Scientists have explanations for the biblical plagues
The office complex has achieved a Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) 'Outstanding' rating.
One Bryant Park in New York City houses the iconic Bank of America Tower. Ranked among the most valuable buildings in the city, the tower is also advertised to be one of the most efficient and ecologically friendly buildings in the world.
Bank of America Tower is the first skyscraper designed to attain a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum certification. Green technologies employed include waterless urinals and carbon dioxide sensors. And in a nod towards wildlife conservation, two honeybee hives are maintained on the building.
At 632 m (2,073 ft), the Shanghai Tower is the second-tallest building in the world, and bristles with green architecture elements. For example, the double-layered insulating glass facade was designed to reduce the need for indoor air conditioning.
Wind turbines located near the top of the structure power its outer lighting as well as green space areas. The building is designed to capture rainwater for internal use, and to recycle a portion of its wastewater.
Also referred to as the Horizontal Skyscraper, the Vanke Center on the outskirts of Shenzhen has been honored with several accolades, including a Green Good Design Award.
Ten percent of the building's energy comes from photovoltaic solar panels set on the structure’s roof. Meanwhile, interior shades and air conditioning are individually controlled. All furniture, doors, and floors are made from bamboo.
Built in 1962, the CIS Tower in Manchester was granted Grade II listed building status by English Heritage in the 1990s. It's also around this time that a decision was made to renovate the historic building. The tower is the taller of the two in this photograph.
Located in Melbourne, Council House 2 is said to be the country's greenest and healthiest office building. A standout feature is the substantial rooftop garden area.
Apple Park, the Cupertino, California-based corporate headquarters of Apple, Inc., was commissioned by Steve Jobs and designed by Norman Foster to resemble a nature refuge.
Eighty percent of the site consists of green space planted with drought-resistant trees and indigenous flora. Featuring one of the biggest solar roofs in the world, the campus is powered entirely by renewable energy. Pictured is the visitor center.
SAHMRI's interior has an energy efficient Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) system, and a water efficient design, including rainwater harvesting and the reuse of processed water.
The PricewaterhouseCoopers building at 1 Embankment Place in central London has achieved the highest BREEAM 'Outstanding' rating. During its construction in the early 1990s, 95% of materials were sourced responsibly and 96% of construction waste was diverted from landfill.
By 2014, 1 Embankment Place—sometimes called the "Batman" building for the cross sections that viewed from below in shadow resemble bat wings—was emitting 40% less carbon than one typical of its size, and 20% of its heat and 60% of its energy needs were produced on-site.
Professional services multinational Deloitte's corporate headquarters in Amsterdam is known as The Edge. In 2014, is was elected the greenest office building in the world by BREEAM.
Solar panels, underfloor air distribution, and low energy lighting systems, among other clean technologies, have made Pearl River Tower in Guangzhou (left in the photograph) one of the most environmentally friendly buildings in the world.
Located in Manama, the landmark Bahrain World Trade Center is the recipient of numerous awards for sustainability, including the Arab Construction World for Sustainable Design Award.
The tower's futuristic design draws wind to turbines, which generate clean energy. Furthermore, the building incorporates radiant heating and cooling ceilings—temperature-controlled surfaces that exchange heat with their surrounding environment.
A combined exhibition, delivery, adventure, museum, and event venue, BMW Welt regularly hosts conferences and forums themed around the field of sustainability.
The contemporary BMW Welt in Munich is designed with an 800 kW solar plant on its roof.
The South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI) in Adelaide boasts a LEED Gold rating.
When the Manitoba Hydro Place building in Winnipeg received LEED Platinum certification in 2012, it became the most energy-efficient office tower in North America—and the only office tower in Canada to gain Platinum rating.
In a daring and innovative move, the tower had its previously bare concrete facade covered in photovoltaic panels. These now generate an average 20 kW of electricity per year. And out of sight on the roof are 24 wind turbines generating 10% of the tower's electricity.
The Bahrain World Trade Center is the first skyscraper in the world to integrate wind turbines into its design. Combined, the turbines provide 11% to 15% of the towers' total power consumption.
The building's cutting-edge bioclimatic, energy-efficient design means it can generate 100% fresh air 24 hours a day, year-round, regardless of the outside temperature.
The Crystal in East London sits in a Green Enterprise District of the UK capital. Using solar power and ground source heat pumps to generate its own energy, the building showcases a fossil fuel-free vision of the future.
Awarded the highest possible sustainable building accolades from the world's two leading accreditation bodies, LEED and BREEAM, Crystal is currently the most sustainable building in London.
TELUS Garden, a mixed-use office development in Vancouver, is recognized by LEED in several areas of innovation.
One of the most sustainable large buildings in Europe, Manchester's One Angel Square is powered by an oil-fed Combined Heat and Power (CHP) system that uses rapeseed oil to provide electricity and heat.
The residential space at TELUS has a LEED Gold certificate, while retail and office space have been awarded a Platinum certificate. In addition, the development has Gold certification in Targeting Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.
When it opened in 2013, the Bullitt Center in Seattle was considered to be at the cutting edge of green construction.
By 2016, the center was producing nearly 30% more energy than it needed, generated from the 575 solar panels on the roof of the building.
The Edge features a mix of passive temperature control and energy-efficient design, and generates its own electricity. It's also one of the smartest buildings in the world, with a dedicated app recognizing individual preferences for light and temperature, and tweaking the environment accordingly.
Council House 2 was the first purpose-built office building in Australia to achieve a maximum Six Green Star rating, certified by the Green Building Council of Australia.
The Edge features a mix of passive temperature control and energy-efficient design, and generates its own electricity. It's also one of the smartest buildings in the world, with a dedicated app recognizing individual preferences for light and temperature, and tweaking the environment accordingly.
With climate change and global warming an undeniable threat to the future of our planet, the need for renewable energy sources and the adoption of a greener lifestyle is paramount if society is to address what scientists and environmentalists describe as the defining issues of our time. In the worlds of design and technology, finding solutions to these increasingly urgent requirements are taken very seriously. For example, sustainability is now an architectural requirement as much as safety and security, with green principles governing commercial and residential design. But what are the world's most sustainable buildings, and where are they located?
Click through this gallery and take a look at some of the cleanest and greenest properties on the planet.
The most environmentally sustainable buildings in the world
Architectural designs must now incorporate sustainability
TRAVEL Environment
With climate change and global warming an undeniable threat to the future of our planet, the need for renewable energy sources and the adoption of a greener lifestyle is paramount if society is to address what scientists and environmentalists describe as the defining issues of our time. In the worlds of design and technology, finding solutions to these increasingly urgent requirements are taken very seriously. For example, sustainability is now an architectural requirement as much as safety and security, with green principles governing commercial and residential design. But what are the world's most sustainable buildings, and where are they located?
Click through this gallery and take a look at some of the cleanest and greenest properties on the planet.