Imaginative design setting
Elven Green World
A fantasy city that grows with the forest. Every building is imagined, but each page shows the real science and nature-based technology that could make parts of it possible.
- 35 places
- 4 vehicles
- 8 people
- 70 photos of real places
- Guided tour: Ecological design
Look around the city
Select any building, person or vehicle to open its page. Everything is also listed below.
Firefly tower
Seasons tower
Living crane
Palace of the long future
Waterfall tower
Tree tower home
Breathing spire
Great tree hall
Sunlight hall
Treetop village
Star dome
Stag crossing
Green-roof cottage
Timber family house
Harvest market hall
Seed library
Forest school
Deer statue
Open-air theater
Council terrace
Canopy climbing course
Repair workshop
Forest training grove
Leafy cottage
Forest cottage
Canopy market
Spring circle
Wetland fountain
Mushroom cottage
Hillside home
Tiny forest
Rain garden court
Warm gathering circle
Pollinator meadow
Nature's materials
Deer sleigh
Flower cart
Mushroom carriage
Beetle rider
Elder
Forest ranger
Young elf
Lamplighter
Gardener
Guardian
Woodworker
Glass collector
Point at anything on the map to learn what it is.
This world is imagined and does not describe any real culture. Each page marks what is imagined, what is real today and what is still being researched. A few pages also share Bible verses about the Creator: the Bible says that all things were made through Jesus (John 1:3).
All 39 places and vehicles
Living buildings
Imagined buildings grown from living trees and plants, and the real science of building with them.
- Great tree hallAn imagined hall grown from a living tree. In the real world, people already shape living roots and trunks into bridges and buildings.
- Sunlight hallAn imagined hall that feeds on sunlight like a leaf. Real buildings already grow algae in their walls to make heat and fuel.
- Treetop villageAn imagined village of homes and bridges among the branches, built so lightly that the trees stay healthy.
- Tree tower homeAn imagined tower wrapped in trees. Real "vertical forests" plant hundreds of trees on the balconies of city apartment blocks.
- Living craneAn imagined crane woven from vines. In the real world, fast-growing bamboo is strong enough to build scaffolding and houses.
Homes in the forest
Cozy homes that stay comfortable with the help of earth, wood, plants and air.
- Hillside homeA home tucked into a grassy hill. Real earth-sheltered homes use the soil around them to stay cool in summer and warm in winter.
- Timber family houseAn imagined house carved from wood. Real engineered timber now builds homes and towers that store carbon instead of releasing it.
- Breathing spireAn imagined tower that breathes like a termite mound, pulling cool air in and letting warm air out with no machines.
- Green-roof cottageA tall cottage crowned with plants. Real green roofs soak up rain, cool buildings and feed insects.
- Forest cottageAn imagined cottage made of earth, straw, stone and wood. Real natural building uses these same simple materials.
- Leafy cottageAn imagined cottage wrapped in climbing plants. Real research suggests that seeing nature helps people feel and heal better.
- Mushroom cottageA playful toadstool home. Real scientists grow building blocks and packaging from mycelium, the root-like threads of fungi.
Water and energy
Springs, wetlands, falling water and the warmth of the earth.
- Wetland fountainAn imagined fountain that cleans water as it flows. Real "constructed wetlands" use plants and microbes to purify wastewater.
- Rain garden courtAn imagined courtyard garden that drinks the rain. Real rain gardens catch storm water and stop flooding.
- Spring circleAn imagined ring of tall stones around a clean spring. Real cities save billions by protecting the land where their water comes from.
- Waterfall towerAn imagined tower with a waterfall pouring down it. Real micro-hydro systems turn falling water into electricity for homes and villages.
- Warm gathering circleAn imagined meeting place warmed by heat from the earth. Real geothermal energy heats most homes in Iceland.
Wildlife and wild places
Making room for bees, deer, forests and night skies.
- Pollinator meadowFlowers planted for bees, butterflies and other insects that pollinate the crops we eat.
- Tiny forestA patch of trees left wild in the middle of the city. Real "tiny forests" plant dense native woods in spaces the size of a tennis court.
- Stag crossingAn imagined monument to the forest's animals. Real wildlife bridges let deer, bears and wolves cross busy roads safely.
- Deer statueAn imagined statue of a gentle deer beside a wild meadow. In the real world, "rewilding" lets nature restore itself on land that was farmed.
- Star domeAn imagined observatory under a sky full of stars. Real dark-sky places reduce light pollution so people and wildlife can see the night.
- Firefly towerAn imagined tower that glows like a firefly. Real scientists have already made living plants that glow in the dark.
Learning and gathering
Places to learn outdoors, store seeds, watch the seasons and make decisions together.
- Seed libraryAn imagined library inside a hollow tree, storing seeds instead of books. Real seed banks protect the world's plants for the future.
- Forest schoolAn imagined school among the trees. Real forest schools take children outdoors to learn in every season.
- Seasons towerAn imagined tower where elves watch the weather and the seasons. Real scientists track when flowers bloom to see how climate is changing.
- Council terraceAn imagined terrace where elves decide together how to share the forest. Real research shows communities can manage shared resources well.
- Palace of the long futureAn imagined palace where leaders must think a hundred years ahead. Real governments have begun to create laws for future generations.
- Forest training groveAn imagined archery grove among the trees. Real research explores how time in forests may lower stress and lift mood.
- Canopy climbing courseAn imagined climbing course in the treetops. Real scientists use walkways, ropes and cranes to study life in the forest canopy.
- Open-air theaterAn imagined theater among the trees. Real open-air theaters use the shape of hills and stone to carry sound without microphones.
Making and trading
Markets, workshops and materials that waste little and borrow ideas from nature.
- Canopy marketMarket stalls under giant mushroom-shaped canopies. Real shade structures, and real trees, cool hot city squares.
- Harvest market hallAn imagined market where nothing is wasted. Real towns cut waste by selling local food and composting what is left.
- Repair workshopAn imagined workshop where nothing is thrown away. Real repair cafés and well-managed forests keep materials in use.
- Nature's materialsStone, timber and glass for elven builders, and the real inventions engineers have copied from nature.
Vehicles and getting around
How people and goods move around the city.
- Deer sleighAn imagined sleigh drawn by deer. In the real Arctic, reindeer have pulled sleds for centuries.
Flower cartAn imagined pony cart full of flowers. Real horses still work in some forests, where they do less damage than machines.- Mushroom carriageAn imagined toadstool carriage. Real carmakers already use plant fibers, and in 1941 Ford showed a car with plant-based body panels.
Beetle riderAn imagined giant beetle carrying a rider. Real beetles inspire scientists who build walking robots.
Keep exploring
Compare all six worlds See all Elven Green World artwork
Games with this world: Map hunt · World sort · Shadow match · Picture puzzle