As Qatar marches towards increased sustainable development, another new venue has opened that will make much of the world’s civic leaders green with envy.

Yong Hoon Choi is a designer originally from Busan who now lives in Seoul. Tired of the conventional formica kitchens that are typical of Korean kitchens, he decided to try something different for his family home in Busan.

Only people close to the local feudal lord could once pass through this wooden bridge. But now this delightful corner of Wakayama is open to everyone who loves Japanese design.

Fortunately, more and more designers and engineers are now viewing stormwater management as an essential sustainable practice at construction projects.

The leaves of the maple trees were just starting to turn red on the stems and along their edges. The misty rainy day added a shimmer to Kinkaku-ji’s breathtaking gardens.

Gwanghwamun, like the country it gloriously anchors, is now free of past indignities and is a proud symbol of the incredible transformation that has made Korea a late 20th miracle and 21st century pacesetter.

Welcome to co-housing. As land becomes scarce and the desire to be part of community becomes stronger, developers are taking a second look at how they build neighborhoods.

In ultra-modern Umeda, daring architecture stares down on Osaka from high above, challenging the senses with bizarre angles. The self imposed energy efficiency measures don’t reduce the city’s glow.

Panasonic is now determined to become the number one green innovation company in the electronics industry. That vision is on display in a prototype of an eco house in Tokyo, and a planned smart community in Fujisawa to open in 2013.

Smart grid technology innovation is surging in Japan, and the Eco Ideas House displays why: heat, wind, light and water. Back to basics wins a 21st century sheen in Tokyo.