It may have taken more than one hundred years, but sometime around the turn of the century the innovative architects of the world came to the conclusion that we'd had the wrong kind of industrial revolution. Sure, the 1800's was a prolific time for inventors - they were inspired - but in hinsight, their design of fuel absorbing technology like the combustion engine, was something we eventually wished they'd never invented.
After the penny dropped there was an entire school of design born that was devoted to cyclical, sustainable projects. It's all too often used as jargon by companies, we know, but we also have a good grasp of what that means: that too many of our designs harvest the environment, and exist off it.
That's where architecture like this comes in. Casa Grecia in Sao Paolo, Brasil, designed by brasilian architect Isay Weinfeld, mixes earthy textures with generous, environmental spaces. The house is designed around the immediate environment, taking the existing land and adding to it. Where so many designs start with a clear block, the Sao Paolo house uses indoor trees, rock gardens and indoor atriums to reduce it's environmental impact and maintain a harmonious existence with its surroundings.
Photographs via Thecoolist.
