXADA arquitectura

Vietnamese “green” house

Located in the center of Saigon, the owners of this house really went green and it worked amazingly. The stacked greenery evokes a vertical farm but are actually window treatments separating the residents from the hustle and bustle that lurks just outside their front door.

Via ArchDaily

Images courtesy of Hiroyuki Oki

Tripoli Congress Center

Surrounded by a wooded area, Libya’s Tripoli Congress Center takes its design cues from trees in an effort to minimize its presence on the surrounding landscape. In addition to looking green, it’s also engineered that way as well by by maximizing energy efficiency and utilizing recyclable materials.

Via Inhabitat

Image courtesy of Tabanlioglu Architects

A Mixed-Used “Cube”

This mixed-used building, completed in 2010, is the final phase of Birmingham’s (UK) Mailbox development complex. The facade of this 23-story building, which contains offices, a hotel, retail and restaurants, is intended to invoke the city’s industrial heritage though it looks like the architects might have been Tetris fans as well.

Via Arch Daily

Images courtesy of MAKE

Turn your car into a showpiece

London design firm, Ecospace Studios has your car in mind with its interesting twist on the humble garage. Rather than hide it away in a traditional garage, their AutoSpace allows you to put your car on display. Costing upwards of £45,000 ($70,000), this won’t be showing off too many Camry’s.

Image courtesy of Ecospace

Starbucks Built Out Of Shipping Containers

Starbucks has taken a unique approach in its Tukwila, Washington restaurant by constructing the building out of four retired shipping containers. This drive-thru only store is the only one (and planned) so far but its part of the companies initiative to make itself more sustainable and reduce its energy consumption. Using shipping containers as buildings is far from a new phenomenon but a first for this sort of thing.

A Sustainable Prefab Garden Home

This one-bedroom home tucked away in the English woods is actually a prefabricated building designed by In.It.Studios with energy efficiency and sustainability in mind as well as an architectural statement.

Image courtesy of  In.It.Studios