What contribution can plants make to more sustainable, livable cities? Not just in the form of park trees and roadside greenery, but as an integral part of architecture? These questions are the focus of our July-August 2022 issue of Detail on the topic of green cities. The idea that houses can be habitats for trees and other plants is more relevant today than ever. There are good reasons: green buildings can reduce rainwater runoff from the roof, lower ambient temperatures, reduce noise in cities, and reduce cooling energy consumption in buildings. And especially in big, densely populated cities, roofs and facades are the only places left to make things greener.
Oblique steel supports, deeply cantilevered floor slabs, abundant greenery on every storey – all this characterizes the single-family home north of Osaka designed by Tomohiro Hata for a family of three.
How can coastal cities adapt to rising sea levels? Nigerian architect Kunlé Adeyemi, who works in Lagos and Amsterdam, seeks answers to climate change.
A lush, walkable garden is flourishing on the three cascade-like, layered roofs at Maggie’s Leeds. The supporting structure is formed with radially arranged fins made of glulam timber.