25 Green Roofs That Bring Spectacular Homes to New Levels

Located in Waterberg, South Africa, the House of the Tall Chimneys is a long, narrow guesthouse that appears to grow from a steep cliff out into the trees. Designed by Johannesburg-based architecture studio Frankie Pappas, the brick-clad structure is capped with a green roof planted with site-endemic grasses, aloes, and creepers. The team scanned the forested site to create a 3D model—including trees, branches, and roots—that would allow them to accurately determine how to position and design the building to have minimal impact on the surrounding vegetation.