Green building does not always require the latest in smart grid technology, solar panels, expensive recycled materials or the manipulation of Leed scores for environmental design in the same way students study tactically for standardised university examinations. Architects and designers across the globe are channelling their ancestors and creating building plans that maximise air flow, mitigate their impact on the local environment and offer comfort to residents and workers. — guardian.co.uk

A secondary school project in Gando, Burkina Faso, a community center project in São Paulo, Brazil, and an urban renewal plan in Berlin, Germany are the winners of the Global Holcim Awards for 2012. These leading sustainable construction projects were selected from 15 finalist submissions by a jury of independent experts led by Enrique Norten. The finalists were the regional Holcim Awards 2011 winning projects that had been selected from more than 6,000 entries in 146 countries. — bustler.net

Swapping cement and steel for timber is the vision of a number of environmentally-minded architects who are planning high-rise buildings across the world.

Architect Michael Green has plans for a 30-story wooden skyscraper in Vancouver, while plans are afoot in Norway and Austria for 17- and 20-story buildings that use wood as the main building material, eschewing steel and concrete. — CNN.com

We are happy to also present the second prize winner of the 2012 Design to Zero competition: Project Zero, a collaborative effort by graduate students Daniel Kim and Caitlin Ranson from Clemson University School of Architecture [...]. Project Zero seeks to redefine the "unit," focusing on the tight relationship between material unit, family unit, and living unit. The site chosen for the proposal is in a historic residential district not far from downtown Grennville, South Carolina. — bustler.net

A team of two graduate students from Clemson University School of Architecture, Eric Laine and Suzanne Steelman, has won the international Dow Solar Design to Zero competition. The team's proposal LiveWork was awarded the first place award, along with a $20,000 prize sponsored by Dow Solar. — bustler.net

Designed by John Kaliski Architects, in conjunction with Lawrence Moss & Associates, Landscape Architects, and Kimley-Horn & Associates, Civil Engineers, the Ocean Park Boulevard Complete Green Street recently broke ground on December 12, 2011. When completed in early 2013, it will be the longest complete green street in the City of Santa Monica, and one of the longest in Southern California. — bustler.net

The collaboration of three Toronto-based firms, JET Architecture, JCI Architects, and Terraplan Landscape Architects, has won the commission to build the "Shobuj Pata" (Green Leaf) Eco Community Development in Dhaka, Bangladesh. — bustler.net

Following the regional Holcim Awards for sustainable construction projects for Latin America, Europe, Africa Middle East, and North America, winners of the Asia Pacific Awards have recently been announced, bringing the regional phase of the 3rd International Holcim Awards competition to a close. A total of USD 300,000 was presented to twelve groundbreaking projects at a ceremony in Singapore. — bustler.net

The winners of the 3rd International Holcim Awards competition for sustainable construction projects and visions from North America have just been announced. A total of USD 300,000 was presented to ten diverse and innovative projects from Canada and the USA at a ceremony in Washington, DC. — bustler.net

In the last few days, we've published the winners of the Regional Holcim Awards 2011 for Latin America, as well as Europe. Here are now also the winning projects of the competition for sustainable construction projects and visions from Africa Middle East which had been announced recently at a ceremony in Casablanca, Morocco. — bustler.net

Just last week, we published the winning projects of the Holcim Awards 2011 for Latin America. Here are now also the winners of the 3rd International Regional Holcim Awards for sustainable construction projects and visions from across Europe that were recently presented at a ceremony in Milan. — bustler.net

From super efficient solar energy systems, to high-tech whole-house monitoring, rainwater collection, vegetable gardens and beautiful architecture, we're amazed the innovation at work in this year's Solar Decathlon entries. Although we're excited to see all 20 of the Solar Decathlon houses starting today in DC, we've got our eyes on several shining contenders - read on for a first look at our top 7 teams! — Inhabitat

The winning design has been selected in the AIA Architect Barbie Dream House competition, hosted by the American Institute of Architects. The entry submitted by New York architects Ting Li, Assoc. AIA, LEED AP and Maja Paklar, Assoc. AIA, received the most public votes, out of the 8,470 votes registered. — bustler.net

Terreform ONE has announced the winners of ONE PRIZE: Water as the 6th Borough, the open international design competition to envision the sixth borough of New York City. ONE PRIZE is an annual design and science award to promote green design in cities. The 2011 edition turned its focus to New York and its waterways, re-imagining recreational space, public transportation, local industry, and native environment in the city. — bustler.net