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….

conducted by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), new homes will average 2,152 sq. ft. in size by 2015, compared with a peak of 2,521 sq. ft. in 2007.

Net Zero

Net Zero is the goal for all those out there who believe in going all the way when it comes to being more efficient. It will continue to be big in 2012. Many goals will be achieved by combining a mix of passive and active design strategies. From better insulation to smarter windows and rain water collection systems, there is a massive amount that can be done make your home more efficient.

Energy Monitoring Systems

Measuring just what energy you use is a growing segment. New gadgets will let you keep tabs on all aspects of home energy use from heating and electricity to fuel. If you know what you’re spending, then you know where to make improvements or cuts.

LEDs

Yep, the old incandescent and CFL bulbs are on the back foot. LEDs are on the march. Sure they cost a bit more but they are getting cheaper and have improved a lot in performance – from colors to brightness. A sure-fire money saver.

Find the full list here.

Happy money saving in 2012 from us here at Funktion!

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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…

…will improve air quality by trapping and reducing particulate matter by up to 20%, which is caused by the heavy daily flow of traffic on Marylebone Rd.

Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, explained: “Delivering cleaner air for London is a top priority for me and this ingenious green wall traps harmful pollution on one of our busiest roads, helping to cleanse the air at this popular spot as well as helping to soften and beautify the local environment.”

The plants used for the wall were grown in ‘Grodan’ – a peat-free substrate – and the structure supporting them includes ‘Ecosheet’ – a waterproof backing material – made from recycled material. We recently covered another great green wall here - Madrid’s ‘Green Wall’ Thriving.

Would you like one in your town? One more shot below.

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Welcome to the Solar Decathlon 2011.

With energy now becoming an integral, if not central part, of many designs, the Solar Decathlon is one of the most interesting showcases for the best solar energy/design projects going on in the country today. And this year – although the event is still ongoing – it looks like Tennessee is leading the pack [see video above].

The Solar Decathlon brings 20 competing college teams from around the world together in Washington DC, where they will build their homes – all of which are attempting to be the most livable, attractive and functional solar-powered single family home. The competition is sponsored by  U.S. Department of Energy.

Right now, Tennessee is out in front with its Living Light House, which uses solar energy [obviously], insulated windows and a remote control iPad in its drive for a sleek, stylish and sustainable lifestyle.

There are videos from the other competitors over at Planet Forward. Go see what works for you and let us know what’s your favorite.

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Clever design is often facilitated by the development of other technologies, and becoming greener is now part of the modern design process. For many, the inclusion of green technologies is becoming less of a choice and more of a ‘must-have’.

Nowhere is that more obvious than in Japan, where the country is still reeling from the massive earthquake and tsunami that hit on March 11, causing explosions and radiation leaks at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant. As a result, Japan is completely rethinking its energy future and the government has scrapped plans to build 14 new nuclear plants, pushing renewable energy to the top of the list.

More specifically, new buildings will play a pivotal role as the government is looking to make solar panels a requirement on all new buildings – including houses – from 2030.

It’s a huge commitment and could play a role in driving down the cost of solar power globally, as well as highlighting the advantages of having solar panels on every house.

While many architect designed buildings and homes come with solar panels as standard, it would be a revolution to see solar panels become a compulsory part of every structure.

What’s your view?

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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.

The whole structure is comprised of bamboo and other renewable materials, which after a few years, can become as hard as oak. All of the bamboo was woven together using traditional Vietnamese techniques and there’s not a single nail used in the whole building.

The look of the cafe borrows from the traditional Vietnamese house, just on a much bigger scale. The dome is 30-feet high and natural light openings at the top provide most of the light needed.

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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…….”

“…..Green and manicured are the words that best describe Madrid. Every direction you look in the city appears to be worthy of a picture postal card.”

At 650m above sea level on a high continental plateau, Madrid is the highest capital city in Europe. It also has 298,000 trees on its streets, the second highest number of aligned trees in the world, only exceeded by Tokyo.

According to Good Design, since 1997, green areas have increased by 16% in Madrid. At present, 8.2% of Madrid’s grounds are green areas. That means there’s 16-meters squared of green area per inhabitant, which easily exceeds the World Health Organization’s recommended 10-meters squared.

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A massive plan to drastically cut the carbon emissions in downtown Chicago has scooped a prestigious award from Architect Magazine.

The fourth Annual R&D Award was given to the Chicago Central Area Decarbonization Plan by well-known Chicago-based Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture, which presented a large-scale and hugely ambitious plant to retrofit existing buildings to achieve a 25% cut in emissions below the 1990 level.

The ‘Plan’ involves eight key strategies, starting with one called Buildings, “which investigates how existing structures can be upgraded to improve energy efficiency, increase the value of aging building stock and tap into the potential to transfer excess energy loads back to the grid, all while offsetting the need for new construction.

Other strategies include Urban Matrix, which envisions increasing the residential density of the Loop by enhancing amenities, Smart Infrastructure which tackles how energy can be generated, stored, distributed and shared and Mobility, which assesses transit and connectivity.

Some of the key changes presented include:

• Completing and linking a below-grade pedway system that would make the Loop more walkable in extreme weather conditions
• Creating a green corridor and below-grade inter-modal axis on Monroe Street that would offer a place of respite for residents, commuters and visitors
• Repurposing the Loop’s underground tunnels as a pneumatic waste disposal system
• Extending the existing Chicago riverwalk and bicycle paths to increase mobility within and across the Loop
• Publishing The Green City, a textbook that would enter the public and private school curricula as a primer on urban design and decarbonization for public school students, in the manner of the original Wacker’s Manual of the Plan of Chicago in 1911-1927.

Check out some more photos below.

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There’s very few things – except maybe crude oil and coal – that can’t have the word ‘green’ shoved in front of it these days, in order to make it more eco-friendly. Many, sadly, are inaccurate and others are fads.

But when it comes to buildings, green building has become the new wave of construction. And right now, Norway is king of green building for the second year running, according to – take a deep breath now – the 2009 Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) Global Zero Carbon Capacity Index. Phew.

Their data covers 34 countries and considers criteria such as energy efficiency in homes, offices and transport, alongside national investment in renewable energy and policies to reduce carbon consumption from buildings.

The building sector is responsible for around 40% of greenhouse gas emissions said report author, Yvonne Rydin, who states that the sector has to do more to reduce emissions.

“This is an urgent responsibility for those building new developments as well as those owning, managing and occupier existing ones. Our homes, shops, offices, factories and leisure centres all need to make their contribution to the climate change agenda.”

Brazil secured second spot with the U.K. placing third for the first time. Ironically, this week saw the U.K. announce an early closure of its Low Carbon Buildings Fund to save £3 million – thank you ‘Global Recession’ – so expect the U.K. to slip back down the ranks. Other countries showing improvement in 2009 included France, Germany, the Slovak Republic and, to a lesser extent, the USA.

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Electric bikes have moved right along in terms of functionality and some even look good. Few, however, are as out there as this concept electric bike design from Yuji Fujimura.

The EBIQ, or Electric Bike Concept ver2, is quite striking to look at and that modern design is reinforced with the complete whitewash makeover. But there’s even more trickery under those clean lines after the jump.

That solid midsection not only houses a lithium ion battery but can store your gadgets, like a laptop or iPod, and charge them as you pedal. The handle bars and pedals fold into the frame for slinky storage and, if you really have a death wish, there’s a display up front so that you can surf the Net – via your stored laptop – as you trundle along.

Obviously, that’s just before you die horribly in a head-on with a bus while watching Lady Ga-Ga on YouTube.

It’s certainly pretty but, I’m pretty sure the designer is not much of a cyclist. One word: wind. The reason most bikes have no solid midsection is to stop cross-winds from knocking you on your butt  every 30 seconds. Interesting design though. More pics below.

Coroflot

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