A plant-covered twisting tower shaped like a DNA strand by Belgian architect Vincent Callebaut is under construction in Taipei, Taiwan (+ slideshow). More »

Belgian architect Vincent Callebaut has developed a concept to introduce natural ecosystems into cities with designs for "farmscrapers" made from piles of giant glass pebbles for a site in Shenzhen, China (+ slideshow). More »

This leisure centre in Amsterdam by Dutch architects VenhoevenCS was designed as a fortress covered in plants (+ slideshow). More »

Dutch design studio Tjep. has developed a concept for a self-sufficient retreat with a facade that opens like a cupboard and a moving "solar tree" on the roof (+ slideshow). More »

Vietnamese studio Vo Trong Nghia Architects plans to address the housing crisis in Vietnam by introducing modular homes that use cheap local materials and are easy to assemble. More »

News: French designer Philippe Starck and Slovenian engineering company Riko will complete their first sustainable prefabricated wooden house this autumn, as part of a new venture to improve housing standards. More »

Architecture studio Tredje Natur is redesigning a Copenhagen neighbourhood to better handle the floods expected as climate change leads to fewer but heavier rain storms. More »

Shanghai architects Polifactory have developed a concept for a rammed earth house that generates energy from a lake on its roof. More »

Dezeen Wire: design critic Alice Rawsthorn writes about design that balances desirability with ethical credibility for the New York Times, citing Mathieu Lehanneur's Wi-Fi stations across Paris and Something & Son's temporary spa the Barking Bathhouse as good examples to follow - New York Times

Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson has made these small solar-powered lamps for people who have limited access to reliable energy – almost a quarter of the world's population (+ movie). More »

Eight poles and a board made of forest waste bolt together to make a flat-pack table by Japanese designers Hiroyuki Miyabe and Jun Yoshimura of SPEAC. More »

Architect John Lin has adapted the traditional style of a rural Chinese courtyard residence to create a village house that is entirely self-sufficient (+ slideshow). More »

Royal College of Art graduate Hal Watts has come up with a bicycle-powered electronic waste recycler that could save lives in developing countries (+ movie). More »

Plants sprout through the patchwork aluminium facade of this pharmacy and clinic in Japan by architects Kengo Kuma and Associates (+ slideshow). More »