In what is being billed as the worlds greenest building, the architects behind the Freedom Tower in New York are developing the “Energy Plus” building in Paris. So what is energy plus and why is this cool? Well besides the building actually looking cool (see pic), ‘Energy Plus’ is the coined term to mean the building will be completely self-sufficient energy-wise. Its roof will be covered in solar panels (more than any other building) which will generate enough electricity to power the entire building, and then some.

Found at PSFK via The Daily Telegraph 

Quick facts about the building:

• It was designed by Skidmore Owings & Merrill, the architectural firm behind New York’s upcoming Freedom Tower.
• Patrick Getreide, who is leaders of the project said: “It will be the first building in the world to be ‘energy plus’ and carbon zero.”
• The proposed building will be more than 70,000 sq m and house up to 5,000 people
• The building will produce enough of its own electricity to power all the heating, lighting, and air conditioning required by tenants.
• The building will generate its own electricity by having more solar panels on it than any other building in existence
• The building’s cooling system will take water from the nearby river Seine and pump it around the offices instead of conventional air conditioning.
• It’s expected to cost approximately 25% to 30% more than a traditional office building (though there will be no utilities/electricity bills in the future).

I found this really cool lamp cover that is made from a special materal so that it moves away from heat. Taking advantage of this Boiler Design Office created a lamp with ‘petals’ that move away,opening up the lamp when it is turned on and the light heats up. From their page:

Protea is a pendant lamp that is “thermo tropic” in plant terms (it moves away from heat). In a closed state (i.e. the light is off), the shade is cold and hugs the bulb closely. When the lamp is turned on, the petals move away from the hot bulb. It is a lot of work keeping cool, so they like it when you blow on them.

View the lamp page on their website www.oboiler.com