Atlantic Sea Hawk by Sauter Carbon Offset Design & Atlantic Motor Yacht
Sauter Carbon Offset Design and Atlantic Motor Yachts present the Atlantic Sea Hawk, a Hi-performance Zero Carbon 18 meter Cabin Cruiser with a top speed of 50 knots.
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Every Drop Goes Into the Flowerpot
Dubbed the “Cavity Flowerpot,” from designer Merve Sarisin’s 2-in-1 creation that can hold up to four wet umbrellas at a time. Excess water drains off and collects into a dish whereby plants absorb into their root system.
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“The Ark,” by Alexander Remizov
Russian architect Alexander Remizov thinks so — and his prototype design, called “The Ark.” Remizov believes his Ark, designed to be constructed from timber, steel and high-strength ETFE plastic, could be adapted for all kinds of environments and put to a number of different uses, including emergency housing – its prefabricated structure should allow it to be constructed quickly- and hotels. He’s even suggested a variation with a honeycomb-style hull that can float.
A wind power generator that runs through the center of the building would provide power while the outer surface would be covered with transparent solar panels. If the Ark was built on water, as Remizov suggests, he says it could also utilize thermal water energy.
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The Sprig Lamp by Victor Vetterlein
Created by American designer Victor Vetterlein, the Sprig Lamp is a modular furniture piece. inspired by the fresh growth of plants, Sprig is made of recycled plastic, and the lighting source is a standard compact fluorescent lamp (CFL). It can be used as a single pendant lamp, or combined to create a chandelier or floor lamp.
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Tianjin Eco-City by Surbana Urban Planning Group
Designed by Surbana Urban Planning Group, Tianjin Eco-City is 30 square kilometer development designed to showcase the hottest new green technologies and to serve as a model for future developing Chinese cities.
A conscious effort was made not to create a generic city devoid of humanizing features or cognitive characteristics, one that is replicated ad infinitum in cities of rapidly developing economies. Read More…
“Ma Bulle, Ma Plante & Moi,” Exhibition by Amaury Gallon
Designer Amaury Gallon was sponsored by the Dutch Flower Council to create unique bubble gardens that offer passersby a bit of respite from their concrete environments. The designer created four bubble sanctuaries, each with a different environmental inspiration. One of the gardens hosts a jungle, while the other features hundreds of orchids woven into metal structure that wraps around the igloo-shaped structures. Serving as walk-in greenhouses, the structures were part of an exhibition called the “Ma Bulle, Ma Plante, & Moi.”
Plastic Bottle School by Illac Diaz and the MyShelter Foundation
Developed by Illac Diaz and the MyShelter Foundation, the school is made from thousands of discarded plastic bottles that are filled with liquefied adobe. The combination, which is relatively cheap, is being claimed to be three times stronger than concrete. In order to raise awareness about the school building, which has been constructed in San Pablo in the Philippines, the MyShelter Foundation organized a run in June, where they collected bottles from people. Constructed with the help of dozens of volunteers who collected discarded plastic bottles and filled them with adobe and steel bars, the structure was donated by the local government of San Pablo.
Eco-Friendly Swimming-Pool in the Thermal Center of Royat by X Vincent Callebaut
Vincent Callebaut Architectures have come up with a sustainable swimming pool design for the thermal center of Royat city in France as a dynamic response to the ambition of Royat city to build a mobilization swimming pool represented by attractive and contemporary architecture researched by the patients of spas.
The architecture proposes the construction of a “planted wave” that covers the pool hall under its curve. By meeting the needs of the program as precisely as possible, the project emphasizes three major themes that include the urban signal, the welfare of the patients and high environmental quality.
The “green wave” designed by the architects takes into account all the constraints of the site and presents a compact made-to-measure volumetry on stilts of the scratched surrounding frame.The Green Wave project sets a case of nature on the site and the planted roof ensure a great acoustic and thermal comfort inside the hall. The bio-climate cushion will also help in reducing the energetic expenditure by accumulating the heat in winter and by ventilating the hall naturally during summers.
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Andreas Verheijen, Flower Engineer
After having lived in Great Britain for 16 years where he worked as floral sales executive for Harrods’ floral department in London, as well as having had his own flower shop, he returned to The Netherlands. Nowadays he works as a freelance floral designer but still also works regularly in Great Britain on various events and exhibitions.”
All the event-projects are customized and created for particular occasions or clients. The ideas usually evolve over a time and are set to a specific theme or happening. Creating parties like these is mostly a team effort in which all participating associates have their own speciality. In general all events are executed in association with Sue Artus – Robert Young Cheltenham, Matthew Brown – Wesley House Winchcombe, and TDA London.
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350 Earth, Global Climate Art Project by 350.org
As part of the launch for 350 EARTH, the first global art show for the climate is signed by 350.org, founder Bill McKibben; multimedia hip-hop innovator DJ Spooky; renowned urban artist Jorge Rodriguez-Gerada; and director of the Santa Fe Art Institute, Diane Karp.
350 EARTH has issued a call to artists to submit climate change design sketches that will be used to create images viewable from space. The designs will be replicated by human beings, assembled like pixels on a computer screen, to create images so large that they will be seen and photographed by an orbiting satellite. The installations take place in over a dozen cities, including in Europe, South America, and seven locations in North America. Each project is large enough to be visible by space, and will be photographed via satellite. The public can sign up to participate in their city, or make their own art.
Most of the art is developed along the line of “gather-enough-people to-form-a-shape (or message)”: for example, a giant “350″ (representing the optimum levels of parts-per-million of CO2 in the atmosphere); a green footprint; or a polar bear created out of hundreds of red tents. 350.org says aerial images will be made available and displayed at the latest climate talks in Cancun starting on Nov. 29.
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Winners of the Western Red Cedar Architectural Design Awards
Six winners of the Western Red Cedar Architectural Design Awards demonstrated creativity, range and a rich palette of innovative design that expressed building structures and surfaces across new construction and renovation projects.
Architects entered commercial, residential and other building projects that included community centers, medical facilities, university buildings, churches and private residences. Projects were judged by a three-member architect jury for their use of Western Red Cedar to reinforce consistent interior and exterior themes in boosting the overall design.
“The award winners offer a range of creative approaches using Western Red Cedar,” said Katherine Chia, a jury member and partner at Desai/Chia Architecture. “They also demonstrated the opportunities to use cedar for different program requirements and budgets. Cedar wasn’t just used as conventional cladding – it also provided a structural purpose, a refined level of interior finish, or a compelling material detail that enhanced the overall design.” Winners of the second edition of the Architectural Design Awards were:
“Combs Point Residence, Ovid, N.Y.” – A center of activity and quiet retreat for a family that treasures life on the lake, Combs Point is a series of Western Red Cedar wood clad buildings that stretches through a forested glen leading to the head of a waterfall. Architects: Bohlin Cywinski Jackson.
“Bernal Park Restroom Building, Pleasanton, Calif” – Designed to fit seamlessly into a picturesque park setting, the building appears elegant and residential in scale while at the same time is durable and enduring. The building is wrapped in horizontal cedar siding boards covered with a semi-transparent stain and graffiti coating. Architect: Mark Cavagnero Associates.
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Trees with Glowing Nanoparticles Could Replace Streetlights
Taiwanese researchers have come up with the elegant idea of replacing streetlights with trees, by implanting their leaves with gold nanoparticles. Dr Yen-Hsun Su from Taiwan’s National Cheng Kung University discovered that when you add gold nanoparticles to the leaves of Bacopa caroliniana, it induces a red emission in the chlorophyll. Bacopa caroliniana is a plant widely found in the Southern US, but the same reaction might be possible in other plants and trees. Dr Ye-Hsun points out that this is potentially a win-win-win situation, with the glowing plants reducing power usage, and lowering light pollution, while absorbing CO2.
This ingenious triple threat of an idea could simultaneously reduce carbon emissions, cut electricity costs and reduce light pollution, without sacrificing the safety that streetlights bring.
Igloo Built from 322 Fridges
The igloo titled “Wastefulness is the biggest source of Energy” is an art project by Berlin-based artist Ralf Schmerberg and is supported by an energy provider. On the inside there is some funny art with many old blinking electronics devices arranged in a very colorful setting. At the outside they had a huge electricity meter which showed how much energy would be consumed by all those very old fridges. It said that with a more efficient use of energy, Germany could save around 40%. All in all I found that a very unique way to raise one’s voice against the waste of energy.
Inside is an absurdest paradise of gadgets, fans, Toys, toasters, a TV set with a roaring fire on, and an inflatable mushroom cloud. A plaque with nice little list of what went into the project includes “35 pairs of gloves, 487 sandwiches by mommy, and 120 leisure-time beers.”
You can see it until 9th of November.
Via [Moritz Bappert]
5 New Vacuums from the Sea by Electrolux
The Vac project initiated by Electrolux this summer is to raise awareness around the marine plastic problem, by collecting ocean plastic waste and making vacuum cleaners out of it. Hopefully it will inspire consumers and industry to more recycling.
Now, five unique vacuum cleaners have been crafted from plastic debris collected from five oceans, and are presented to the world today.
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The Modern Studio by Lindal Cedar Homes
The Modern Studio is a backyard retreat for study, practice, or crafts. The Studio units come in a few basic small sizes and are completely customizable in terms of exterior finishes, window and door placement, and even roof angle. You can choose a modern studio with a flat roof or pick a slanted roof, which may be more appropriate to install solar panels on or to shed snow in the winter.
It is designed and built with a strong commitment to preserving the environment through the efficient use of resources, energy efficiency, and green and sustainable features.
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Solar Umbrella Project by Constantin Boincean, Ralph Bertram, Aleksandra Danielak
The Southern California Institute of Architecture, announced the winners of the Los Angeles Cleantech Corridor and Green District Competition. An open ideas competition sponsored by SCI‐Arc and The Architect’s Newspaper, entrants were challenged to use the competition as a forum for provocative, even revolutionary, reconceptualizations of L.A.’s urban fabric.
Project Umbrella, revolves around large mushroom-like structures called solar evaporators that would not only serve as memorable symbols for the area, but, via a system of black-water treatment and clean-water dispersal, would transform large parts of the city grid into greener and more attractive public spaces. The second prize went to Los Angeles-based office Labtop’s scheme called Greenoplasty, which removes cars from the area through a local rail line and creates a system of lightweight housing on top of the area’s existing warehouses. Third prize went to a team including Buro Happold and Mia Lehrer & Associates that conceived integrated systems for energy creation (including solar arrays and hydroelectric power), waste management, transportation, and water runoff.
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Aquaponics, Fish Tank of Eternal Life by Rob Maslin
Aquaponics created by Rob Maslin is the embodiment of a sustainable system. At its core it is the creation of a symbiotic relationship between fish and plants. Fish waste in the form of ammonia is turned into nitrite then nitrates by bacteria in the water. When filtered through a plant bed, the plants clean the water for the fish to live in, creating a closed-loop system with two food crops.
A system with a 225-litre volume fish tank will grow approximately ten 15cm plants per week – enough for a decent bunch of basil or salad leaves – on a four-week cycle. To produce decent-sized, edible fish stock (such as 18cm carp) the tank would need to be twice the size of the prototype displayed here. The use of smaller fish is not normal practice in aquaponics, so my research into the ideal stock for a food source system is ongoing. The system needs to be kept in balance, not harvesting too many plants or fish at one time, as this would affect the health of the other produce.
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MARS Turbine; Magenn Air Rotor System
These extremely mobile energy generators named MARS, will float high in the air at altitudes ranging from 600 to 1,000 feet (183 to 305 meters). The MARS acronym — not to be confused with the red planet — stands for Magenn Air Rotor System, and its concept is actually pretty down to Earth. Magenn originally designed the turbine for locations where setting up a traditional wind farm isn’t realistic: places with a harsh climate like an Antarctic research station or disaster areas that need quick access to power for emergency and medical equipment.
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