COLLEGE IN COPENHAGEN From the outside, Ørestad College in Copenhagen, Denmark, is a simple five-story cuboid. But the conventional exterior form conceals a radical open-plan interior. Designed by Danish architects 3XN, the experimental secondary school seems to embody all kinds of things that a school typically isn't. — Published 2009.0930
	GETTING THE GREEN ROOF RIGHT Green roofs, whether intensive or extensive, can provide a wealth of benefits on site and beyond. Delivering these benefits successfully requires professional attention to a variety of critical details. — Editor The first common dilemma in the construction of living green roofs, and other landscapes over structure, is that, in conventional building, the execution and completion of site work are often subordinated to the completion of the building. — Published 2009.0527
	MULTI-ELEPHANT HOUSING BY FOSTER The Copenhagen Zoo's new Elephant House by Foster + Partners emerges gently from the surrounding park grounds, its two leaf-patterned glass domes topping walls of pink-hued concrete. At once playful and serious, transparent and solid, this modern menagerie provides both high-quality living conditions for the animals inside and an exciting and interactive visitor experience. — Published 2009.0401
	PALLADIO AWARDS 2009 The Danforth University Center provides a new gothic-style gathering space and "front door" for Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. Designed by Tsoi/ Kobus & Associates, Inc., the center received one of eleven Palladio Awards for 2009. — Published 2009.0311
	PREDOCK'S ARCHITECTURE SCHOOL In New Mexico, sandstone walls, granite boulders cracked by tree roots, and time-blurred ruins of past civilizations all rise against a cold cobalt sky — variegated results of sun, wind, culture, and geology. Architect Antoine Predock cites such elements of the U.S. Southwest as influences on his design of the University of New Mexico (UNM) School of Architecture and Planning in Albuquerque. — Published 2008.1210
	YOUNG VIC RENEWAL The redesigned Young Vic Theatre by London architects Haworth Tompkins is more than just the extension and renovation of a local theater in Lambeth, South London. It is a radical, minimally designed new facility that celebrates the history of the place and highlights the ambitions of the local arts community. — Published 2008.0709
	APPALACHIAN SUNCATCHER Nestled into a hillside near Asheville, North Carolina, the Blue Ridge Parkway Destination Center is projected to use 75 percent less energy than a comparable conventionally designed facility. Trombe walls, a planted roof, bioswales, daylighting, a high-efficiency mechanical energy-recovery system, and other "green" features add up to make this National Park Service facility a contender for LEED Gold certification. — Published 2008.0521
	GREENER GREEN ROOFS The sedum roofs of today symbolize performance-oriented green roof design. Like fine-tuned engines, they run on leaner artificial substrates with almost no organic matter; volcanic rock or expanded shale, baked at 2000 degrees Fahrenheit (1093 degrees Celsius), make the substrates lighter and soil depths as thin as possible. They seem to be race cars in the fleet of green roofs — maximum performance paired with minimum weight. The simple soil mixtures and roof sections of the early days of green roofs developed into multilayered complex systems supporting the homogenous surface of succulents. The unkempt and rough gave way to the groomed and cultivated, reminiscent of the unrelenting beauty of agricultural fields. — Published 2007.1024
	ENVIRONMENTAL CENTER IN GEORGIA Architects designing educational centers for environmental organizations bear a special responsibility to make their medium part of the message. The new Gwinnett Environmental & Heritage Center (GEHC) in Buford, Georgia, designed by Lord, Aeck & Sargent, is a lesson in itself about energy and water conservation. — Published 2007.0228
	CANADIAN WAR MUSEUM Designers of the new Canadian War Museum in Ottawa, Ontario could have merely created a protective envelope for Canada's wartime artifacts. Instead they designed a monumental structure to inspire a nation by integrating artistic symbolism with pragmatic innovation. — Published 2006.0125

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