Grimshaw Architects and Concrete Valley collaborated to design the Modular Water Dwellings, in response to climate change and increased urbanization. They realized that with a growing population, it was important that they find a solution that offers affordable housing, as well as housing that can face rising sea-levels. 

The Dwellings are created with the environment in mind. They are made with durable, non-corrosive materials, and the architects try to limit the Dwellings’ carbon footprint as much as possible. They are also built on an industrial waterway in the Netherlands, so the whole structure is able to be transported to where they need to be without having to assemble or construct on-site. This minimizes waste and allows materials to be more easily recycled. Additionally, the Dwellings are well-insulted, have solar panels that supply energy and heat exchangers that are actually built below the water. 

While the main goal of the Water Dwellings is to be as environmentally friendly as possible, the architects also kept their users in mind. Each Dwelling is able to be oriented in ways that are more specific to the individual. Furthermore, being so close the nature and water boosts each user’s well-being. They allow for an active lifestyle and incorporate shared floating gardens as a way to build a sense of community. 

The Eco Hotel, a 61,000 square meter building, focuses on being environmentally sustainable and stylish. There are gardens incorporated into the building and the podium as a way to filter air, water, and the sun. This benefits the guests that stay there, as well as the surrounding environment. The hotel is also made of natural materials that are locally sourced and have filtered rainwater pools to limit irrigation waste. 

What I like about this concept is how each suite has greenery hanging from it. Not only is it good for the environment but it also looks appealing on the white structure. It goes well together, and it is nice to know that there are architects that consider the environment in their design. 

The Peak, in Melbourne, Australia, was designed for Nestd, a social enterprise that is a part of Kids Under Cover, which is passionate about preventing youth homelessness. It is a modern-looking tiny home that is only 32.5 square meters or 107 square feet. All of the profit from The Peak goes back to Kids Under Cover. 

The kitchen, bathroom, laundry, bedroom, and couch spaces are all formatted into a cube shape and placed along a wall. On the opposite wall, is the living and dining area. There are large glass panels near the entrance to allow lots of natural light to enter, making the area look larger. The Peak is made of natural, sustainably sourced timber, and its metal exterior and angle of the roof allows for the best photovoltaic performance

Grimshaw’s goal for The Peak was to design an affordable, sustainable, high-quality tiny home that had the ability to combat youth homelessness or was able to contribute to the fight. They also wanted it to be modern-looking and heavily considered those who were going to potentially live in them. 

Via Verde in New York, New York is a 290,000 square foot residential development that is mixed-use and mixed-income, meaning that it allows for people with different incomes to occupy and use the space. More specifically, the 20 story building has 222 residential units, with 71 units for sale to those in the middle-income class and a couple of other units for those with low- or moderate-income. Furthermore, Via Verde also consists of duplex apartments and townhouses. 

Each apartment has two sides that allow for light to enter, helping with ventilation. Additionally, each has water and energy conservation fixtures. As a way to promote healthy and sustainable living, Grimsraw incorporated garden rooftops, which can be seen in the photo above. The architects believed that by having these gardens, residents can live happily and have a healthy, active lifestyle while sharing a common space with other residents. 

One lesser known yet sill incredible designs is the Caixa Galicia Towers in A Coruña, Galicia Spain. In 2007 Carme Pinos designed these towers as office space. This was in an early stage of her sustainable designs for office buildings yet sill worked really well. The open air environmental friendly approach is clear with these buildings. This architect has won many awards and has much recognition yet she still is able to amaze with new designs that prove to be better than her previous ones. The ideas she was able to build upon and create over time were incredible to research. Her website gives a great look inside how she designs her structures.

This is one of the lesser known designs by Carme Pinos yet well appreciated. I was built in Petrer, Alicante, Spain in 1991 making it one of her easiest works. I love the look of it and the shadow it cast on it’s path. I also love the fact that it is still being enjoyed over 30 years later and no one has felt the need to put something new there or change it. It has a path, an over head art design and benches built into it. The designs are displayed on Carme’s website giving even more insight on her though process in building this.

Located in Barcelona, Spain this is another beautiful design by Carme Pinos. Her style of work is clearly shown in this space with its sharp corners and square design. It is also incredibly self sufficient as was most of her modern designs. This was designed in 2014-2015 making it only 5 years old. In addition to being an urban space for outdoor activities it is also a housing block and a fine arts school located in the space. I believe that modernizing housing is very important for our future as is making it affordable.

This is Torre Cube located in Guadalajara, Mexico. It was designed and built in 2005 by Architect Carme Pinos and her studio. Her designs mostly have some modernism to them and they usually look spectacular like this one. A well ventilated office and use of natural light makes this structure very self sufficient and environmentally friendly. I enjoy when designers include sustainability in their designs. The final cost of this project was 10 million dollars which I think is very reasonable for a structure of this size. This is one of my favorite designs by this architect.

In the valley of Nayón, Ecuador, Felipe Escudero designed a concrete house with a verdant roof called House Folds.

This house is green not just on the roof, but in its energy use. The array of solar panels on the roof heat the lake shaped pool below.

The back of the house has almost exclusively glass walls, providing a good view of the surrounding jungle. The portions around the bedrooms and bathrooms fold over, giving a bit more privacy.

The curves of the concrete roof and walls give it a more organic feel, while the rectangular shape of the structure make it distinctly man-made. It’s kind of an interesting balance between natural and artificial design elements.

The heavy use of glass walls is a little unnerving to me, as you can see nearly all the way through the house. Windows have the advantage of allowing light in, but leaving room for blinds for additional privacy. It would be much harder to put blinds on glass walls, and with the positioning there would likely be a clear view of the inside of the house from the street.

I really like the overall shape and style of the building, but I think the over-use of glass walls makes it a poor design for a house. It would make for a pretty fantastic office building or restaurant though.

Clover house is a house in Ecuador designed by Felipe Escudero. It’s situated near Chimborazo mountain at an altitude of 3600 meters.

It’s a concrete building with 3 sections in the shape of a clover, as the name might imply. The “leaves” are positioned so they all receive sunlight throughout the day. Each leaf contains a different part of the house, one leaf for bedrooms, one for a kitchen, and one for a living room.

Clover house takes advantage of its mountain location by having windows in every section of the house open to the fantastic views of the range. Between the leaves it also has a terrace and a garden.

I think this is a really neat looking house. I like the organic form and the smooth concrete walls. (Much better than the rough walls of Casa Roca). The only thing that would stop me from living here is the surroundings. High altitudes and I don’t get along. It’s a nice break from the houses in the U.S. that are almost entirely boxes.