On the lower roof, cedar decking and flower beds define one of several outdoor gardening spaces. Part of her ongoing research into the livability of cities, Fitzgerald aimed to create landscaped areas that were “aesthetic, aromatic, educational, and productive.” The deck is bordered by an expanded aluminum mesh railing and black metal corrugated panels.

Villa Bio is situated a little over an hour outside of Barcelona in Llers, a green, hilly, sun-bathed sprawl near Figueres (hometown of everyone’s favorite mustachioed surrealist, Salvador Dali). The hydroponic rooftop garden grows out of volcanic stones. The home is conceived as a giant C-shaped spiral.

To most eyes, Ezequiel Farca’s 1970s-style concrete home in Mexico City looked like a teardown. Even the lot itself—shallow and crammed against a steep hillside—wasn’t particularly alluring. But Farca saw through all the restraints to create a spa-like refuge in one of the world’s most energetic cities. "It’s is such a hectic place. You’re bombarded by so much information the moment you step into the streets," says Farca, who first gained prominence as a furniture and interior designer. "So we envisioned this house as a retreat, a kind of a temple." The rooftop courtyard is lined with a verdant mix of indigenous plants, including banana trees, palm trees, lion’s claw, Mexican breadfruit, and native vines. The chaise longues were designed for Farca’s EF Collection.

These no-fuss landscaping ideas yield gardens that practically take care of themselves.

The top of the residence is wrapped in simple wire mesh to encourage plant propagation.

The rooftop garden planters were developed using computer software that eliminated the need for screws or glue. They hold an array of local plants and also funnel rainwater into a collection tank below.

This revamped Montreal flat includes a rooftop sauna lined with torrified, or dried, cedar. Outfitted with glass paneling and oriented to capture views of Mount Royal, it is the ideal haven for this hardworking homeowner.

Michael and Tamami brought greenery to the master bath courtyard, which is lined with Eco Arbor Designs deck tiles, in the form of succulents in a ceramic Peanut planter by John Follis for Architectural Pottery from Vessel. Photo by Coral von Zumwalt.

The knotty cedar cladding from Crenshaw Lumber was pretreated with an ebony stain from Timber Pro UV—twice on both sides—prior to being brought to the site, where it was left for eight weeks so that it could adjust to the moist seaside air before installation. “Cedar siding swells or shrinks when it gains or loses moisture while it reaches equilibrium with the content of the surrounding air,” says Michael. Photo by Coral von Zumwalt.

In an industrial neighborhood in Brooklyn, a verdant green roof of native grasses, wildflowers, and fruits creates an oasis.

In contrast to the industrial neighborhood, the views from the upper-level deck look directly into the canopies of surrounding established trees.

Jacobs transformed the roof into a series of decks, this deck features Crate & Barrel’s Dune sofa and coffee table.

A modern home in Charleston has a roof filled with drought-resistant succulents.

An apartment building in Darmstadt, Germany calls to mind layers upon layers of sediment compressed beneath newer forms of plant life; its rooftop garden is just one aspect of its unique appearance. Photo via Huffington Post.

These rooftop gardens are part of a burgeoning movement in Buenos Aires to combat climate change by introducing plant life to urban areas. Photo via Minutouno.

“The wildflower roof has reached a sufficient height now that from within the living room and main bathroom grasses and the occasional flower (and occasional cat) can be seen through the circular roof lights,” notes Pile.

At a net-zero home in San Francisco, the house's green roof is more of a brown roof: a desert-like array of native and non-native succulents that require minimal irrigation. The soil area is maintained with motorcycle tires (including one from a Harley hog), which control erosion. Composting takes place here as well.

The rock garden on the first-story roof canopy offers contemplative views to rooms on this side of the house.

The house rises to nearly the height of the neighboring structure. The plantings on the bridge, which connects the guest pavilion with the master bedroom and media room pavilion, will eventually grow in to create a privacy screen. Photo by Coral von Zumwalt.

The architects designed the large dining table, which is framed by the open kitchen, the wood-burning stove, and the garden beyond.

Their daughters, Annapurna, left, and Siddartha, play with their dog, Anouck, beneath the kangaroo paws in the entry garden courtyard.

Russell-Clarke tends a small garden.

An overhead view of the extension.

A view from the rooftop garden into one of the guest bedrooms.

An organic rooftop garden.

River-rock ballast was installed around the perimeter of the green roof.

The accessible green roof on the yoga studio provides additional landscape for gardening.

Creating eco-friendly structures ideal for pop-up stores, holiday homes, and emergency shelters, this lego-like architecture is redefining what a container can be. This current prototype unit has been based on sponsorship by renowned companies that operate in Greece and internationally.

The entire cabin is powered by the rooftop solar system from Solarwinds Northernlights. "I still can't get over the fact that I can get an ice cube from the sun," Bruce says.

Planters have been placed around the pleats to create pockets of sky gardens on the perimeter of the building, with some featuring steps that lead to other outdoor terraces.

On the roof, Geller takes in the night sky with his telescope.