Top 5 Green Architects

Possibly one of his most famous designs, Wright used the surrounding paradise of forest and waterfall as a key aspect of his project. Less about sustainability and more about integration with nature, the building is famous for its use of local materials and cantilever design, the latter allowing the active waterfall to run underneath the house. Original rock ledges were kept in place inside, the edges of windows were cut into the stone walls for a more natural look, and the swimming pool is spring-fed.

This design never became mainstream, but it is the source of inspiration for many. Fuller utilised natural air movements for heating and cooling via the ‘dome-effect’, cut the amount of material used in construction, and reduced water waste through greywater use and a water ‘fogger’ that replaced showers. It was one of the first attempts at an autonomous building design – separated from the ‘grid’ to become self-sufficient. All of this meant it was very environmentally friendly. Ironically though, it was criticised for its flouting of the principles of organic architecture, in that it could never adapt fully to its surroundings. Join the organic school of thought with Fuller’s own principles though, and we get close to the green architecture that we know today.

Nestled in the heart of Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, this masterpiece of green architecture blends in with its surroundings so well that it is almost completely camouflaged. It features three domes rising from a 2.5-acre green roof, under which there exists a man-made rainforest, planetarium, natural history museum and an aquarium. The roof is planted with local flora that provides habitats for indigenous fauna and absorbs 7.6 million litres of water annually to be harvested and recycled. The building contains over 60,000 photovoltaic cells and uses natural light in 90% of its occupied spaces. As well as all of this, if the structure wasn’t green enough already, the windows are automatically controlled depending on the outside temperature, removing the need for wasteful mechanical climate control systems. For more of Renzo Piano’s green work, have a look at his Volcano Buono in Italy.

Throughout his architectural career, Eric Corey Freed and his green architecture firm have tended to veer towards housing designs. He has focused on adapting existing homes to become greener as well as designing ground-breaking plans for new builds. The house above combines both these approaches. The two wingtips that climb upwards can physically turn towards the sun, and the roof is shaped with the prevailing wind direction in mind so that the house is heated and cooled efficiently by the sun and the wind. In addition, the building contains two different types of solar panels as well as rainwater recycling systems.