Brogan’s home overlooking Lake Michigan is clad in tongue-and-groove new-growth cypress. Vertical basswood slats follow the stairs to the second floor and into the master bedroom, extending outside to serve as the railing for a small balcony.

Mumbai (URBZ and Ensamble Studio/MIT-POPlab) Radical incrementalism sounds like a conservative approach to remaking Mumbai, until you realize how many of the city's 12 million residents are living in improvished conditions. The Mumbai team's proposal to tackle the problem of uneven growth would be to liberate land rights and encourage and allow more of the same experimentation with forms that already drive growth. The team joined in the experiment, building a home from available material while reseaching the methods used by locals to construct new structures. "We believe it is time for radical, incremental strategies that bring together local and global experience," says Matias Echanove. "Homegrown neighborhoods are the perfect laboratory for collaborative creation and experimentation in new technologies." As he made it clear, they aren't slums, they're "homegrown neighborhoods." The real question for development isn't about designing around them, it's about encourgaing and incentivizing in a way to take advantage of these development's energy and creativity.

Lagos (NLE & Zoohaus) When Spanish architects from Madrid's Zoohaus started researching conditions in Lagos, they found that maps weren't helpful; the city was growing so quickly, the guides were almost outdated as soon as they were printed. To address the unique challenges of this African metropolis, where electricity is available for a few hours a day, waterways are under-utilized and zoning and regulations are non-existent, the team developed a system that was built for Lagos, according to Juanito Jones. "How do we address the informal markets with intelligent strategy?" says team member Lys Villalba. "Let's propose new ways to use local materials . . . the locals are the experts with the real design vision." The result was a sprawling map of the city dotted with small stations and sheds to encourage a new informal economy, a layer of speculative infrastructure set to sync with instead of fight the sprawl. Bamboo bike repairs centers, upcycling centers, and canal stations all would give a leg up to entreprenuers.

One of the home's most luxurious elements, old-growth pine and red oak flooring, was salvaged from local tear-downs.

The kitchen window frames views of old-growth olive trees and massive boulders.

Rio de Janeiro (RUA Arquitetos and MAS Urban Design) Despite the rise of the middle class in Brazil's burgeoning economies, Rio still suffers from a challenging topography of wealth and class, with favelas juxtaposed near high-rises and a growing population looking for more. RUA Arquitetos and MAS Urban Design's proposal for intervention doesn't ignore this instinct for improvement. The groups dreamed up Veranda Products, a line of do-it-yourself construction kits aiming to make sustainable design more compelling. They even half jokingly suggested a telenovela that would showcase the products at work. While the items they designed, such as a hanging garden or add-in balcony, seem like small additions, at a larger scale, the team feels like they could reshape the environment. "Instead of imposing, lets create products that are convincing," says Leonard Striech from MAS Urban Design. "Consider consumer behaviors and think about products that would make life better." The sketch above shows these easy-to-assemble kits at work, such as the Papaya Umbrella, a playful rainwater collection system (seen at bottom left). Favelas suffer from infrastructure problems, according to Pedro Evora of RUA Arquitetos. These Veranda Products are meant to promote better possiblities for urban life. "Any person can download and build these products by themselves," says Evora. "The idea is to promote a space for ideas. Almost a third of the city was built informally, built by the people. This is part of the culture."

The house sits on 1.25 acres of land and has a deck that connects the interiors with the outdoors throughout the property. Little points out, “Some of the old-growth redwood he used has up to 25 growth rings in a single inch!”

The simple architecture poses minimal disturbance to the natural growth of the forest.

Located in the Hampton Bays, the Peconic House is sandwiched between an old-growth forest and the waterfront.

A walnut-and-steel staircase leads to the upper level. Massive, upcycled, old-growth Douglas fir beams line the ceiling.

The owners encourage native plant growth by consulting with Sigmetum, a team of botanical architects based in Lisbon.

Map of Boston's landmass, growth over time. Created for an information design class at Northeastern University by architecture student Nicole Fichera.

The architects situated the cabin between two old-growth oak trees so as not to disrupt the natural features of the site.

Drake Woodworking fabricated the dining table from old-growth maple wood, and it can comfortably seat 10 people.

Now more than ever, having a sustainable home that conserves resources and energy usage is paramount. Sustainable design and architecture has seen tremendous growth over the last decade—as has the number of professionals who specialize in designing and building green homes. While major sustainable features pertain to the initial design, planning, and building stages, there are still plenty of changes to make in your home for a greener lifestyle. Have you covered all your bases?

On a lot studded with old-growth oaks and redwoods and crossed by a creek, Ian and Krista Johnson asked Field Architecture to design a house that would defer to its natural surroundings.

Up on the ninth floor, their sober Neo sofa and chaise from DWR and classic Florence Knoll credenza are contrasted by more exotic accessories like Patrick Townsend’s Orbit chandelier and an offbeat white vase from Creative Growth, an Oakland, California, workshop for disabled artists.

The entrance to the home follows a compressed stair sequence that travels under the bridge. On one side, the path is bounded by the close growth of the oak grove, and the other opens to a sunny courtyard.

The couple tapped landscape designer Carlos Somoza to capture the wildness of the site throughout the landscape plan. This grove of old-growth trees was saved, with new Ipe hardscaping wrapping around them.

"The library space is positioned on the intimate courtyard nestled into the base of the butte," note the architects. "Here, an expressive, sheltering roof tilts up to capture natural light and rising views of the old-growth pine forest."

Liebermann and his wife Eva did the brickwork in the house—the most impressive section being the two arches that hover over the living areas and are surrounded by the home’s old-growth redwood structure.

Mobile sustainability: The sliding doors were made in Syracuse by CabFab with a formaldehyde-free plant-and-soy-based composite board manufactured by e2e of Ithaca, New York. The mobile partitions were fashioned from TimberStrand, an engineered lumber made from younger trees rather than old-growth timber. cabfab.com e2ematerials.com ilevel.com An unconventional exterior: The solar screen is made from medium-density overlay plywood, a widely available and relatively affordable material whose traditional use for highway signs testifies to its durability.

An extremely rare stump Ironwood specimen with a gnarled growth habit serves as the centerpiece of the interior courtyard. "It’s used to create a metaphor that this new house was built within a native grove of Ironwoods," says Matt Thomas. The courtyard also helps passively cool the house.

"This is the Beauvoir House, located in Las Flores Canyon in Malibu," says Bruce Bolander. "The color was influenced by the color of the new growth on the chaparral that surrounds the house. The house and kitchen are both very small; the house is about 1600 square feet."

The couple’s children had requested a treehouse, but the lack of old growth trees on the property prompted Wendi and Lukas to include a loft above the renovated garage. The hatch skylights allow the boys to have a lookout over the backyard, and the chalkboard wall is great for doodling.

New energy efficient windows and doors added. LED recessed lighting throughout with motion activated closest lighting. Returning the floors to the natural beauty of the old growth maple!

The interior of the Airstream was reimagined using reclaimed materials. The flooring is made of old-growth Douglas fir, and the ceiling features yellow cedar sawmill offcuts. Ryan crafted the built-in sofa using more cedar sawmill offcuts, while Catherine sewed the drapery and the upholstery, using fabric she collected from various thrift shops and IKEA.

In 2009 she designed this Siirtolapuutarha pattern, which has been put to many applications. The textile is meant to tell the story of the growth of flower and vegetable beds in Finland's urban areas.

Old-growth cedar surrounds the home with the neighborhood pushing up against Vancouver's famous North Shore Mountians.

Steel pipe columns and wood beams were recycled from a 1960s church carport; the old-growth fir sliding screens, fence, and gate originate from a heavy timber warehouse in Pioneer Square; the aluminum-and-glass garage door is reclaimed from a downtown condo conversion; and the studio’s shelving and track lighting is courtesy of workstations from another downtown building.

The El Toro model is 28 feet long, 8.5 feet wide, and 13.5 feet tall. The dining table is a slab of old-growth redwood that can be lowered to create a full bed. O’Donnell combined that with reclaimed cedar on the interior paneling, as well as twice-recycled bamboo floors and reworked redwood wine barrels on the ceiling. The walls are coated in Skimstone, which qualifies for LEED builds.

VillaLóla: A Modern Growth in Iceland

After almost 30 years, legendary actress Glenn Close is bidding adieu to New York’s Bedford Hills with the sale of Beanfield, her dreamy farmhouse home located just an hour from the heart of Manhattan. Set on a 10.8-acre property surrounded by country estates, Beanfield enjoys secluded privacy and a beautiful setting of old-growth trees, stone walls, open meadows, and stellar plantings.

The stairway is a now showcase for the home’s old-growth redwood paneling.

Old-growth trees frame the deck.

The old-growth redwood siding in the bedrooms has been restored to bring it back to life.