Panyaden School, Thailand. Imagine going to school in this building! (The classrooms I went to, were so boring!).

The bamboo roof of the school seems to float above the ground (Credit: Ally Taylor)

This is a primary school (elementary school) in Chiang Mai. It’s made from local, sustainable materials. The floor is rammed earth, and the supports and roof are made from local, fast-growing bamboo. There are no walls, so there is plenty of cross-ventilation to keep the building cool in the hot, humid conditions of Thailand. It’s gorgeous!

Ospedale dell’Angelo, Italy. If you have to be in hospital, this one could be the nicest!

‘The world’s first ‘green general hospital’ (Credit: Enrico Cano)

Hospitals are normally rather dreary, boring buildings, built for practicality. But this hospital in Venice has a massive winter garden. About half of the patients’ rooms overlook the garden, while the other rooms have lovely plants right outside their windows. There are lounges on each floor which give great views of the greenery below, and most of the building is covered in a living green roof.

Sony City, Japan  This is a great example of putting modern technology to good use.

Sony City acts like a ‘natural forest’ (Credit: Yutaka Suzuki)

You’d expect a building built by Sony to be pretty high-tech, and this green building certainly is. It’s designed to act as a natural forest – and it works to cool the building and massively reduce energy use.

Solar panels generate energy and also provide shade from the sun. The building is covered in Bioskin, a network of tubes. Rainwater is collected on the roof and when it is fed down the tubes, it cools the building.

It might not be the most attractive building, but it certainly seems to work!

Glass/Wood House, United States  This Connecticut house has a history…..

Kengo Kuma renovated the 1950s modernist house (Credit: Kengo Kuma & Associates for Glass Wood House)

When it was built in 1956, this glass-fronted modernist house was ahead of its time. Now it’s been renovated, and it looks like it’s part of the forest.

The Glass / Wood House in New Canaan, Connecticut, used to be box-shaped, but now there’s an L-shaped extension that projects into the forest. This green building looks natural and doesn’t jar in its beautiful surroundings.

Chen House, Taiwan  This beautiful building is a sanctuary for farmers.

The Chen House allows cool breezes and daylight inside (Credit: Lukas Casagrande)

This farmers’ shelter in the Datun Mountains, Taipei, is delightfully simple.The slatted front allows daylight and cool breezes to enter in warmer months. In winter a simple fireplace keeps it warm. It is raised off the ground to protect it from occasional flooding. The farmers are sheltered but still part of the environment

Ecoboulevard of Vallecas, Spain Fabulously innovative technology here!

Tiers of vegetation and water vapour help cool down the Ecoboulevard (Credit: Emilio P Doitzua)

This isn’t built yet – the photo is a model of an urban pavilion to be built in Madrid. Nicknamed the ‘air tree’, the huge building will be surrounded by trees and plants, which will keep it cool during the hot summer months. The solar panels not only generate energy but also provide water vapour. Astonishingly, it will be 8-10 degrees cooler inside than on the street outside.

Green School, Indonesia  I’d love to learn in this experimental school!

The Green School is open-sided to allow ventilation (Credit: Iwan Baan)

This green building is in the middle of the jungle in Badung, Bali, and it was built especially to provide education on green techniques and sustainable materials.

It’s an open-plan building with no side walls so there is natural ventilation, and students are still connected to the environment. It’s made from local, sustainable bamboo as well as recycled rubber and even old car windscreens! The school has an organic garden and fences made of living trees.

Green Architecture by Philip Jodidio is published by Taschen