Smart & Green

Green is the new black. In the past decade, the pending environmental crisis has created an impetus for architecture to take part in the collective responsibility and address sustainability in its own terms. Although the term has been often misused and served marketing purposes rather than actual effectiveness, buildings did go a long way from being passive resource consumers to becoming smart components in a dynamic environment: sustainability has a lot of possible readings – from the respect and usage of local materials and traditions to reducing the energy and water consumption of buildings. Although aesthetics hasn’t been on the front line when it comes to sustainable architecture, the selected examples prove that green is the new black indeed. And it looks great.