Urban Gardens

A sustainable concrete roofing tile that reduces the formation of smog, BoralPure, winner of the Popular Mechanics 2011 Breakthrough Award announced today, is the only concrete tile roofing solution in the U.S. that mitigates air pollution.

The tile’s coating … Read More...

A concept of sustainable urban public space design, Le Jardin à La Rue (The Street Garden) was conceived by landscape designers Germaine Bourré and Julien Maiella for The International Garden Festival at Chaumont-sur-Loire, France. The festival, whose theme this year … Read More...

From France, the stainless steel Solar iD Cook barbecue uses a parabolic shaped solar mirror to concentrate sunlight on the cooking area, where food can be grilled, simmered, or steamed.

They’re Transportable
Although the products need full sun to operate … Read More...

Polymorphic, a kinetic installation designed and produced by ten architecture students from Columbia University GSAPP, utilizes an innovative design and engineering solution inspired by the simple kinetic action of a see-saw and the reverberating motion of a Slinky.

The … Read More...

Inspired by legendary architect Mies van der Rohe’s famous Barcelona Pavilion from 1929, designer Monique Engelund has reinterpreted the building as a modern gathering space for birds and a sculptural focal point for the garden. The Bird Pavilion honors van … Read More...

To-gather is a double-sided asymmetrical park bench designed to encourage communication and conversation among people in city environments. Designed by Minsung Lee, a recent graduate of London Metropolitan University, the bench also allows one to simply relax–one side of … Read More...

You know how much I love designs that do double duty, especially since they are great for optimizing small spaces. Like Swedish designer Eva Schildt’s Gardener’s Sofa and Table that transforms classical outdoor items into lightweight objects that not … Read More...

The view looking down into the park from the entrance above.

The model for its contemporary American cousin, The High Line, Paris’s Promenade Plantée––also known as the Coulée Verte or “Flowing Green”––was the world’s first and only elevated park … Read More...

Last May, when New York City workers were planting a tree on the traffic island in front of the salon where he’s employed, Victor Rueda asked them if he could contribute his own plants, including some sunflowers, to the small … Read More...