Top 5 Eco-Friendly Buildings In The World

Eco-friendly buildings are constructed from materials that are environmentally responsible and resource-efficient. The goal of eco-friendly buildings is to reduce the impact it has on the environment. Eco-friendly building is currently very popular and has produced some great architectural solutions and new innovative materials.

One great use of eco-friendly construction has come in the form of ETFE material. ETFE is very environmentally friendly and is a great option when you want to provide natural light to buildings. This transparency can help bring down costs and the environmental impact that would normally come from providing a lot of artificial light. Here are the top 5 Eco-friendly buildings in the world.

The Eden Project

ETFE is used as a building material in the Eden project in England. This great building is all about the opportunities for researchers to look into the developments of plants and to look into how the atmosphere works. The Eden project will greatly benefit from the transparency of ETFE material and from the fact that it won’t require as large a support structure around it as would glass for instance.

The Water Cube

 In the 2008 Olympics one of the most innovative buildings was the Water Cube that held the aquatic competitions during the Games. The Water Cube looked a bit like it was formed from small cells and bubbles. It was the look of these bubbles that the use of ETFE material helped to create. They were also able to collect solar energy and use it to heat the water in the swimming pools. The Water Cube has now been opened to the public as a water park.

Allianz Arena

Another sporting venue that has used ETFE is the Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany. This arena is home to the football team of Bayern Munich. These ETFE foils in Allianz Arena can be lit with three different colours of red, blue and white and it provides a great effect for the building. The material is so luminous that the building in its full lightning can be seen from a distance of 50 miles.

The Khan Shatyr Entertainment Centre

In the Kazakhstani capital of Astana the Khan Shatyr Entertainment Centre also uses ETFE material. This is the world’s largest tent, 150 meters high and was opened in 2010. The tent is made from three ETFE layers that are pumped with air and thus look like giant pillows. The building is able to take the extreme weather conditions of Kazakhstan since the material is very strong and can even support snow without damaging the structures.

Heathrow Terminal 3

ETFE pillows can also be found in the Heathrow Terminal 3 in London, England. They are used to provide lighting as well as create a luminous effect with the use of different color lights. As an outside roof these pillows are very efficient and make great use of the material and the lightweight structure.

 ETFE is also very good way to save money in construction costs. If you are inspired by the above buildings you can look up more information about ETFE at the Vector Foiltec website. ETFE is also used and developed in regards of aeronautic industry and thus it will be the material of the future.

Author Bio:

Teo Alvin is an architect who is constantly on the lookout for great buildings and environmentally friendly construction.