Sustainable design
An overview of projects, products and exclusive articles about sustainable design
Project • By ATI Project • Offices
Forti Holding S.p.a. // Headquarters and Office Building
The new Forti S.p.a. headquarters is situated between Pisa and Livorno. It houses shops and the corporate group’s administrative center. The building is designed by ATIproject and is a clear example of green architecture. The team’s attention to bioclimatic planning results in its incredibly high energetic performances; opaque and transparent surfaces have been studied according to their specific orientation. From the main road, an airy lobby welcomes visitors with its triple height ceiling; it is located in the middle of a wide ventilated facade and protected by a wide glass system, guaranteeing plenty of natural light inside. On the other side, the southeast facade is totally realized by glass. In order to filter sunlight and to avoid ove... More
Project • By MSR Design (Meyer, Scherer & Rockcastle, Ltd.) • Information Centres
Three Rivers Park District Eastman Nature Center
Three Rivers Park District’s goal for the new Eastman Nature Center is to create a stimulating learning environment that heightens the awareness of nature in a highly sustainable building.
The design integrates site, building, and exhibit design in order to create a holistic visitor experience in the forest. A long south facing glass facade brings in light, passive solar energy, and extends the exterior paths through the building from the understory on one end to the tree canopy on the other. An active solar array and a geothermal-based heating and cooling system provide much of the energy needs. Operable windows provide ventilation and bring in the sounds and smells of the forest. Roof water feeds a pond to draw birds and animals for... More
Project • By MSR Design (Meyer, Scherer & Rockcastle, Ltd.) • Libraries
Madison Central Public Library
“Welcome to a new library. Not just a downtown institution that’s been renovated, renewed, and expanded…. But a whole new concept in libraries.
[Visitors can] borrow an iPad…. Lounge with a coffee bought at the library’s cafe…. They can plug in practically anywhere. They can … use the building for everything from study groups and business meetings to making video games, recording music, repairing bikes and doing performance art.”—Wisconsin State Journal
The reconstruction of a worn, 45-year-old, 95,000 square-foot library has resulted in a completely reimagined building. A 25,000 square-foot expansion encloses the formerly open entry with a glass atrium space and adds a partial third floor. New flexible spaces and technologies recogni... More
Project • By Figure3 • Offices
Coca-Cola Canada
The Coca-Cola Company acquired Coca-Cola Enterprises in 2010 and figure3 was engaged to merge the consolidated business units into a single HQ. Inspired by Coca-Cola Canada’s “Live Positively” platform, the design has four strategic zones: Celebrate (social spaces), Engage (conferencing areas), Centred (focused work areas), and Delight (experiential spaces). More
Project • By Kaminsky Arkitektur • Primary Schools
Kollaskolan
Kjellgren Kaminsky Architecture’s extension to Kollastaden School, situated in the Centre of Kungsbacka, is one of the largest Passive House buildings in Sweden. The building is strategically placed to envelope a communal schoolyard between the new and the old, providing a playful, inspiring and sustainable school environment centered around the students. There is parking for both cars and bicycles and zones for the school taxi and the schoolyard is used for activities that support learning. The building has a compact shape to make it more energy efficient, and the school interior combines open spaces with a calm atmosphere. On the north side of the school a communal schoolyard connects the new and the old buildings. It was designed to be a... More
Product • By Di Marzio Design • Zeen by Di Marzio Design
Zeen by Di Marzio Design
A new seat from Di Marzio Design: “Zeen” pays homage to the Egyptian goddess Isis, symbol of the universal feminine principle
Isis is the goddess of magic, of fertility and maternity. She is the “goddess of the gods” at the apex of the Egyptian pantheon. The iconographic portrayal of this goddess, symbol of femininity par excellence, provided the project input for Zeen, the new seat from Di Marzio Design.
The material chosen for the seat is polyethylene formed by rotational process. Eco-friendly and 100-percent recyclable, the material aptly expresses the character of Zeen. It also lends the seat ideal physical properties: lightness; ease of handling and cleaning. Furthermore, the material is shockproof and resistant to airborne pol... More
Project • By MYD studio • Rural
Energy Lab | Solar Structure
The original program was to create a solar structure to house an 8-panel photovoltaic array. Taking aesthetic cues from the agricultural nature of the site, the design consists of open wood-framing, meeting at an asymetrical gable, at an angle located for optimal solar exposure. MYD also proposed the incorporation of a modular green roof system, as an additional feature and educational resource for the intended use of the space as an outdoor classroom and exhibition area for sustainable events and programs.
Upon contacting regional vendors, contractors and construction professionals, we discovered a shared, enthusiastic desire to participate in this community-oriented project. The Energy Lab was made possible by donations of services fr... More
Product • By Di Marzio Design • Missix by Di Marzio Design
Missix by Di Marzio Design
Missix by Di Marzio Design is a small armchair made of rotational moulded polythene and featuring a fully modern and clean design. And yet its soul looks back at the mysterious Minoan spirals from Santorini.
Missix’s name comes from its unique heavy-rounded, number six shape. This small armchair looks compact and monolithic together, yet its sinuous and enveloping line shows its minimal nature, enhanced by a light and soft shape. The chair is made of rotational moulded polythene. This fully recyclable material makes Missix a robust, lightweight and handy chair, which is both easy to clean and impact and weather-resistant. Missix is suitable for both residential and contract environments, in both indoor and outdoor areas.
The intuition... More