Gigantic Green Cube Building with a Rooftop Park  

Green Building of the week from Inhabitat is this design from Taiwan - BIG Unveils Gigantic Cube Building with a Rooftop Park.

We've admired some oddly-shaped buildings in our day, but there is something about this simple cube building by BIG Architects that is refreshing and elegant. Called TED, the 57m x 57m x 57m building resembles a gigantic sugar cube, and is meant to serve as a mixed use area for Taiwan. But there's more to the seemingly straightforward structure than meets the eye - a series of strategic hollows that have been tunneled out of the block add interest to the space and a green park that spans the entire rooftop will surely be a new favorite hangout spot for locals.

The main cutout in TED’s facade acts almost as a street, allowing visitors to walk right through the building. To make the smartest use of the space, the large tunnel coils upwards in an ascending spiral that leads from the ground floor all the way up to the verdant roof garden. The rooftop park will serve as a performance area, and restaurants on the penthouse level will open up onto the space, making it an ideal place to meet.

The building will house hotels, shops, showrooms, galleries, offices, and restaurants, welcoming in a mixed group of visitors. Composed of concrete lamellas that provide solar shading, the structure only appears to be a solid block from afar – the spaces between the ribs actually allow for ventilation and increased airflow.