40 Urban Nature Concepts

From Rock Hostels to Vertical Lush Gardens

— May 11, 2011 — Eco
With the growing eco movement, it is timely to look at urban nature concepts. The ideas highlighted here are examples of how innovative designers are coming up with ingenious solutions to injecting the natural world into urban spaces.

Urban nature is an exciting concept because of how -- if implemented properly -- our daily city routine’s can become more active. Imagine finishing work and going rock climbing on the side of your building or having an indoor vertical garden to pick fresh vegetables from at lunch.

The concept of urban nature fits within the larger green movement and expresses a desire to get back to our natural surroundings.
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Popularity
Activity
Freshness
40
Suspended Green Wall Decor
Suspended Green Wall Decor
Off the Wall Pots by Thelermont Hupton
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39
Interior Neighborhoods
Interior Neighborhoods
The Vietnamese-Exclusive Nam House in Hackney, London
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38
Futuristic Flora Bridges
Futuristic Flora Bridges
The Urban Reforestation Project Aims to Make Kuala Lumpur Greener
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37
Urban Rooftop Forests
Urban Rooftop Forests
101 Warren Street is an Oasis of Green in the Big Apple
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36
Folding Vertical Gardens
Folding Vertical Gardens
The Wyatt Federal Building's $135 Million Remodel
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35
Ultra-Green Office Building
Ultra-Green Office Building
Hidden Eco-Friendly Corporate HQ
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34
Transit Greenery
Transit Greenery
The Mobile Garden by Joe Baldwin Sweetens Chicago Air
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33
Transparent Legal Structures
Transparent Legal Structures
The International Criminal Court is Guilty of Having a Snazzy Design
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32
Edible Schoolyards
Edible Schoolyards
PS216 in New York is Getting a Nutritous Makeover
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31
Potted Plant Buildings
Potted Plant Buildings
The Organic Building by Gaetano Pesce Features an Eclectic Vertical Garden
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30
Sky Gardens
Sky Gardens
Eagle Street Rooftop Farm is a 6,000-Square-Foot NYC Project
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29
Freeway Farms
Freeway Farms
'Feeder' from Studio Gang Turns an Overpass into a Greenhouse Garden
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28
Green Wall Abodes
Green Wall Abodes
This Living Structure by Samyn and Partners is Literally Covered in Plant Life
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27
Greenified Freeway Cities
Greenified Freeway Cities
Odile Decq and Bonit Conrnette Architects LA Transport Solutions
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26
Private Park High Rises
Private Park High Rises
The Acadia Tree Tower is Designed With Nature in Mind
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25
Urban Awareness Gardens
Urban Awareness Gardens
Landgrab City in Hong Kong Teaches Lessons in Sustainability
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24
Towering Indoor Gardens
Towering Indoor Gardens
The Bryant Park Urban Garden Room in New York City
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23
Notched Vertical Gardens
Notched Vertical Gardens
The Shenzhen Interchange by WorkAC Merges Earth and Air
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22
High-Rise Waterfall Zoos
High-Rise Waterfall Zoos
The Towering Eco-Friendly Costanera Sur in Buenos Aires
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21
Indoor Garden Exhibits
Indoor Garden Exhibits
The Openhouse Gallery is a Pop-Up Park
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20
Water Spanning Vertical Farms
Water Spanning Vertical Farms
Chetwood Architects' London Bridge Includes Futuristic Agriculture
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19
Aquatic Floating Gardens
Aquatic Floating Gardens
Physalia Provides Filtered Waters and Green Spaces
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18
Reflective Vanity Gardens
Reflective Vanity Gardens
The Vertical and Prismatic Grass Mirror by H2O Architects
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17
Bolt-On Vertical Gardens
Bolt-On Vertical Gardens
Patrick Blanc Can Turn Any Surface Into a Green Wall
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16
Lush Vertical Gardens
Lush Vertical Gardens
Michael Hellgren's Work as a Landscape Architect
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15
Indoor Forest Museums
Indoor Forest Museums
The Andrea Branzi Maribor Museum Takes Inspiration from the Forest
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14
Rugged Rock Hostels
Rugged Rock Hostels
UGO Architects' Rock Hostel is a Mountain Within the City
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13
Green Urban Sculptures
Green Urban Sculptures
Verdance by Jeffrey Greger Brings Plants Back to the City
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12
Indoor Garden Cabinets
Indoor Garden Cabinets
KasKast Greenhouse Provides Edible Plants in the Home
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11
Solar Tree Gardens
Solar Tree Gardens
The Bay South Botanical Preserve Will Be Singapore's Largest Biosphere
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10
Green Roof Guarantees
Green Roof Guarantees
Toronto Implements Garden-Topped Building Law
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9
Scenic Green Skyscrapers
Scenic Green Skyscrapers
'Collage Scape' by Woo-Young is the Future of Urban Landscaping
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8
Asymmetrically Stacked Skyscrapers
Asymmetrically Stacked Skyscrapers
The Urban Forest by Mad Architects in Chongqing, China
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7
Unusual Urban Gardens
Unusual Urban Gardens
Earth Designs' Katrina Wells Overcomes Obstacles of Urban Garden Design
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6
Futuristic City Farms
Futuristic City Farms
The Agricultural Urbanism Concept May Just Eliminate the Supermarket
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5
Gardens on Walls
Gardens on Walls
Manuel Dressmann's 'Vertical Garden' Turns Your Apartment into a Greenhouse
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4
Micro Gardens as Living Art
Micro Gardens as Living Art
Tiny Glass Terrariums by Paula Hayes
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3
8-Story Vertical Gardens
8-Story Vertical Gardens
Patrick Blanc Makes Epic Greenery on Walls of Athenaeum Hotel
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2
Pixelated Wooden Walls
Pixelated Wooden Walls
The Bleu Nature Driftwood Wall Features an Unconventional Design
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1
Hydroponic Indoor Gardens
Hydroponic Indoor Gardens
The Hyundai Kitchen Nano Lets Users Grow Their Own Organic Veggies
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