A new year heralds many a new year resolution: to be healthier, skinnier, nicer, richer etc. but it’s also the time of year when those in the industries of building, design and architecture start trolling out their predictions for 2012.

And here are the Top 5 Green Home trends for 2012 by Buildipedia.

Renovation Nation

With the construction industry on the decline and money tighter than ever, it’s no surprise that renovating it top of the list. However, it’s also a chance to get more energy efficient and greener.

Smaller Footprints

Expect new dwellings to get smaller in 2012 – not just because they are cheaper to build but also because they are cheaper to run. According to a survey of builders….

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What do you with ugly and dirty public spaces? Especially when knocking them down is not an option? Well, you do the above of course.

After all, why bother with a new lick of paint when you can just plant the side of the building instead. This very impressive combination of green design with ugly facade at London’s Edgeware Road tube station is not only hugely impressive to look at but it will largely take care of itself and get better looking as the years march on.

The 200sq meter green wall took a month to complete and is part of the London Clean Air Fund, financed by the Department for Transport. It is hoped that the 15 types of plants used…

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I don’t know about you by my local cafe does not look like this. Whereas the stunning Bamboo Cafe boasts uber-green credentials, space and airiness, my local cafe boasts comparisons with an overpriced concrete shoebox run by snooty staff.

The Bamboo Cafe – or the Water and Wind Café – was designed by Vo Trong Nghia and is located in the Binh Duong province of Vietnam. Dammit!

Jump now for some stunning shots and details.

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If ever there’s a city that has managed to hold onto its centuries of architectural heritage while embracing cutting edge modern design, then its Madrid in Spain.

Now its green credentials [thanks to its amazing trees and landscaping rather than its dismal recycling and car pollution record] have been given the thumbs up, with the city being awarded the first of 100 Green Good Design Awards.

Founded in Chicago in 1950 by architects Eero Saarinen and Charles and Ray Eames, GOOD DESIGN is the “world’s oldest and most significant global program that awards the best of the best design in terms of visionary products and environments”.

“The City of Madrid,” said Christian K. Narkiewicz-Laine, Museum President, The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture “ is one of the ‘greenest’ cities on our planet…….”

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