Himin Solar Energy, started by Huang Ming, the ‘Sun King’ of China, is already the main tenant of Solar Valley and their large office building is completely powered by the sun. He has very ambitious goals about making Solar Valley a reality, and has already attracted about 100 companies, and spawned factories as well as a research center. The hope is that this clean energy epicenter will help propel China’s development of renewable energy technology and installation.

Solar Valley is located just outside of Dezhou, which is making some progress towards in building its reputation as a clean energy city. The city already requires that all new buildings be equipped with solar water heaters of the type made by Huang’s company, and last year they spent $10 million to install solar lighting along miles of road. Chiel Boonstra, a Dutch architect who heads up the International Solar Cities Congress, says that Dezhou “will be a new center of gravity for renewable technologies.” It’s just a shame that rural farmers are being relocated into block apartments in the city to make way for the grand new development.

‘capture the rain’ skyscraper is a building whose roof and external shell, which consists systems of gutters, are aimed at capturing as much rainfall as possible to meet the daily needs of its inhabitants. average daily consumption of water per person is 150 liters, out of which 85 liters may be replaced by rain water. within the last thirty years water consumption has significantly increased. there are lots of factors that contribute to such an increase such as increasing number washing machines and dish washers, increasing popularity of garden showering devices and flushing toilets.

A third of water being used in households in western countries is flushed in toilets. since 1900 the total water consumption in the US has increased by 1000%. at present, an average american uses five times more water that a citizen of developing countries. such an increase is related to among others improved living standards. on the other hand, a national hobby of the danes is collecting rain water for washing and watering plants. within the last ten years average use of pure water in denmark dropped by 40% and inhabitants of the so called eco-villages use a third part of the national average.

In view of this data, they decided to design a tower, whose structure will allow for capturing and processing as much rainfall as possible to provide with water for its inhabitants. millennia plants have been developing systems of capturing and processing rainfall. such systems helped them to deal with water deficits or surpluses. similarly, they wanted to copy their simple mechanisms of rainfall capturing and processing. initially, in designing the tower, we focused at shaping and modeling the surface of the roof to capture as much rainfall as possible. under a roof’s surface, there are water reservoirs in the form of a large funnel and reed fields, which serve as a hydro botanic water treatment unit.

The unit processes water into usable water that is further transmitted to apartments. a network of gutters on the external surfaces of the building is designed to capture rainfall flowing down the building. such flowing rainfall is transmitted to floors and its surplus is stored in a reservoir under the building. water captured and processed by the building may be used for flushing toilets, feeding washing machines, watering plants, cleaning floors and other domestic applications. having analyzed rainfall in several large cities in developed countries, we obtained a formula that shows what percentage of daily pure water consumption may be replaced with rainfall thanks to the technology applied in their building.

Designed for the Phillips Simplicity Event in 2008, the Sustainable City Light is an intelligent outdoor lighting system meant to enhance city life by providing accurate lighting on demand as needed. The LED lights feature motion sensors that are triggered once the sun sets by individuals walking in close proximity to the light. If no one is around, the lights conserve energy by remaining off.

Powered by the sun, the street light blooms open during the day to collect energy through its solar panels. The five solar panel petals generate more than enough power to keep the lights on and any extra power is fed directly into the grid for use elsewhere.

The farm’s founders envision it to be a place where “people come regularly to meet and connect with each other. Friends exchange food, recipes, stories and knowledge about ways we can all live in greater harmony with our surroundings. They are surrounded by an abundant and rich forest of food that encourages connection and understanding of the vital life systems that support human kind.”

So far, they’re doing a good job — the farm offers classes, workshops, work parties, and site tours for anyone interested. Future workshops include bee keeping, composting, greenhouse propagation, SF-specific plant selection, and garden design / edible landscaping.

Unfortunately the farm won’t be around forever — it’s part of an interim use agreement with the City’s Office of Economic and Workforce Development. After two to five years, the city will move ahead with development plans for the space. Still, it’s exciting to see San Francisco allow residents to turn temporarily abandoned lots into community-oriented spaces.

Built into the existing topography of the hilly site, the stadium bowl itself will built on grade, reducing the amount of steel needed for structural support by 40%. This reduction in virgin materials is also adding up to significant cost savings, and the proposal for the stadium came in around US$300m-$400m less than other recently proposed NFL stadiums. The Los Angeles Stadium is budgeted for $800m and will include a retail promenade, entertainment zones, VIP boxes, recreation facilities and much more. And when it isn’t football season, the stadium and facilities can be used for many other purposes like soccer games, college and high school football, and large concerts.

This will be the first LEED compliant NFL stadium when built and Aedas has included a number of eco features. Besides the significant reduction of materials, large swaths of area will be green space and help infiltrate storm water. Aedas has also included initiatives to reduce CO2 emissions and the stadium will have many recycling initiatives. The NFL, the city of Los Angeles and Aedas hope that this will be the most environmentally progressive stadium in the U.S.

As one would rightly assume, building on a UNESCO site is a delicate issue. Designed by Kyungam Architects and Sun Architects & Engineers, the structure fits amicably within the existing landscape, following the natural undulations of the surrounding hills and volcanic mountains. The outer walls utilize Materuak Hyunmuam, a local material, and the building features a large open cut roof and glass windows that improve natural light and ventilation.

The World Natural Heritage Center will consist of areas dedicated to exhibition, education, research, and maintenance. The building will be crowned with an expansive green roof that accounts for the displacement of the existing vegetation of the site, while providing panoramic views of the much celebrated Halla-san Volcano.

The Ecorium Project comprises a 33,000 sq meter nature reserve including a large wild plant area and a wetland reserve. In the center of the park is a large system of interlinking wedge-shaped greenhouses. These greenhouses will feature advanced systems capable of adjusting the internal conditions based on the outside climatic conditions in order to minimize energy usage indoors. The exterior of each greenhouse is built out of metal panels, low-iron and low-e double glazing, as well as wood and plexiglass. Seen from above the greenhouses will appear as a sinuous river.

The purpose of the National Ecological Institute is to study nature’s converging eco-systems while ensuring the safety, stability and the harmonious coexistence of humans and nature. A spokesperson for the NEI says, “The NEI will play a important role as a think tank for research and policy making. Additionally, this institution will foster and nurture the general public’s awareness, educate and [promote] the importance of the environment through exhibitions and education programs.”

Turbine City is a way to “spin” turbines in a new light for people who might think of them as unappealing eyesores, and could attract tourists, sailors, offshore oil-workers and others to see the beauty of wind farms with their own eyes. Plus, it makes a lot of sense to have the structures perform double duty as both energy harvesting devices and a place for people to find shelter and enjoyment.

To be located in Stavanger, Norway, Turbine City would also be self-sustaining in terms of power, needing just 1MW (from 8MW turbines) to run. Since Norway is somewhat (in)famous for its production of oil, Turbine City could also help gain the country some fans in the clean and alternative energy arenas.

Every now and then a project comes along that blows our minds with its incredible display of excess. Case in point: the recently completed Yas Hotel, which consists of two 12-story buildings topped with a massive neon canopy that traverses a Formula-1 race track. The 85,000 square-meter complex includes 500 rooms, although we can’t imagine that all those blinking lights and zipping cars would make for a good night’s sleep.

While we applaud the The Yas Hotel’s use of LEDs and it’s boundary-pushing design, we can’t help but feel that the boundaries being pushed are those of good taste. Although LEDs are one of our favorite sources of energy-efficient light, covering an entire building with them only stands to transform it into a monumental beacon of wasteful excess.

SOM is well known for its architecture and urban design projects, and is also responsible for San Francisco’s Treasure Island Redevelopment Plan as well as the plan for Jumiera Gardens in Dubai. Their plan for Beijing’s new CBD calls for the creation of three new areas – the Cultural, Chaoyang, and the Gateway Districts, which will be anchored around new parks and green boulevards. The CBD will comprise a network of smaller, more walkable city blocks to encourage pedestrian travel and time spent in the expansive downtown parks system. Additionally, all of the streets will be built to accommodate safe bicycle travel.

A new streetcar system has been proposed to link all of the new areas with existing districts and popular destinations, providing commuters with easy access to high speed rail service. Updated transportation infrastructure will also include express commuter rail service between the Beijing Capital International Airport, the CBD, and high speed rail service to Beijing South Station.

SOM’s redevelopment plan also defines strategies for growth and expansion. They have created a framework for new infrastructure and high performance buildings that will enable the city to grow in a more sustainable manner. If implemented, the plan could reduce energy consumption within the district by 50%, reduce water consumption by 48%, reduce landfill waste by 80%, and result in a 50% reduction in carbon emissions.

SOM’s exciting new plan combines many of the necessary elements of a sustainable city – transportation, open space, pedestrian and bike friendly streets, and energy-efficient buildings. The Beijing CBD Administration Committee has stated that the plan would “enable China’s capital city to grow as a global center for commerce, yet be a green and ecological setting for healthy life.”