Reconstructing nature

Plenty of architectural achievements have become famous through their nods to the natural world (think Beijing's Bird Nest stadium).

But what about the artists who take their connection to nature a step further? The ones who don't stop at imitating nests, leaves, or other hallmarks of the wild, but who instead deem those very materials worthy of inclusion? Such trailblazers are featured in a new book, Natural Architecture Now (Princeton Architectural Press), which shows off more than 50 projects constructed out of naturally occurring substances.

Readers flipping through the images, curated by Francesca Tartarella, are taken on a globe-trotting tour from New York City to a remote seaside town in Ecuador. The inspiration for and purpose of the designs are as varied as the locales. The massive bamboo installation in New York City, for example, was intended as interactive art, while curved, plywood structures in Manitoba, Canada, are used as temporary shelters from the bitter cold. Meanwhile, an open-air school in Ecuador was built simply and economically by the town's residents so it could be easily replicated.

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See for yourself, a small selection of unique creations from Natural Architecture Now: