Penda, in collaboration with Canadian company Tmber, have proposed what they are calling the Toronto Tree Tower, an 18-story residential block that would stand 62 meters tall, with a modular structure made from cross-laminated timber (CLT), reported The Dezeen. Wood would also clad the building's staggered walls, and trees would grow from the homes' balconies. "The warm, natural appearance of wood and the plants growing on its façade bring the building to life and that could be a model for environmentally-friendly developments and sustainable extensions of our urban landscape," said Penda partner Chris Precht. The Toronto tower would encompass 4,500 square meters of residential area and 550 square meters of public space, which would include a café, a children's daycare center, and community workshops. Penda is renowned for incorporating plants into its architecture. A modular hotel built from bamboo, a tower in India with hanging-garden façades, and a vast network of plant-filled building blocks for Beijing's horticultural expo are among recent proposals. Furthermore, its use of CLT may be a sign of things to come, as architects predict that CLT and other engineered timbers will overtake concrete and glass as this century's architectural "wonder material.” Penda favors this method of construction as it is faster, quieter, uses less waste and is more environmentally friendly. "Our cities are assemblies of steel, concrete, and glass," said Precht. "If you walk through the city and suddenly see a tower made of wood and plants, it will create an interesting contrast." What is a ‘community workshop’? A community workshop is an occasion where people from within a community gather together and engage in some form of interaction which allows them to share their knowledge, experiences and ideas. These workshops can take various forms and perform different functions, including: Information exchange, including both giving information to and collecting information from workshop participants; Consultation with participants about their views and opinions; Teaching / Learning new skills and abilities; Building relationships between participants

Timber constructions are rapidly carving their rightful place in urban environments all over the world, and now, beautiful Sydney is home to the Australia’s largest commercial all-timber building. The International House by Tzannes Architects is a beautiful seven-story building with 7920 square meters total area constructed entirely with engineered or cross laminated timber. Located near the historic heart of the city, the International House is a beautiful all-wood design. With the exception of the single ground retail level, which is made out of conventional concrete, the striking building was constructed with engineered or cross laminated timber, including the floors, columns, walls, roof, elevator shafts, etc. The building is the first timber commercial building of its size in Australia. The project used a massive 3,500 cubic meters of sustainably grown and recycled timber. The architects chose to go with timber for its many sustainable features, but were also determined to create a design whose all-wood aesthetic would serve as an iconic landmark for the city. According to the architects, International House Sydney demonstrates that the commercial real estate market will accept mass timber construction as a viable and exciting alternative to conventional concrete construction, increasing opportunity for architecture to contribute more effectively to a lower carbon and more sustainable future for urban development around the world. Earlier in 2012 Architect Michael Green, one of three principals at McFarlane Green Biggar Architecture + Design (mgb), has plans for a 30-story wooden skyscraper in Vancouver. He predicted that instead of concrete jungles our cities can become urban forests of wooden skyscrapers. He was right. Last month in Australia, Brisbane held groundbreaking ceremony of world’s tallest wooden office building. When complete in 2018, 45 meters of the 52-meter office tower will qualify as the world’s highest to be held aloft not by steel and concrete, but timber and glue.

According to ctbuh.org, the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat announced the winners of its annual "Best Tall Building" awards for 2015. This year's winners will be recognized, and the awards conferred, at the CTBUH Annual Awards Ceremony on November 12. All the winning projects and finalists will be celebrated at this gala event. Additionally, from the four regional best tall building winners, one overall winner will be selected and bestowed with the "Best Tall Building Worldwide" award, to be announced on the night. This year's selection was the most competitive yet, with winners selected from a pool of 123 entries, which is up nearly 40% from 2014. Besides this year's winners and finalists are remarkable in that they show a strong commitment to sustainability, with some exemplifying dramatic progress in the use of greenery both to enhance the comfort of the building's users and reduce the environmental impact of the building. Others show dramatic sculptural form and urban presence. The Best Tall Buildings have been named from each of four competing regions in the world, from nominees representing a total of 33 countries. This year are awarded to: "One World Trade Center", New York (Americas); " CapitaGreen " tower, Singapore (Asia & Australasia); Bosco Verticale, Milan (Europe); and The Burj Mohammed Bin Rashid Tower, Abu Dhabi (Middle East & Africa). "One World Trade Center" is a bold new icon for New York City built on the World Trade Center site, whose design acknowledges the adjacent memorial, and whose symbolic importance to the city and the country cannot be overstated. Its form calls to mind several classical New York skyscrapers for which the city is best recognized. The building had high design expectations which the jury felt were met and exceeded. United States and Western Hemisphere tallest skyscraper "One World Trade Center" is 546.2 meters tall, it has 94 over ground and 5 underground floors, 73 lifts and the total area of skyscraper is 325 thousand square meters 40 stories, 242 meters tall skyscraper "CapitaGreen" hasn't any records. It isn't the tallest; more it is only on the 175th place in skyscraper ranking. But Toyo Ito's skyscraper is the green island situated in the heart of Singapore. The building is designed like a plant growing towards the sky. Green living vegetation covers 55 percent of the perimeter of its facade, giving the landmark its iconic appearance. Its innovative double-skin facade features an outer layer of frameless glass and an inner envelope of double-glazed floor-to-ceiling glass that reduces solar heat gain by up to 26 percent. At the top of the tower, a petal-like structure serves as a wind scoop to draw in the cooler, cleaner air from above and channel it though a cool void that penetrates all 34 stories of the building delivering fresh air to tenants. World's first vertical forest "Bosco Verticale" comprises a fantastical pair of luxury high-rises that add nearly 10.2 thousand square meters of lush vegetation to the skyline of Milan, a city notorious for its air pollution. However, "Bosco Verticale", which translates in English as "vertical forest," is more than just a beautiful sight to behold--like a pair of green lungs, its forested facade of 21 thousand plants absorbs CO2 and particulate, dampens noise pollution, lessen the urban heat island effect, and creates oxygen and favorable microclimates. The towers, measuring 80 meters and 110 meters, house 800 trees between 3 and 9 meters tall, over 4 thousand shrubs, and 15 thousand ground cover plants including vines and perennials Middle East & Africa region winner 93-storey, 381 meters high The Burj Mohammed Bin Rashid Tower was designed by Foster+Partners architectural company, and main contractor and developer was Aldar Properties. The Burj Mohammed Bin Rashid Tower is located in the heart of Abu Dhabi at the site of the old Central Market, a traditional crossroads and meeting point in the city. A souk extends the marketplace into the building, facilitating a gentle transition between public and private spaces.

Hollywood actor Leonardo DiCaprio plans to build an eco-resort on the Caribbean Sea Island, reported the New-York Times. "Blackadore Caye Island" owned by DiCaprio located off the coast of Belize in Central America. It is a 15-minute boat ride from the nearest big town. The total area of the island is about 42 hectares. A well-known environmental activist and actor bought this island with partner Jeff Gram in 2005 for US$ 1.75 million. According to New-York Times Gram is the owner of "Cayo Espanto Island Resort", a luxury vacation spot on another private island in Belize, where prices in April for two guests ranged from about US$ 1,6 to US$ 2,2 a night. Now Mr. DiCaprio has joined with Paul Scialla, the chief executive of Delos, a New York City-based developer, to create an eco-conscious resort there. When it opens to guests in 2018, "Blackadore Caye, a Restorative Island" will feature the trappings of many luxury resorts, with sprawling villas, infinity pools and stunning sunset views. But the "Restorative" in the title refers not just to the impact the island might have on visitors, but to the island itself. Blackadore Caye has suffered from overfishing, an eroding coastline and the deforestation of its mangrove trees, and the partners mean to put it back to rights. This island also was a popular spot for fishermen, who would stop on their way to markets in Mexico and cut mangrove, using the wood for fires to smoke their catch and the conch that they took from the reef, littering the island with thousands of empty shells. The villas for guests on "Blackadore Caye" will be built atop a massive platform that stretches in an arc over the water, with artificial reefs and fish shelters underneath. A nursery on the island will grow indigenous marine grass to support a manatee conservation area, and mangrove trees will be replanted, replacing invasive species. A team of designers, scientists, engineers and landscape architects, some of whom have spent more than 18 months studying "Blackadore Caye", will monitor the resort's impact on its surroundings. Almost 45 percent of the island will be designated a conservation area. The resort will be built using as many native materials as possible, and the developers hope to rely on local laborers, who will be trained in green-building techniques. The 68 guest villas will have access to nearly a mile of secluded beach, grassland and jungle. Prices for a stay at the villas have not been announced. For those vacationers who prefer their own houses, 48 will be built on the island, with price tags ranging from US$ 5 million to US$ 15 million. Some of the houses will boast both a sunrise and a sunset beach, and homeowners will pay a monthly fee for housekeeping, meals and other services. Each building will have several functions, with the platform, for example, not only sheltering guests on top and coral and fish underneath, but also harnessing the breeze that comes off the water to keep the villas cool.