Helios House: Futuristic Gas Station

Los Angeles, California

When Helios House opened in 2007, it proclaimed itself a "station of the future" in part because it was made of recycled materials, had energy-efficient lighting and a roof of solar panels, and had another "green roof" of native plants and a moisture collection system designed to keep those plants watered. But it was the other futuristic part of Helios House that everyone noticed: its canopy and pay kiosk, which look like they were made of half-crumpled stainless steel, or possibly came from the fractal-warped 4th dimension

Back in its early days Helios House had "green videos" on its pump dispensers, and an employee would check your tire pressure and remind you that proper inflation saved gas, and would hand out energy-saving tips printed on recycled paper embedded with flower seeds that would sprout it you tossed it on a patch of soil. When the station switched gas brands in 2010, that ended. But it still looks futuristic.