I love green roofs: West Kowloon Terminus

Another cool project: Express Link West Kowloon Terminus by Aedas & AECOM, will connect Hong Kong to the National High Speed Rail Network. The distinctive terminal will be characterized by arching fins, abundant natural daylighting, and covered with pedestrian paths and green roofs. The Express Link West Kowloon Terminus will be the largest underground facility of its kind, and it will reserve its above-ground area for nature. The roofscape circulation will link to retail and nearby subway and public transit points. (I don't know how legal those grades are from the renders, but looks pretty cool all the same.)

DIY Green Graffiti

You'll need:

• 1-2 handfuls of moss
• 2 cups of buttermilk or yogurt
• 2 cups of water (or beer)
• 1/2 tsp. sugar
• Corn syrup (optional)  

• Paintbrush
• Blender

Steps:
1) Wash the moss to get as much soil out of the roots as possible.
2) Break the moss apart into manageable pieces and place in blender.
3) Add the buttermilk/yogurt, water/beer and sugar. Blend the mixture until completely smooth. You'll want it to have a paint-like texture.
Note: If the mixture is at a consistency where you feel it will drip, add corn syrup until the consistency you desire is reached.
4) Use a paintbrush to apply the moss-paint to the surface on which you wish your design to grow.
5) If possible, check back weekly to either spray the design with water (to encourage moss growth) and/or apply more moss-paint.

Reclaiming Osaka: Urban Renewal at its Best

Project: Namba Park
Location: Osaka, Japan
Architect: The Jerde Partnership
Built: 2003

Formerly a baseball stadium (abandoned in 2003), the Namba Parks project is yet another striking example of Japanese innovation at it's best. Being located at Namba Train Station, in a busy commercial area, NER finally decided to convert the stadium area into an amazing rising public garden complex - a natural intervention in Namba’s dense and harsh urban condition.Within the park lie an array of towers, a commercial center, as well as gardens, trees and waterfalls. The sloping park connects with the street, giving cars and passers-by comfortable access to the complex. Below the park there are also various restaurants, as well as a shopping mall with eight floors of gardens.

Another ingenious project: Gate Tower Building, also in Osaka, intersected by the Hanshin Expressway. So clever, those Japanese.