Architects reinvent the roof-top garden

 As the world urbanizes, green space is increasingly in short supply. But now a Vietnamese architect has found a bold new solution: buildings that double as massive planters.

In Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City only 0.25 percent of the city is allocated to green space, which has inspired Vo Trong Nghia Architects to design parkland right on top of their residential buildings.

And these buildings, known as the House for Trees, don’t have your typical roof top gardens. Rather than slapping a garden atop a building, the garden becomes the primary element, with the soil insulating the building and retaining water to diminish the risk of floods, according to Curbed.

The entire five building complex was built for just $156,000, a feat achieved by using locally sourced brick, bamboo formwork, and concrete. [Curbed] – Christopher Cameron