Amsterdam is well-known for its quaint canals and classic riverboats, however the melding of modern architecture and the water is something that we don't see too often. Designed by +31 Architects, the Watervilla de Omval is a streamlined houseboat that floats peacefully upon the Amstel River. A stunning display of modernity in one of Europe's most historic capitals, this aluminum-clad structure also boasts a spectacular interior set off by ample daylighting. The low-profile floating house is a prime example of how contemporary design can fit amicably in any context when properly executed.

 

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We were excited about this amazing “Metropol Parasol” structure in Seville, Spain when it was still in its planning phase, and now the fantastical project is complete! Located at Plaza de la Encarnacion, the beautiful series of undulating parasols comprise the world's largest wooden structure. Metropol’s interlocking honeycomb of wooden panels rise from concrete bases, which are positioned to form canopies and walkways below the parasols. The project was designed and realized by J. Mayer H. Architects.

 

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LAST CHANCE TO WIN SOME AMAZING CRADLE TO CRADLE PRODUCTS – we’re giving away over $1000 worth of eco-friendly prizes!

In honor of Earth Week, last week we teamed up with eco design partnership MBDC to give four lucky readers four awesome Cradle to Cradle green home prize packages. But just because Earth Week is over, that doesn’t mean it’s too late to get in on this great giveaway! If you haven’t already entered to win a bounty of Method products and a Casabella Cleaning System (worth $100), a soft Shaw Ultra Shag Rug (worth $439), an ultra luxe Pendleton Eco-Wise Wool Blanket or the fabulous new SAYL Task Chair from Herman Miller, designed by Yves Behar (worth $749), you stil have ONE MORE DAY to make one of these prizes all yours! Contest ends midnight on Monday - jump ahead for all the deets on how to win!

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HAPPY EARTH THURSDAY INHABITAT READERS!

If you’ve been reading Inhabitat, you know that we’re celebrating Earth Day in a big way with our Earth Week Giveaway. In addition to offering up a super cleaning package from Method and Casabella, a luxe Eco-Wise wool throw from Pendelton and a super plush Ultra Shag Shaw Rug we’ve teamed up with MBDC to give one lucky reader this drool-worthy SAYL Task Chair from Herman Miller (worth $749*)! An envy inducing design created with the help of Yves Béhar, and inspired by the Golden Gate Bridge, the SAYL is made of 21% recycled content and can be easily disassembled for refurbishing and recycling. And with an intelligent frameless back support, this new Cradle to Cradle Certified^CM Silver product is designed to adapt to a person’s shape and movements all while giving the proper support. The lucky winner of this fabulous chair will also get to choose his or her own specs! Enter to win today!

*with the options shown in the image above

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As demand for recreational facilities in the pristine wilderness grows, so does our footprint. At the same time, the prospect of staying in a mountaintop cabin in the Swiss Alps with views from the top of the world is irresistible. The Eco-Temporary Refuge is one proposed solution that consists of a small cabin that can be helicoptered to the site and set up on embedded pipe piers. Cimini Architettura's solar-powered retreat is designed to be fully self-supporting, and it can be removed with minimum impact to the site.

 

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Did you know that the world’s largest rooftop farm is located in NYC? That’s right, called the Brooklyn Grange, the 40,000 square foot elevated garden is located on top of a six-story warehouse, and grows everything from tomatoes to peppers to fennel to salad greens and much, much more. The grange recently launched their second growing season and we’re thinking it will be even more successful than the last. Read on for more info and pics of the verdant rooftop farm.

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We’ve been celebrating Earth Day in a big way this year, giving away awesome green gifts every day this week. But we wholeheartedly believe that every day should be treated like Earth Day, with due diligence given to living a greener life and protecting and preserving Mother Earth 365 days a year. To encourage you to make a serious commitment to environmental sustainability, we’ve teamed up with Linus Bikes to offer one lucky reader a chance to win a shiny new bicycle! What better way to green your lifestyle than by swapping your carbon-spewing car for a stylish and eco-friendly bike? Linus is offering the winner a sweet Roadster Sport or a Dutchi 3 bike with a Linus Market Bag in their choice of color. All you have to do is tell us what your resolution to make Earth Day every day is. Whether it’s switching to a veg-only diet or ditching plastic bags completely, pick one sustainable action that you will commit to for a whole year and post it in the comments below. The commenter with the best resolution will nab an awesome Linus Bike – so show us what you’ve got!

TO ENTER THIS GIVEAWAY:

1. SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER HERE > (If you are not already a subscriber). We’ll be announcing all the winners of our Earth Year Resolution Contest in our weekly newsletter, so if you want to find out if you won, you’ll need to receive it in order to claim your prize!

2. LIKE US ON FACEBOOK Just click on the “Like” button on the upper right hand corner of your screen right now.

3. LEAVE A COMMENT BELOW and share your Earth Year resolution for living a greener life! The deadline for this fabulous giveaway is Friday, April 29th. We’ll pick the comment we like best and announce the winner in our newsletter, so make sure you’re signed up!

While it’s easy to get sucked into bargains at the likes of H&M and Forever 21, the current disposability of clothing is a growing issue leading to poorly distributed resources and excess waste worldwide. Driving this problem has been the fact that many of us have allowed ourselves to become accustomed to lower quality fabric and construction, as well our acceptance of outsourcing manufacturing to nations for the cheap labor to enable us to buy clothing in quantities unlike times past. So how can designers inspire a change with the masses and make clothing less disposable?

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While the World Cup certainly means heightened excitement for its host country, rightly so it also brings forth a considerable number of concerns for spectator security. To ensure that soccer fans are keps safe during the 2014 games, the Brazilian police have decided to take a law-enforcement cue from a classic sci-fi hero: RoboCop. For the next World Cup, authorities will be outfitted with high-tech glasses featuring tiny cameras able to snap 400 facial images per second—as far away as 12 miles—before sending them to a central database of 13 million faces for comparison.

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Just a few years ago, things like camera-equipped glasses and clothes that double as cellphones were reserved for Bond boys and girls only, but nowadays they’re available for almost anyone to wear. From LED-lit outerwear to solar-powered coats, it seems like wearable technology is the future. Read on to see our top 10 picks for innovative examples of wearable tech that will knock your socks off.

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After a massive 7.0 earthquake hit Haiti last year, architects and designers immediately took to the drawing boards to develop projects to reconstruct the devastated island. While many creative designs have been proposed, most of them require substantial amounts of time, materials and manpower. Enter The HaitiSOFTHOUSE. Created by a New York City-based team of  four, architects Lonn Combs, Rodney Leon, Dragana Zoric, and artist Mark Parsons, in collaboration with Chicago-based textile firm Fabric Images, are determined to provide shelter for the citizens of Haiti. The team designed a flexible and sustainable home that they say can be assembled in a day or less, with just the help of few able bodies and a set of simple directions.

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Seattle-based Olson Kundig Architects is one of our favorite architectural firms, championing the fight for sustainable design. Founded in the late 1960's, the firm has created a collection of structures that rise from the ground as natural extensions of their sites, acting as bridges between nature, culture and people. In our latest interview installment we are joined by prinicipal architect Tom Kundig who shares his thoughts on his design process, what it's like to be a Seattle-based firm, where he finds his inspiration and more. Jump ahead for our exclusive interview with Tom, as well as a peek into some featured projects that are as green as they are gorgeous!

 

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File this under "Dream Vacation Spot." Located off the southeast coast of Spain, the Cap Rocat boutique hotel has just found its place on the island of Mallorca. Once a 19th-century military fortress, the classic structure was recently transformed by Spanish architect Antonio Obrador into a beautiful, luxury hotel. Obrador led the charge to renovate the historic fort, where a carefully thought out design maintains the structure's old-world charm while adding functionality and the potential for profit. Set above the Mallorca’s Bay of Palma, this adults-only hotel is a stunning example of historic adaptive reuse.

 

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Bruno Tanant and Jean Christophe Nani of TN Plus recently teamed up with Aldric Beckmann and Françoise N’Thépé of Beckmann N’Thépé to unveil a stunning new zoo for Saint Petersburg, Russia. The architects' proposal moves the zoo outside of the town, creating a sprawling series of wildlife preserves that cover 300 hectares of land. Inspired by Pangea, the zoo was designed to represent a reunion of South East Asia, Africa, Australia, South America, North America and Eurasia.

 

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