Urban Gardens

Plants pop through small holes in the die-cast aluminum panels that punctuate the living facade of Green Cast, a mixed-use building in Odawara, Japan.

Designed by architects Kengo Kuma & Associates, the building’s slightly slanted panels are formed over … Read More...

Green curtains outside the Arakawa City Hall in Tokyo, Japan.Photo, Bloomberg.

Anticipating rising energy costs after Japan’s nuclear disaster, and inspired by the green curtains on the facades of many municipal and commercial buildings, many Tokyo residents have created DIY … Read More...

Honey, I’m home. Is the lettuce ready? This planter is a great concept for producing food in tight urban spaces with minimal effort.

Milan designer Stefania Minnella’s vertical self-sustaining hydroponic system, Elica Idroponica, automates all the tasks busy people … Read More...

Spanish researchers have developed a living concrete that may define a new method for creating vertical gardens and living walls on building facades.  Capturing rainwater, the multilayered cement encourages and sustains the growth and viability of specific mosses and lichens … Read More...

Update 3/2021: This business is no longer in operation, but as it was one of the first of its kind, I encourage you to read further:

When industrial designer Ben Green and grower Tyler Nevers saw a need for supplying … Read More...