Top 10 Most Sustainable and Green Buildings

The Edge in Amsterdam, completed in 2015 and designed by PLP Architecture, was called "the most sustainable office building in the world" by BREEAM, which awarded it a score of 98.4% — the highest ever given. The building generates more energy than it uses through 28,000 solar panels, harvests rainwater, and uses a smartphone-based system that tracks employees and adjusts lighting and temperature to their personal preferences.

Stefano Boeri's Bosco Verticale (Vertical Forest) in Milan, completed in 2014, comprises two residential towers hosting 800 trees, 4,500 shrubs, and 15,000 plants — the equivalent of 30,000 square metres of urban forest on a 1,500 square metre footprint. The trees provide insulation, reduce noise pollution, absorb CO2, and create microhabitats for birds. It won the International Highrise Award and inspired dozens of imitations worldwide.

The Bullitt Center in Seattle (2013) was designed to last 250 years with zero net energy, zero net water, and zero waste. It generates all its electricity from rooftop solar, treats all water on site, composts all waste, and uses only non-toxic materials throughout. It is certified Living Building — the most demanding green building standard in existence — and has been fully operational since opening.

Amazon's three glass spheres in Seattle (2018) house 40,000 plants from over 400 species in a controlled tropical environment — a working biome where Amazon employees can work among canopy walkways and living plant walls. The spheres harness natural light through their 2,643 glass panes and use the same water recycling, thermal management, and humidity control systems as a botanical conservatory.

BIG's CopenHill (Amager Bakke) in Copenhagen (2019) is the world's cleanest waste-to-energy plant and also a ski slope, hiking trail, and climbing wall. The building's tilted roof is covered in a dry ski slope accessible year-round, with a wall of artificial ski jumps on its north side. Its chimney emits smoke rings when CO2 levels exceed targets — an architectural provocation making pollution visible.

One Angel Square, the Co-operative Group's headquarters in Manchester (2013), achieved a BREEAM Outstanding rating of 95.16% — one of the highest ever recorded in the UK. The double-skin facade traps warm air between layers, dramatically reducing heating costs, and the building runs on biofuel from food waste. It uses 80% less energy than a conventional office building of its size.

Rolf Disch's Solar Settlement (Solarsiedlung) in Freiburg, Germany, completed in 2006, was the world's first residential development where every home produces more energy than it consumes — a "PlusEnergy" standard now adopted worldwide. The 59 terrace houses, each featuring a "sunship" roof of solar panels angled toward the south, collectively generate 600,000 kilowatt-hours of surplus electricity per year.

Renzo Piano's California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco (2008) has a 1-acre living roof of native plants that insulates the building, absorbs rainwater, and supports local bird and insect life. The roof's undulating topography echoes the surrounding hills, and the building uses 30% to 35% less energy than a conventional building of comparable size through passive ventilation, natural light, and geothermal heating.

The Pixel Building in Melbourne, Australia (2010), was the first carbon-neutral office building in Australia and the first building in the country to receive a Green Star score of 100. Its pixelated polychrome facade contains operable coloured panels that shade the interior while generating energy, and the building is entirely self-sufficient in water and energy — a demonstration that a commercial building can achieve true environmental neutrality.

The Edge in Amsterdam, completed in 2015 and designed by PLP Architecture, was called "the most sustainable office building in the world" by BREEAM, which awarded it a score of 98.4% — the highest ever given. The building generates more energy than it uses through 28,000 solar panels, harvests rainwater, and uses a smartphone-based system that tracks employees and adjusts lighting and temperature to their personal preferences.

Stefano Boeri's Bosco Verticale (Vertical Forest) in Milan, completed in 2014, comprises two residential towers hosting 800 trees, 4,500 shrubs, and 15,000 plants — the equivalent of 30,000 square metres of urban forest on a 1,500 square metre footprint. The trees provide insulation, reduce noise pollution, absorb CO2, and create microhabitats for birds. It won the International Highrise Award and inspired dozens of imitations worldwide.

The Bullitt Center in Seattle (2013) was designed to last 250 years with zero net energy, zero net water, and zero waste. It generates all its electricity from rooftop solar, treats all water on site, composts all waste, and uses only non-toxic materials throughout. It is certified Living Building — the most demanding green building standard in existence — and has been fully operational since opening.

Amazon's three glass spheres in Seattle (2018) house 40,000 plants from over 400 species in a controlled tropical environment — a working biome where Amazon employees can work among canopy walkways and living plant walls. The spheres harness natural light through their 2,643 glass panes and use the same water recycling, thermal management, and humidity control systems as a botanical conservatory.

BIG's CopenHill (Amager Bakke) in Copenhagen (2019) is the world's cleanest waste-to-energy plant and also a ski slope, hiking trail, and climbing wall. The building's tilted roof is covered in a dry ski slope accessible year-round, with a wall of artificial ski jumps on its north side. Its chimney emits smoke rings when CO2 levels exceed targets — an architectural provocation making pollution visible.

One Angel Square, the Co-operative Group's headquarters in Manchester (2013), achieved a BREEAM Outstanding rating of 95.16% — one of the highest ever recorded in the UK. The double-skin facade traps warm air between layers, dramatically reducing heating costs, and the building runs on biofuel from food waste. It uses 80% less energy than a conventional office building of its size.

Rolf Disch's Solar Settlement (Solarsiedlung) in Freiburg, Germany, completed in 2006, was the world's first residential development where every home produces more energy than it consumes — a "PlusEnergy" standard now adopted worldwide. The 59 terrace houses, each featuring a "sunship" roof of solar panels angled toward the south, collectively generate 600,000 kilowatt-hours of surplus electricity per year.

Renzo Piano's California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco (2008) has a 1-acre living roof of native plants that insulates the building, absorbs rainwater, and supports local bird and insect life. The roof's undulating topography echoes the surrounding hills, and the building uses 30% to 35% less energy than a conventional building of comparable size through passive ventilation, natural light, and geothermal heating.

The Pixel Building in Melbourne, Australia (2010), was the first carbon-neutral office building in Australia and the first building in the country to receive a Green Star score of 100. Its pixelated polychrome facade contains operable coloured panels that shade the interior while generating energy, and the building is entirely self-sufficient in water and energy — a demonstration that a commercial building can achieve true environmental neutrality.