Freiburg, southern Germany, is Europe’s most eco-conscious town, environmental protection and green in the whole of Germany ranked first. 250,000 population, geographical known as the “Sun Belt” label, the collection of solar energy is almost equal to the whole of the UK’s total solar energy. German architect Rolf Disch it as a park, he designed a house heated only a year a week, need to pay only electricity, the rest chosen by solar panels on the roof to provide. Environmental protection and green all over Germany ranks first. 
   
Sitting in the train arrived in Freiburg at first glance, the eyes full of sunshine. The second eye, a 19-story tower, the 240 components of solar PV facade. 
    
Up the stairs from the platform, is a major city road, north to south. Two rows of long, winding rails stretch into the distance. Painting a variety of colors across a variety of patterns of tram twenty-three minutes from your eyes after a car almost invisible.
Cycling is one of the major wonders of Freiburg: a wide variety of bicycles, very tall. People riding bicycles, long legs, pretty skirts, children raised against the wind, and the body suddenly disappeared in the distance.

Freiburg was built 900 years ago on the vineyard, next to the Upper Rhine, near the French border, is the entrance of the Black Forest. Sunshine favor of the city, up to 1800 hours of sunshine throughout the year to take advantage of solar energy, environmental protection and green all over Germany ranks first. In addition, its efficient energy and public transport is the best in the world.

Project Overview:

The project spent only $ 500, from the hammer by a simple change to the existing concrete slab.

The park using a variety of flowers, herbs, vegetables, and even beautiful rogue weeds.

Many plants have been selected to withstand the human foot traffic.

Malmo in southernmost Sweden, is Sweden’s third largest city. 1914, have been held in Malmö term “Baltic Expo”, the country was involved in only four Nordic countries and Germany. The next year, will represent Sweden Malmo to participate in Shanghai World Expo’s Urban Best Practices Area Case. Malmo in the European Community market and the geographical condition is superior, air, train, automobile and marine development. New deep-water “Sweden and Hong Kong” plays a significant role in transport. At present, between the cities of Malmö and Copenhagen, Denmark, on the sea there is a 16 km long bridge. It’s built for the Swedish – Danish trade, employment, housing, culture, education and research co-market a huge potential for development.

Malmo has a blue, long coastline, there are impressive on that coastline one after another group of white windmills. Westport Park is located west of the first old port of Malmo, Sweden is the first “zero emissions” community.

Park in Westport landmark “spiral sculpture”, we saw where the Skåne Malmö Deputy Governor Christine A Alexei Mickelson. He told us a month ago Westport was awarded the Metro from the United Nations’ environment Honor Award. ”

Today Japan has begun to emerge against the process of urbanization – urban competition for employment, housing difficulties, the high cost of medical care, no one to take care of the elderly, young children without child care, kindergarten placement, residential housing and only the lack of entertainment facilities, and inaccessible. All this so that the economic downturn of the Japanese young people who live in Tokyo a headache. More and more people back to the place where the charm of satellite towns around Tokyo gradually dim.

But a train from Tokyo 47 minutes from the Kanto circle satellite town, actually in this case to attract waves of young men to settle. Because the town to solve all the problems above, meet all the needs of the residents live and work. Striking is the design of the town started 40 years ago when all these factors have been considered in the inside, even more astonishing is that this is not by the local government planning and design, but by a little-known private real estate company development and design.

British Hogarth Architects (Hogarth Architects) designed the “butterfly house” (Butterfly House) started. This is in Kilifi, Kenya (Kilifi) in a remote small resort on the first building. The site area of ​​2.4 hectares.

This six-bedroom holiday homes around a central courtyard garden design. The garden will breed butterflies.

This holiday home as in remote areas means that it must be possible to “self” and easy to maintain. Recycling of coral blocks are the main building materials.

Australian construction firm sharif abraham architects recently completed a “residential Clifton Hill” project, which is an independent city located in Villa Victoria, Australia. This highly sculptural building between the existing buildings and gardens to
find a balance. Vertical skylights and glass walls with the concrete wall to break the closed, to bring ample interior light. Projecting down from the ceiling beam to guide the construction of area residents go from the original building.

The upper part of the wood panel interior walls decorated with even more warmth to the living room, while the design also ensures the necessary story, so the sun can shine through continuous interior. Imitation of a row of decorative elements of the trunk form a unified the various linear space, while ensuring coherence and indoor line of sight to guide visitors to enjoy the outdoor courtyard. Bathroom walls, floors and ceilings are made of dark texture tiles, people feel like being in caves.

The house is ongoing to describe the dream house, that is no exaggeration. In the 19th century, this is a fantastic summer palm tree villa, situated in the outskirts of Lisbon, is an idyllic leisurely red roof of the house. Near the Atlantic Ocean, blue sky, warm
breeze blowing, a variety of colors with a comfortable ride, has a very old wall markings, and exposed wood ceilings ancient structure, with some modern furniture and lighting, etc. are very free style. Plus there is a large and long out of the pool, is a very good place for a leisurely summer.

We are accustomed to in a sunny place to grow vegetables, because people generally believe in a sunny place to grow vegetables to get higher yields. However, in the shade can also grow vegetables.

MARK HOFFMAN: “The bottom line here is that most plants will produce more in full sun. But if you do not have full sun, there are other options.”

Mark Hoffman’s tomato plants growing up into the leaves of an oak tree

For example, he grows tomatoes near oak trees. Oak trees can produce a lot of shade. But Mr. Hoffman says his tomato plants grow as long as they get five hours a day of direct sunshine, especially morning sun.

Not only does this go against the traditional advice that tomatoes need six, eight, even twelve hours a day of full sun. It also shows how plants and tree roots can share nutrients and water.

Mr. Hoffman also planted asparagus around a tree at its drip line, the area below the outer limit of the branches.

MARK HOFFMAN: “Now the asparagus is in partial shade. It has been there for six years now and is doing wonderfully. It is right at the drip line of the tree. So when it rains, all the rain drips down right on the asparagus.”

The Hoffmans’ website includes a list of vegetables, flowers and herbs that have produced acceptably for them in partial shade. Besides tomatoes and asparagus, these include broccoli, daylilies, horseradish, Irish potatoes, oregano and winter onions.

Mr. Hoffman says plants with wider leaves seem to do better in shady environments. He also found that his potatoes did better in partial shade than in full sun.

Moving them out of the sun helped control an insect problem with leaf hoppers. Mr. Hoffman does not use pesticides. Instead, he planted the potatoes at the drip line, especially on the east side of the tree.

The potatoes get morning sun, but they are shaded during the hottest part of the day. Leaf hoppers dislike shade, and the hottest part of the day is when they do the worst of their damage.