Floating Observatories by upgrade.studio, DSBA and Mihai Carciun

This conceptual tower is based on helium balloons, it inhabits several observation decks. 

The following details are from DSBA:
Taiwan Tower Conceptual International Competition
“FLOATING OBSERVATORIES” Proposal by Dorin STEFAN’s DSBA, Mihai CARCIUN and upgrade.studio wins the “Taiwan Tower” Conceptual International Competition

“Starting from the ‘geographical’ visual of Taiwan ‐ which is an island resembling a leaf ‐ we have developed the concept of the technological tree: we have designed 8 spatial leaves (with eight being a propitious number in the local culture) in the form of zeppelin‐like elevators which glide up and down the ‘tree trunk” and which serve the purpose of observation decks / belvedere.

I have called these elevators floating observatories because each has a nacelle which can take 50 to 80 people; they are self‐sustained by helium balloons and are built from lightweight materials (borrowed from the spacecraft industry) and are wrapped in a last‐generation type of membrane (PTFE) and they glide vertically on a track positioned vertically in a strong electro‐magnetic field” ‐ Dorin STEFAN, Principal, DSBA*

For more information, have a look at dezeen: http://www.dezeen.com/2010/11/18/floating-observatories-by-upgrade-studio-dsba-and-mihai-carciun/?ref=nf 

Fully autonomous Floating Houses by Solarlab

This floating house consists of solar modules on its top to guarantee energy supply. Integrated waste treatment and water purification enable the house to be fully autonomous. The floating structure is planned to accomodate an Institute of Water and Ecology on Lake Constance, Germany.
http://www.solarlab.org/

Film: Eloge de la cabane

This quite emotional film by Robin Hunzinger shows people and their little houses, called "cabanes". There are people who live with a minimum of money, people who live of the things given by nature. It shows how they have constructed their little cabanes and their stories. What is a house meant for? Which things are essential for a house? The people shown in this film have chosen a radical way of living, most of them live totally autonomic, and some of them have changed their lives completely, when they had came to the conclusion that money isn´t everything. There are impressive images showing the beauty of nature: in the completely silent mountains, where the only sound would be the sheeps´ bells, or in the forest, where you hear birds singing...