Greenery harnesses sunlight and rainwater to spectacular effect — and the best designers are following suit. In addition to introducing 25,000 new plants to Austin’s Blanton Museum of Art, Snøhetta has also enhanced the cultural institution’s grounds (part of the larger University of Texas at Austin campus) with Moody Patio: a forest of 12 fan-like fibreglass sculptures that cultivate their own enchanting relationship with the elements.

When it’s sunny, the shade structures provide relief from the heat while decorating nearby pathways and facades with dappled shadows created by small perforations in each of their petal-shaped panels.

And when the clouds roll in to the Blanton Museum of Art in Austin, the 12.2-metre-tall Snøhetta designs act as rain catchers, the small inner lips created by the punctures funnelling drops into an underground filtration system. It might not be quite as impressive as photosynthesis, but it is nevertheless an inspiring example of how to work with nature rather than against it.