Being a big nerd, I always thought libraries were one of the coolest places in the world. Now, thanks to some impressive new designs, other people are beginning to think so too. Rem Koolhaas’s Seattle Public Library is a giant ramp encased in glass. The Arabian Library in Scottsdale, Arizona, earned a LEED Silver rating and the 2008 Smart Environments Award, while the Clinton Library in Little Rock, Arkansas, earned a much-coveted LEED Platinum rating.

But it is the proposed Bibliosphere at the University of Duisburg-Essen in Germany that tops them all. Combining a quirky modern form with green design, this “Death Star” library will act as a unique landmark for the city. (With its modern spherical shape and large size, the building has been said to jokingly resemble the Death Star battle ship from Star Wars). Architecture firm Greeen! designed Bibliosphere for an international competition (although the firm did not win—architectural firm KSP Engel and Zimmermann took that honor with a glass cube design).

Bibliosphere will act as a huge landmark for Essen, Germany. Photo Courtesy Inhabitat.

This giant sphere is both a new library and office building and was designed to create a place where the city of Essen and the University could come together. The façade of the sphere is oriented toward the city. The library’s reading rooms will use natural ventilation and lighting as well as solar protection films on the glass to save energy. The transparent nature of the library from the glass shell will provide views of the city and a healthy working environment.

The Bibliosphere will use renewable energy resources and is expected to cut energy consumption by more than 50 percent of what German standards require. Bibliosphere architects are aiming for gold certification from the German Sustainable Building Council, a member of the World Green Building Council.

This rendering shows how Bibliosphere will look at night. Photo Courtesy Inhabitat.

The architects at Greeen! have 10 years of environmental design experience. This European firm believes that environmental architecture needs to provide not only energy-saving benefits, but also needs to create comfortable human spaces. Greeen! designs, such as the Bibliosphere, are based on seven basic principles: interdisciplinarity; human-scale; spaces for living; sustainable architecture; ecological design; energy-solving building concepts; and reasonable solutions. With all these considerations in mind, it’s no wonder people are getting excited over the Bibliosphere.

At once a glorious success and also a failure, the Beddington Zero-Energy Development in London (known as BedZed) has helped transform ideas and pioneer the way for sustainable architecture.

Located in the London borough of Sutton, BedZed was designed to be a carbon-neutral community with sustainable housing on a multi-unit scale. BedZed would have ample green spaces and gardens, recycling facilities, water and energy-saving features, and a green transportation plan.

Beddington Zero-Energy Development in Sutton, England. Photo Courtesy Bioregional Development Group.

BedZed was designed by architect Bill Dunster for the partnership of the Bioregional Development group, the Peabody Trust, Arup, and Gardiner and Theobald. Built between 2000 and 2002, BedZed was short-listed in 2003 for the Stirling Prize, which is awarded to the building with the most significant impact on evolution in architecture in the past year.

One of the things that makes BedZed so unique is the magnitude of its plan. Instead of creating a sustainable home, BedZed sought to make a sustainable community comprised of 82 houses, 17 apartments and 1,405 square meters of workspace.

In order to achieve its goals of carbon neutrality, BedZed incorporated a plethora of green technologies and lifestyle changes. BedZed was built from natural, recycled and reclaimed materials (found locally whenever possible) to keep its carbon footprint low. Roof top gardens and standard gardens provide places for residents to grow their own food. Waste-water recycling and low-flow appliances help conserve water. Super-insulated homes retain heat, and a centralized Combined Heat and Power plant (CHP) reduces the energy needed to warm the homes. The houses embrace passive solar energy with south-facing terraces for maximum sunlight and heat gain while offices, which often use air conditioning to counter overheating, stay cooler on the north side of the building. The home ventilation system uses wind cowls to let in air while preventing heat loss in winter.

Lifestyle changes as well as architecture are also a part of BedZed’s environmental strategy. The community encourages people buy local, organic food or grow their own in the community gardens. Easy-to-use, home recycling bins cuts down on waste. BedZed promotes pedestrian walkways and cycling, and bus and train stops are within walking distance of the community. Carpools and a car club cut down on personal car use.

BedZed village square. Photo Courtesy Bioregional Development Group.

All in all, BedZed should have been the perfect green utopia. Unfortunately, many parts of the project failed when put into practical application. One of BedZed’s major hindrances is the expense of going green. The CHP and waste-water system were new technology and needed replacements and modifications over time—ones that the housing community simply could not afford. While CHP systems have worked elsewhere, at BedZed it was too unreliable, and could not supply the needs of the tenants. Other facets of the architecture, such as the wind cowls, were effective, yet more expensive than they were actually worth. BedZed was not able to meet its overly ambitious goals of being a carbon-neutral community.

Despite its faults, BedZed can hardly be considered an unmitigated failures. An evaluation by Bioregional in 2009 showed that the homes used 45 percent less electricity than the average home in Sutton. BedZed homes used 81 percent less gas to heat and less than half the water used by locals in Sutton. Eighty-six percent of BedZed residents said they bought organic food, while 39 percent even tried to grow some of their own food in the gardens.

While BedZed wasn’t the perfect green utopia, the companies involved in its creation have learned from their mistakes and have continued to move forward with new sustainable buildings and communities. We need more BedZeds as we continue to move forward toward a greener future.

Hollywood is going green. On June 6, filmmaker Chris Paine (“Who Killed the Electric Car”) had a big debut. However, this time it wasn’t a film he was showing, but his newly remodeled, sustainable house. Dubbed the Marrakesh House because of its Moroccan design, this home blends green design with artistic whimsy.

The atrium of the Marrakesh House. Photo Courtesy  Marrakesh House.   

The house was originally a 4,300 square foot home from the 1950s, but Paine has worked with a design team lead by project manager Shellie Collier, a LEED-accredited professional, to create a modern, green demonstration home. The idea for the Moroccan theme came from the positioning of the original structure around a central courtyard, mirroring the form of traditional riads. Throughout the house, Islamic design motifs blend with modern architecture to create a look that is truly unique. 

Paine and Collier used a variety of techniques to make the Marrakesh House as sustainable as possible. By reusing materials from the original house they were able to eliminate 75 percent of the waste that usually accompanies a remodel. Outside, the plants in the garden need little water. Many are native to southern California and the rest are edible. The retaining walls around the property were all made from construction waste materials claimed from other sites in the area. 

Chris Paine and the solar panels on the house. Photo Courtesy  Marrakesh House.  

Solar panels heat water, providing enough for four people. The photovoltaic solar system on the roof also provides about 60 percent of the house’s electricity. Inside, high-efficiency lighting such as CFL and LED bulbs in conjunction with dimmers and motion sensors cut down a startlingly large percentage of energy use. 

Marrakesh House also makes use of sustainable materials to lessen its impact on the environment. All of the wood in the house is Forest Stewardship Council-certified. The stone floors are not only natural but will last for thousands of years. All of the cabinets in the house are created from formaldehyde-free bamboo. 

Other touches such as low-flow toilets and faucets, no-VOC paint and the three electrical vehicle charging stations in the garage add to the sustainability of the house. But this house isn’t only about appearing high-tech. A collaboration of artists and designers have helped Paine prove that green living can be whimsically fun. The Marrakesh House doubles not only as a private residence, but also as an art, music and culture venue. 

A green home with decided personality, the Marrakesh House certainly is a new breed of sustainable building.