The Top 5 Buildings of the future So the buildings of the future all have one thing in common, they will all use much, much less energy. That very much seems to be the aim of architects in the future – we know you were hoping for buildings that would change colour, or transport you to a different time, but nope – basically the race is on to create the building that is the most energy efficient. So far we have: 1) Nanjing Green Lighthouse, Nanjing Unsurprisingly, the Chinese are light years ahead of the rest of us and have already created a building that is utterly energy efficient – basically all the electricity it needs it can produce. Not too shabby and it doesn’t look too bad either. Currently used as offices, it is an impressive 5,500 square meters and is built in a spiral form with the ambition of capturing as much sunlight as humanely possible. 2) Hanover Olympic Building, Los Angeles The Hanover Olympic building oddly doesn’t actually have anything to do with the Olympics, but is rather a super expensive apartment block in Los Angeles that offers accommodation completely powered by solar panels. Each living space also contains nest thermostats, occupancy sensors, an iPad to monitor consumption amongst a whole range of energy efficient finishes. The perfect home for those energy conscious resident of LA. 3) Oasia Downtown Hotel, Singapore Okay, so this building is really pretty cool, basically it is completely covered in greenery including 20 species of plants and flowering vines. Eventually the entire hotel should be covered in greenery. Now whilst that does sound pretty awesome it actually has nothing to do with increased energy efficiency. The hotel has already got that down – the greenery is really just to make you feel a little bit better about your day. 4) Kathleen Grimm School for Leadership and Sustainability, New York With a name like that is it any surprise that this building is the first school in New York to be entirely zero carbon? Probably not – amazingly this school is actually for primary through to High School kids, we kind of assumed it was for some fancy masters students who hope to change the world. But, no it’s just your average school except for the greenhouse, vegetable garden, solar thermal system, energy efficient lighting fixtures and the rest. 5) Biosciences Research Building, Ireland Last but not least – one that is actually situated in England is the Biosciences Research Building, which is a fantastic feat of science. Now you may or may not know this, but to conduct experiments takes an inordinate amount of energy – you really do learn a new thing every day. So this building is impressive for being able to heat and cool itself using some pretty fancy mechanics and feats of engineering. Tweet us your thoughts @FixRadioUK and remember to tune into The Full Fix Breakfast with Trev and Ben for all the latest news, the best banter and top tunes.
A sparkie’s bid to sponsor signs on two roundabouts has been refused by planning chiefs who described them as “clutter”
Barbie needed so much fluorescent pink paint that it caused a worldwide supply shortage for an entire company
A woman who bought a South London house was left horrified after builders discovered the body of a man murdered in the 1960s and buried in her garden 14 months after she moved in
A home-owner said his flat has been ruined by black mould caused by a government "green" insulation schem
A builder from Milford Haven who won big on the lottery celebrated his victory by treating all his workmates to a round of bacon rolls
Blue (Da Ba Dee)
Eiffel 65Fans
Kings Of LeonImagine your life SUPERCHARGED!
7Days have teamed up with Fix Radio to give you the chance to win with a new big prize, launching every Thursday from 4pm!
We've been having a laugh with our friends at Osmo, bringing a bit of colour to the Breaking News of the day.
Fill in our 5 minute survey below for a chance to win £500!