
March 5, 2025
What If Our Buildings Were Like Trees?

Some of us continue to believe that if something comes from nature and does what nature does, then it can’t possibly be bad. The catch, of course, is that “you don’t want to copy nature and harm it at the same time,” warns writer Audrey Gray.
Now, ZGF’s addition to Portland International Airport is not a “building like a tree” in the sense that McDonough and Braungart imagined, even though it is made of lots of trees and has lots of trees inside it (“Forest to Frame: Why Portland’s Airport is a New Milestone for Mass Timber,”). What makes it special, as writer Brian Libby and senior editor Francisco Brown lay out, are the efforts of an extraordinary group of professionals with deep respect for all forms of life—the design team at ZGF, the biophilic design consultants at Terrapin Bright Green, the host of foresters and mill owners who supplied the timber, and many, many others. It takes gargantuan care and dedication on the part of a huge number of people to embody in a building even the smallest piece of nature’s magnificence.

The professionals you will meet in the following pages are engaged in a similar effort at the vanguard of sustainable design, whether they be Latin and Central American architects finding new ways of “How Can Designers Listen to Water?” or the winners of the 2024 METROPOLIS Planet Positive Awards.
As our planet completes another revolution around the sun, it’s a good time to thank them, and all of you, for continuing to push for a better built environment. It is grueling work, and there are so many details to hyperfocus on and get lost in. The only way to keep going is to remember why we strive—we want peaceful and harmonious life on earth. So, if you will indulge me with a last arboreal reference, we can’t afford to miss the forest for the trees.
Read every story from our 2024 Winter Issue:
Projects
Forest to Frame: Why Portland’s Airport is a New Milestone for Mass Timber
Beneath a nine-acre prefab wood roof and dozens of skylights, PDX’s tree-lined terminal designed by ZGF Architects is a marvel of material sourcing and construction.
Viewpoints
How Biophilic Design Is Transforming the Airport Experience
Portland International Airport’s newly redesigned terminal brings nature inside using timber, trees, and natural light to create a stress-free journey for travelers.
Viewpoints
How Upstream Calculated the Carbon Footprint of Portland’s New Mass Timber Terminal
ZGF’s Portland Airport expansion partnered with the University of Washington’s Applied Research Consortium to pioneer a groundbreaking carbon calculator tool.
Viewpoints
Help! We’re Drowning in Bio-Lingo
Deciphering the labels on natural and nature-inspired materials is not easy. But clarity is coming.
Viewpoints
Will the New Version of LEED Be Better?
The world’s most popular green building certification is getting ready for an update. Here’s what you need to know about it.
Viewpoints
How Can Designers Listen to Water?
Funded by architectural nonprofit re:arc institute, Latin and Central American practices are designing with water to create urban spaces for planetary well-being.
Planet Positive Awards 2024
Awards
Announcing the Winners of the 2024 METROPOLIS Planet Positive Awards
METROPOLIS’s Planet Positive Award winners represent excellence in sustainable, healthy, just design at every scale in the built environment.
MORE FROM THE WINTER ISSUE
Viewpoints
7 Proposals for a Circular Built Environment
Discover the forward-thinking solutions developed during the METROPOLIS Circular Future Hackathon, which invited sustainability advocates to reimagine how we design and construct.
Products
10 Flooring Products that Look Good and Work Hard
These new flooring solutions are designed for beauty, performance, and durability.
Products
8 Architectural Lights That Continue to Astonish
From monumental lighting walls to subtle recessed fixtures, these solutions can shape space and transform experiences.
Products
Monograph and Naya Are Transforming Architecture and Design Workflows
Naya and Monograph are designed to help architects and industrial designers streamline project management and boost collaboration
Products
This Swedish Startup Turns Paper Back into Wood
PaperShell is transforming plant-based materials into a durable artificial wood that can be used in furniture, building materials, and other applications.
Profiles
Carlo Ratti Calls for a Circular Architecture Biennale
The curator invites participants to reduce waste and integrate natural systems through a new circularity manifesto.
Projects
Modular Construction Provides a Solution to the Netherlands’ Housing Crisis
Moos’s building system promotes diverse neighborhoods through efficient, environmentally responsible, and socially inclusive construction.
Projects
EMIT’s Headquarters Turns a Kmart into a Landmark
In Wyoming, CLB Architects transforms a former big box into a high-tech hub with a distinctive weathered-steel scrim.
Projects
The təməsew̓txʷ Aquatic and Community Centre Reflects Local Values
Canada’s first Zero Carbon–certified aquatic center cuts back on its carbon emissions while building community engagement.
News and Updates
Viewpoints
Sustainability News Updates for Q4 2024
“Alignment” is the word of the hour in every sector of the building industry, as different stakeholders come together to tackle climate impacts.
Viewpoints
New Research Expands the Possibilities of Biophilic Design
In the latest episode of Deep Green, Bill Browning and Katie Ryan of Terrapin Bright Green explore the science of biophilic design and its transformative impact on the built environment.
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Projects
Taisugar Circular Village is a Model Case Study for Circular Economies
The Taiwanese project by Bio-architecture Formosana claims to be the first residential village in the country to be integrated within a circular economy.
Viewpoints
3 Sustainability News Updates for Q1 2025
Local laws, easy-to-access tools, and global initiatives keep the momentum on green building going.