Real Life Solarpunk Buildings That Will Blow Your Mind!

Explore examples of real life Solarpunk buildings, that combine aesthetics with sustainability and a care for nature.
Website: thesolarpunkscene.wordpress.com
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Greater World Earthship Community, New Mexico
www.atlasobscu...
www.earthshipg...
• Earthships - America's...
sah-archipedia...
The Bill Fisch Forest Stewardship and Education Centre
building.ca/yo...
• Bill Fisch Forest Stew...
living-future....
University of Warsaw Library
warsawtour.pl/...
• 🇵🇱 WARSAW 4K - Explori...
• University of Warsaw L...
Number 2. Pasona Urban Farm
www.dezeen.com...
• Tokyo office grows own...
Number 1. 25 Verde Turin
www.architectu...
• 25Verde apartment jung...

[@aniksamiurrahman6365]

The rural South-East Asian agrarian villages are an example of large-scale solar punk ecosystem, not just isolated buildings. Anyone interested in what a solar punk economy and society might be like, should study these villages. And more importantly, recognize them as solar punk arising organically from the real needs.

[@interestedparty7523]

"Arising organically from real needs." 👍

[@amybowman9906]

It is interesting because I live outside of Taos (where the earthships are). I adore them...but they are rather elitist since they sell around 500K and the build is too intensive for anyone who has to work full time. It is a shame since the concept is fabulous but most of us living out grid in the same vicinity are stuck with modest rvs, sheds, cabins, or smaller yurts.

[@ahn0x]

I live in SG and hearing Solarpunks gush about "the cool stuff" also upsets me in a similar way bc it's like "cool concept/aesthetic", not actually "green" or "sustainable" or "punk" at all

[@amybowman9906]

@@ahn0x I love aesthetic too but we all have to work within our means whatever that is. I mean, monks living in one room mud huts live more sustainable than all of us but it doesn't sound very romantic so we get trapped in all the elitist stuff that few can afford unfortunately. I truly hope that narrative changes. I mean, I love art nouveau stained glass but I will have to hang a small piece in the small window of my tiny 300 SF cabin I can afford, you know?

[@gardenradical]

100%, we have to be careful as a movement not to label things as Solarpunk that don’t meet the mark. Earthships particularly in this iteration are glorified feel good projects with individuals not all that interested in community or systemic upheaval.

[@girlonfire2.076]

I think cob houses etc with sustaible energy such as solor panels. An conservation is doable

[@JanGotner]

Varsovian here. Warsaw University Library is the pride of our city. I studied there for many years. One of the finest examples of Postmodernism in late 90s architecture, a true Agora for students, professors and intellectuals. The library was designed in a shape of a modern Egyptian/Jerusalem temple, starting from the open "courtyard for profans" with cafes and bookshops and leading up to the "saint place" - a silent reading room. Sitting by the Vistula riverbanks, with Museum of Modern Art and Copernicus Science Centre (featuring a similar rooftop garden) just accross the street. Come and visit!

[@TheSolarpunkScene]

I would love to visit in person some day and record it! Definitely make a point of going more into detail on such a gorgeous structure. :) You're so lucky to have it right in your city!

[@ThemermaidPearl]

I also live in Warsaw and the library is quite fascinating. Unfortunately it sometimes doesn't look like the video but it's definitely an attraction you should see

[@miloarty3712]

I love how biophilic designs are some of the most aesthetically pleasing, along with environmentally sustainable.

[@TheSolarpunkScene]

There is something about biophilic design that we're innately in tuned with. I'm currently reading through a number of biophilic design books for my eventual guide on solarpunk architecture and our connection with the natural world is one of the biggest points on it. There's something that calls to us from it.

[@kzisnbkosplay3346]

In New Mexico, traditional houses are built from mud. I'm not convinced that outgassing tires are better. I am all for reuse, but we can't use that as an alternative to reducing as a society. That said, I highly recommend people looking into passive solar buildings. A lot of the tricks can be used in conventional buildings also!

[@TheSolarpunkScene]

In my next video, I'm going to be looking at sustainable communities and ecovillages. Part of this is talking about what other building methods they use! Passive solar is definitely part of it, and you're right in that there's a lot of tricks that can be used. Sustainable architecture is a fascinating field!

[@victoriaconra3221]

I look forward to the exponential development of hemp and mycelium based natural building materials in the US! The Earthship models are designed around the usage of local, natural, recycled, and reused materials. There’s a great deal of labor that goes into the rammed earth design which can be potentially resolved with mycelium bricks. I am incredibly grateful for the momentum the Solarpunk movement is gaining!🌿 Thank you for being a part of it!

[@co-jt6gd]

Ooh, that’s really pretty. This is giving me some new build ideas for my Minecraft survival world.

[@TheSolarpunkScene]

Glad you enjoyed it, it would be cool to see how these would translate into Minecraft. :)

[@PuppetWarmer]

I liked all the buildings! I think my favorite was the apartment type complex at the end. I would love to live in that environment. 💞

[@TheSolarpunkScene]

I'm glad to hear it! 25 Verde is cool for so many different reasons. I love that they use rainwater and geothermal energy for the complex.

[@aniksamiurrahman6365]

@@TheSolarpunkScene How costly is the place?

[@arielkroon]

I like the one in Canada, of course, but I think the library at Warsaw University is my favourite, not least because I would not be solely responsible for keeping those plants alive. I like the idea of communal spaces being greened and made into living buildings, because I think that governments and institutions should be the ones leading the way into solarpunk building standards, and thus shouldering the costs. Maintaining a green building can be very labour-intensive and expensive, and thus I think it should not fall on the shoulders of a few or of a single person. Plus then, a public building can be enjoyed by everyone, no matter their position in society. Ideally, anyway.

[@TheSolarpunkScene]

It's a great point! Government and public buildings should absolutely be leading the way with helping to make green spaces available, especially with so few people having the resources/time/energy to be able to maintain large green buildings.

[@natosi5588]

All are beautiful but the apartments at the end look heavenly. I plan to find the original video later as I also follow Kirsten as well. I'm currently a full-time caregiver for my grandmother and daydream of my own retirement and hope that it can be somewhere nearly as amazing.... could you do a feature on planned communities [that would be suitable for aging in place while remaining active & contributing to a community] in the future?

[@TheSolarpunkScene]

That is a lovely video idea. I will definitely see if I can do something like that in the future. :)

[@solarpunkstation]

If you haven’t seen them, Arcosanti and The Green School in Bali, they seem like good examples of solarpunk-esque design. And of course, there’s always all the cool stuff going on in Singapore.

[@TheSolarpunkScene]

Awesome! Thank you, I'll definitely check them out. I was cautious about talking about Singapore with the politics that are occurring there, I think I would have to dedicate a whole video to talking about that haha.

[@solarpunkstation]

@@TheSolarpunkScene I only know about their urban planning stuff; I’m totally oblivious to the political situation at the moment. Typical US person. lol

[@ahn0x]

@@TheSolarpunkScene Singaporean Solarpunk here. All the fancy buildings we have "look" green, but aren't actually sustainable at all. SG is great at greenwashing, and most of our population is still lulled by the myth of individual responsibility.

[@ahn0x]

​@@solarpunkstation SGean here. Literally all the fancy buildings you see from SG are pure greenwashing, not actually sustainable. I suppose, compared to your USAian crumbling infrastructure, I suppose there are some merits in our urban planning. It's more like we're so small, the gov has to give some pretence to 'caring for society' by investing in infrastructure. That said, it's complex, it's not just the political situation, our few remaining forests are constantly being torn down for "development" and our government is so deeply entrenched by late-stage capitalism that they think "planting more trees" is a solution, not considering the loss of biodiversity/eco-web

[@solarpunkstation]

@@ahn0x Thanks for clarifying. From the outside, it is hard to see any nuance to the situation and we tend to get the PR spun version of the story here in the “west,” I suspect. Anytime there’s coverage of Singapore, Hong Kong, or Japan, it’s always about how Asia is the bright green future compared to our backwards way of doing things. Probably a “grass is always greener on the other side” kinda deal? US coverage of Europe tends to be similar with big discrepancies from what people who actually live there will say about greenwashing versus actual climate action or social safety nets.

[@fabiansaerve]

Great video! I actually kinda liked the concept of the last one but i think the rusty steal foundations could make it look depressed after a while or in winter

[@Emily-ox6yn]

Fantastic video! I found the Warsaw University and the last apartment block breathtaking.

[@TheSolarpunkScene]

Thank you! I'm so glad, they're absolutely gorgeous buildings.

[@PuppetWarmer]

OMG 💞💞💞! The future, through your eyes, is beautiful. I would love that future too.

[@TheSolarpunkScene]

Thank you!

[@vincentbrown792]

I want to like this video, but I have to watch it on mute. The mic feedback and quality needs improvement. Otherwise, the information and video quality are well done.

[@TheSolarpunkScene]

Thanks for the feedback, I've gotten a pop filter for my mic since this video, and am working on improving my audio.

[@jurukiki]

aesthetically it's nice, but does the library have some sort of drainage/run off system? looks like it needs to use an incredible amount of water to upkeep that garden. you also need to worry about birds flying into large glass windows if it doesn't use bird-safe glass

[@TheSolarpunkScene]

Here is a page talking a bit more about the exact specifications of the water system: zinco-greenroof.com/references/university-library-warsaw The library tries to use mainly natural rainfall amounts but has a drip irrigation system installed for during times of drought.

[@markd.9042]

Earthship is good, sustainable but not everyone can or will have access to it immediately. For those who want to build a house quickly, sustainably, and to build it to be high-quality, I recommend straw-houses with straw-cob inside with recycled aluminum or hempen panels on the outside to protect the inner cob, which does not do well when wet. This is arguably more sustainable than earthship.

[@Pressplay_Media_EU]

Solarpunk? This is more like Solargangsta of awesomeness. These houses do kinda look like downed spaceships from startrek and whatnot.

[@TheSolarpunkScene]

Haha, thats a fun term for it! They kinda do!

[@seanandernacht800]

Great collection of buildings, I'd love to see a part 2!

[@TheSolarpunkScene]

That will definitely be coming out at some point!

[@Ilyak1986]

@@TheSolarpunkScene still in the works ?=)

[@TheSolarpunkScene]

@@Ilyak1986 Yes! The Solarpunk Conference I'm organizing is happening next week, and I have a number of different videos in the works.

[@cinmay05]

Amazing video! 😃 Very inspiring. Good work. ☀ ( The audio quality is a bit low. Lots of popping. Perhaps a pop filter will help? 🤔)

[@TheSolarpunkScene]

I've gotten a pop filter now! Check out my latest video on sustainable communities and let me know if it sounds better. Thank you very much for the support!

[@cinmay05]

​@@TheSolarpunkScene Yes! Amazing video. Very inspiring. It sounds better now. 🙂

[@adrianaddams2191]

Very cool video. I wish I could hear all of it

[@TheSolarpunkScene]

My newer videos have improved audio and I'll be doing more solarpunk architecture in the future!

[@TattooTourism]

Great video! The audio equipment could use a tuneup

[@ahorseofcourse7283]

These are nice, but some of the examples are just the wealthy greenwashing their image to hide their excessive consumption. That's my problem with a lot of Solarpunk. Yes, the flowing lines and flourishing plantlife are beautiful, but can it be implemented on a wider scale accessible to the public at large? And what does the Japanese business actually do, because while a single office building full of plants is nice, it would be less nice if it turned out their business was one of those adding to the destruction of the environment and to the oppression of the working class. This may be outside of the purview of the video, but Solarpunk aesthetics co-opted by the wealthy and the business that sustain them at the cost of global climactic catastrophe isn't Solarpunk, it's Cyberpunk, which is bad.

[@TheSolarpunkScene]

I'd love to know which ones you think are wealthy greenwashing! 1 - The Earthship Community has been fighting building codes to try and argue on sustainability first and foremost, and is self sustaining. 2 - The Bill Fisch Centre is built with one of the most rigorous building certifications out there and the purpose of the centre is a forest stewardship and education centre. They also use net energy or produce more energy than they use, and worked with local scientists to make sure the property was biodiverse and natively planted. 3. The University of Warsaw Library is a historic building and a place of activism that is a place for the public, adds to local biodiversity and runs off of sustainable energy. 4. Pasona Urban Farm, which seems to be the one you have issue with, is an employment firm. Things do not have to be perfect, they can be improved upon. If you have issue with the fact that it's in an office tower for a corporation, take solace at least in that it's showing that this can easily be done with older office towers. This means that it can be done by communities. 5. 25 Verde is an apartment building. While it would be better if it was guaranteed affordable housing, the structure can work as a model for other buildings. It runs off of geothermal energy, works with the rain water that falls in the area. These buildings do show that yes, they can be accessible. They're available to the public, and they show that buildings can be retrofitted or constructed with more sustainable materials. Thank you for sharing your perspective, however these buildings were selected for more than their aesthetics.

[@amybowman9906]

@@TheSolarpunkScene the earthship community won that fight decades ago. They are basically old hippies with tons of money now. I think these dialogues are important. For the sake of class equity we have to find ways to make these buildings work for poor people or look at much smaller, perhaps less glamorous ideas if that makes sense.

[@NouriaDiallo]

You may be interested in the architectural work of austrian painter Hundertwasser: he was a pioneer in integrating trees in buildings, using old bottles, lowering the environmental impact and making the building very pleasant to its inhabitants. His paintings are very lively and colorful, too.

[@TheSolarpunkScene]

I am definitely going to have to check him out, thank you for the recommendation!

[@wildlifecorridors3207]

my favorite is the uni of warsaw, i will see it in my dreams!

[@r.b.l.5841]

Consider: Raw food movement - the idea that the less you change the original food source prior to consumption, the better it is for you and the environment. Now imagine applying this to solar-punk living - the idea that the less you change the original building material and landscape prior to living in it, the better it is for you and the environment. Soft-Solar-Punk? If all you own is a hammer, everything appears to be a nail. If all you know is building Cities from over-processed resources then Mass Architecture is the result, but doesn't need to be. I would say consider a tree house over building massive multi story structures, consider natural local materials in smaller spaces surrounded with nature and veggie gardens over concrete and process minerals provided by industrial processes and you start to see a very different application of living with the environment instead of conquring and manipulating it.

[@Abraxis-Gnosis]

Mic bruh

[@TheSolarpunkScene]

Bruh

[@DeathToMockingBirds]

Great content and cadence, but I'm sorry, could you look into getting a better mic, or doing some audio processing with Audacity?

[@TheSolarpunkScene]

I was using audacity with this video! My newer videos have higher quality audio and I'll be doing another architecture video in the future.

[@BeautifulEarthJa]

How expensive is option 2? I love option 1, I want an Earthship so bad.

[@donovandelaney3171]

But that waste has to be recycled too and what about the water? Water has memory.

[@violetking343]

this makes me hopeful for the future

[@TheSolarpunkScene]

Me too! I'm glad to hear it. :)

[@Tamales21]

I'm sorry but while these are all beautiful they are way to complicated. The poor people of the world dont have access to this. Please do a video show casing Compressed Earth Blocks. CEB houses are the real, widely available, cheap and probably greenest way to build.

[@TheSolarpunkScene]

Well check out the video that I just posted on other sustainable building methods that are being done by different communities. :)

[@erinrising2799]

the earthship houses made me think of desert Hobbit holes

[@TheSolarpunkScene]

Same! They are so cool looking!

[@pongop]

Amazing video!!!

[@osmmanipadmehum]

better sound pls

[@shumpeihayashi6756]

Good video!

[@TheSolarpunkScene]

Thank you!

[@Euphoryaaa]

This vid doesn’t have nearly enough views as it should

[@TheSolarpunkScene]

Thank you! That is much appreciated.

[@adrianaddams2191]

Recording new audio would help. All the pops and inconsistent volume made it hard to watch despite how fascinating it is

[@silrana7166]

Fantastic video, really interesting content 🎉 👏🏽💖 - however the voice over is poor quality, off putting and hard to listen to/enjoy. Hope you get a mic soon!

[@serrano18r]

If it is expensive, it it is not sustentable nor reliable.

[@honieethesolarpunk4895]

hey i love you videos i wish i could edit like you your soo good

[@TheSolarpunkScene]

Thank you! That's very kind. It's honestly just practice, keep at it and I'm sure you'll be able to edit like me just fine! I'm self taught.

[@honieethesolarpunk4895]

@@TheSolarpunkScene i just gave you a shout out in my new video i love your editing ssoo much keep praying to the edit gods for me

[@TheSolarpunkScene]

@@honieethesolarpunk4895 Thank you, I'll check it out! I've subscribed to your channel. What program do you use for editing? I use Da Vinci Resolve for video and Audacity for audio.

[@honieethesolarpunk4895]

@@TheSolarpunkScene lol program ? uhhh i didnt know i needed one of those i tried a few app that where no good and even tried to get my friend to edit im just not a tech savy person lol and i totally subbed to you too so detailed your content

[@Ilyak1986]

The Warsaw library and 25 Verde are def. my favorites--they're the quintessential epitome of solarpunk types of buildings that come to mind. One other type of building that is extremely solarpunk? Israeli greenhouses. Along with Israeli kibbutzim. Just some...*food*...for thought, if you ever decide to revisit this topic ^_^

[@andrewchoi5808]

Build new alternate good strong smart ageless beautiful sustainable solarpunk immortal utopian resilient peaceful safer future Make humans animals and entire earth young new and immortal

[@Tamales21]

Do you have a patreon?

[@TheSolarpunkScene]

I do! Thank you for your patience on my response. www.patreon.com/user?u=48919268

[@lampenfieber]

I beg of you....please get a better mic. Thank you.

[@TheSolarpunkScene]

This video was posted two years ago my guy

[@lampenfieber]

@@TheSolarpunkScene .... I did not see that.

[@TheSolarpunkScene]

@@lampenfieber All good! I do have a better mic now and I've gotten more practiced at audio editing. New videos will be coming out soon (with better audio haha).

[@RealBradMiller]

​@@lampenfieberhey, some people don't know how bad the audio or video is, it could look and sound fine to them, so it is nice to point it out. We can always find opportunities to improve! Cheers!!

[@michaelgloss6411]

Imo putting vines and greenery on a normal building is not solarpunk. It’s just a sad wannabe

[@TheSolarpunkScene]

None of the buildings are just putting vines and greenery on a normal building but thanks for the comment!