Inside out: Nature is brought into building

Taiwan – The Ruin Academy architectural research centre is set to rethink the industrial city by altering the preconceived function of the five-storey former apartment building that houses it. The Academy is a base for workshops and courses covering architecture, design and sustainable global technology. Professors and students sleep and work in ad hoc dormitories made of mahogany.

The building was designed with an organic aesthetic; its interior walls and windows have been removed so that plants can be grown inside. From roof to basement, the building’s walls have been perforated with six-inch holes. These allow rain in to water the interior plantations of trees, bamboo and vegetables in front of the holes where the windows used to be and the olive trees that grow in the opened-up basement.

This is a great example of how cities are being transformed to allow a more rural way of living, as explored in our Rurban Revolution report. Brands should acknowledge this attitude, which is moving beyond consumption. To learn more, read our trend report on Conviviality Culture.