The design infuses nature by adding jasmine, palm trees and vibrant flowering vines called bougainvilleas throughout the complex. (Courtesy: Maison Edouard François) City-living can be exciting and convenient. But all that concrete and steel can make you forget the vibrant colors the outdoors has to offer. Welcome to the Gardens of Anfa, a vertical garden residential complex that's set to be "the landscaped heartbeat" in Casablanca, Morocco. (MORE:Forts of Fanaticism: Built for People Who Love to Garden) The designs are...

View from the southwest side of the towers. (Image: W Workspace) Ideo Morph 38 is a high-rise residential development in southern Thailand that's using gardens and greenery as a second skin. Thailand-based Somdoon Architects, the firm behind the project, says the development "takes on a symbiotic relationship with the environment." (PHOTOS: The Future of the Design) A series of green installments brings unexpected nature to this city-bound complex. A bark-like structure wraps from the west side of the larger Ashton...

'Flower Garden Display'd' (Image: Jayne Lloyd/Garden World Images) Rebecca Louise Law is a British artist who isturning the world of floral art upside down. Law, 33, has been working with flowers for more than 15 years. Most famous for her large-scale hanging flower installations, her latest work is "Flower Garden Display'd," featured at London's Garden Museum. Flower Garden Display'd features more than 4,600 hanging blooms, adding vibrant color to the room. (PHOTOS: If Plants Could Pay Rent, They'd Live HERE)...

A Fortress for Gardeners (Image: VisionDivision) Common interests bond us together, and the architects at Sweden-based VisionDivision are taking those ties one step further in Forts of Fanaticism. Forts of Fanaticism was originally designed for the 2013 Europan 12 architecture competition. This year's theme was adaptable cities. VisionDivision describes its conceptas five "dedicated settlements" built in the Kalmar region "where common interests in a specific subject has been the main drive." The architects say they're motivated by the idea that...

Singapore is sometimes called 'The Garden City,' and UNStudio's Ardmore Residence was designed to respond to the area's natural landscape. (Copyright: Iwan Baan/Courtesy: UNStudio) Singapore has built a reputation as one of the greenest cities in the world. In fact, a 2011 study by Siemens and The Economist Intelligence Unit noted "Singapore City stands out in particular for its ambitious environmental targets and its efficient approach to achieving them." (PHOTOS: 8 Futuristic Homes) UNStudio's new Ardmore Residence was designed to...

The Organic Modern Estate by Ken Kellogg is nestled on a hill in Joshua Tree, Calif. (Photos: Lance Gerber/Nuvue Interactive) Get a glimpse of Mother Nature's perfection from this incredible home in California's Mojave Desert. This is the Organic Modern Estate home built among boulders in Joshua Tree, Calif., a community of about 9,000 people. The town borders the western edge of the Joshua Tree National Forest, which is famous for the old trees of the same name. (MORE: The...

Ideo Morph 38: Thailand View from the southwest side of Ideo Morph 38 towers. (W Workspace) Gardens are no longer meant to be just a plot in your backyard. Green walls, also known as "living walls," are the latest trend in sustainable housing designs. Plant walls do more than add a splash of color. They can lower your heating and cooling bills, absorb and recycle rainwater and even pump oxygen into the air.These next few pages highlight some of the...

Mother Nature has a heart, and she shows it everywhere – in the sky, in animals, on trees and even in space. Here are a few of our favorite hearts in nature. MORE ON WEATHER.COM: Kissing Animals ...

Dee Williams has spent the last decade sleeping under the stars. When she built her new house 10 years ago, she included a skylight. She thought it would make the whole place seem bigger. That's because her house is 84-square-feet. Dee Williams inside her 84-square-foot home in Portland. (Betty Udesen) It's hard not to be inspired by Williams. She decided to build the micro home after a trip to Guatemala, and a medical diagnosis, forced her to take a look...

Weave your way to the top covered-floor of a parking garage in Midtown Atlanta, shielded from heavy rain and direct sunlight,and you won't find cars filling the spaces between the yellow lines. Instead, you'll find three micro homes and a handful of outdoor patios, all part of a micro-housing experiment theSavannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) calls SCADPads. As city populations boom — the World Health Organization says 6 out of 10 people will live in a city by...

The Aviator's Villa by Urban Office Architecture was built for a retired pilot. (Image: Urban Office Architecture) A home built for a retired pilot in Duchess County, New York, was designed to feel free and open, almost floating through the air. The Aviator's Villa has a pool to the south and a lake to the north, creating the illusion of being surrounded by water. "Similarly to how a plane would steer and point through currents ... the house turns and...

The Fertile Market, by XTU Architects, combines the ideas of gardening and a market as an answer to what some experts say will be an ongoing world food crisis. (XTU Architects) As the world's population balloons to a possible 8 billion people by 2025, scientists and researchers warn that food supply and prices will be volatile. The Fertile Market by Paris-based XTU Architects reinvents the idea of a grocery store by combining gardening and the market into the same space....

Skit is a micro house concept by architect Dachi Papuashvili. (Image: Dachi Papuashvili/Behance) Living smaller is a big trend in housing. Micro homes are generally designed to take you off the grid, diminishing your dependence on oil and coal. The cross-shaped Skit 2014 home follows suit. "Skit is an energetically independent building," architect Dachi Papuashvili explains. The home is designed to run on solar power. It'll also harvest rainwater. (PHOTOS: Unlock Big Lessons In This Tiny Home) Papuashvili designed the...