Taipei 101 is famous for being one of the world’s tallest buildings. In the next 18 months the skyscraper is set to get some major eco-upgrades in an effort to save money, reduce its impact, and gain the much coveted title of “World’s Tallest Green Building.” In 2007, the Burj Dubai surpassed Taipei 101 in terms of height, but the Taiwanese building won’t give up the fight, throwing down $1.8 million in energy efficiency upgrades, which are expected to yield $20 million annually in savings and make it the Earth’s greenest and tallest building. The skyscraper will undergo significant energy efficiency upgrades and will also seek LEED Gold certification for existing buildings. The certification will largely depend on the building performance after the upgrades and renovations take place. The owners of Taipei 101 are teaming up with SL+A International Asia Inc., Siemens and EcoTech International Inc. to complete the eco-upgrades. – Via – Etaiwannews

Johnston Architects PLLC designed this original project for a couple with “sustainable” carriers. Scott Shell and Margaret Wheeler are both mountain guides, a profession that makes them both open to the ideas meant to conserve the environment. The house was built by company Tall Tree Construction in a forest from the logs that were brought down by the local storms. Energy comes from an underground pump that is “fueled” with water which has previously been heated in the sun. Overall, the house looks amazing and its sustainable sources of power provide enough energy to keep it glowing in the coldest of winters.

If you expected for the new Prada store in Paris to have a powerful design identity, than you are probably very satisfied with the final results. The store is situated on Place Beauvau, no 92 and it was designed by Roberto Baciocchi. The facade of the building is a reminder of the Pont Mirabeau, a famous French bridge built in 1895. Art seems to unite all the elements of design in the store and impressive silhouettes greet you as you look around for fashionable and famous things to purchase. Bronze, glass and mirrors are present, emphasizing on the opulence which characterizes the brand.

Local Architecture is a Swiss firm located in Laussane. The company has a large and very impressive portfolio, from which we will try to extract a few projects. First off, we would like to present to you “Logements à Macaron”, a private residence located in the district of Oron. Leaving aside the feeling of cosyness this house in the middle of the snowy nowhere inspires, we can not help but admire its unusual exterior design. This is one of those buildings whose shape you couldn’t possibly “guess” by just looking at one of the sides. The large window facade is pretty impressive, yet one has to wonder if the inhabitants have all the privacy they need.

If you are one to enjoy drinks in unusual and exotic places, here is a nice idea for you. The Wnw bar(water and wind bar) comes from a Vietnamese architectural firm called Yo Trang Nghia co. ltd. The main challenge of the project was that the bar had to be built in a place very prone to floods and other natural destructive phenomena. Therefore the materials were chosen accordingly: bamboo is used all throughout Vietnam due to the fact that it is cheap, easy to work with and also easy to transport. We like the mysterious atmosphere that this place inspires and we think a live experience would be very intense.- via design boom