By Zac Colbert

They might look like something out of a science fiction film, but these 3 futuristic buildings are going to be erected in reality over the next few years:

Apple’s ‘Spaceship’

Keen to improve their sustainable credentials, Apple is making their new headquarters completely self-sufficient. The ‘Spaceship’ campus for over 12,000 employees will be built in Cupertino City spanning 60 hectares – 80 percent of which will be rich with freshly planted trees and greenery. The state-of-the-art office will produce all of its own power. There will be underground parking, a jogging track and a solar paneled roof. Cupertino City Council seems keen to accept the proposal. They’ve made it clear that they still have to review the environmental impact of the project and hold some more public hearings before it’s approved, which is encouraging as it means Apple will have to make that extra effort to make their Spaceship as eco-friendly as possible.

W57 Building New York

This pyramid-shaped building will be unique among the flat top sky scrapers of the Manhattan city-scape. It aims to be one of the most eco-friendly structures around and is hoping to achieve a LEED Gold certification. But the architecture firm – BIG, which is the force behind the revolutionary residential building, is keen to state that environmental design won’t sacrifice living standards. The Bjarke Ingels Group will endeavor to make it a pleasant and desirable place to live, every residential unit will have a balcony or bay window that will be open to natural light, there will be a green courtyard and excellent views of the Hudson River. The creative design will follow sustainable construction and operations carried out by one of the most exciting architecture firms working today so suffice to say expectations are high.

The LO2P Recycling Skyscraper

There’s little wonder why this project won the eVolo’s 2011 Skyscraper Competition as it is a truly revolutionary concept – a building that cleans the city it towers above. Therefore it makes sense that the proposed site for the LO2P is one of the most polluted cities in the world, Delhi.

Functioning like a giant lung the huge structure resembling an enormous turbine will purify the air using large-scale greenhouses as filters. Furthermore it will use rotating filters to capture suspended particles from the air then recycle waste heat and CO2 to grow plants. If you thought that was green, the LO2P will also be built out of recycled cars. This is by far the most environmentally conscious, forward thinking and cutting edge piece of architecture to be proposed in a long time and should set the standards for all future buildings and how they interact with the city they’re erected in. 

Author Bio:

Zac Colbert has got a penchant for sustainable design and eco technologies; whether it’s amazing environmentally conscious architecture or mobile workforce management, if it encourages green business then he’s going to cover it.