Much of the architecture world has embraced the concept of green building, but the designers whose projects are featured in the slideshow below have taken green building to the extreme. Not only are these edifices built to the highest of eco-friendly standards, they’re also equipped with features that actually improve the environment.

For example, both the I-35 bridge in Minneapolis and the Green Innovation Centre in Paris are made specifically with materials to promote cleaner air and ward off smog. And the habitat-fostering greenscapes implemented in California’s Academy of the Sciences and Monterey Bay Shores let native plant life and wildlife thrive.

These buildings prove that when it comes to green building, it’s not just about how little damage your architecture does to the environment, but what it can give back to the environment.