Design
Singapore just built an airport with an indoor jungle and a wonderful waterfall
When it comes to airports, some of the first things that usually come to mind are the interminable queues, the dull hours before take-off, the boring shopping or the long walks to the departure gate. But step inside Jewel Changi Airport in Singapore and those negative connotations that come with Read More...
Thanks to amazing 3D scans, Notre Dame can be rebuilt almost exactly as it was
The world watched in horror Monday night while flames tore through the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. As the fire consumed the roof and toppled its iconic central spire, it seemed as though the historic church could be lost forever — but it’s possible, thanks to cutting-edge imagining Read More...
This stylish cafe is made almost entirely out of cardboard
Lowering the environmental impact of the construction industry means finding new materials to build with. In India, an architecture studio turned to an unlikely material to build a beautiful cafe: cardboard. Apart from the core, shell, and appliances in the cafe, everything has been made from Read More...
A Kenyan company is making sustainable clothes out of stinging nettles
The stinging nettle is a weedy, invasive species of plant that spreads like wildfire once it gets a foothold anywhere. The plant can be used for medicinal reasons, but in truth, there are more pesky nettles on the planet than anyone could possibly make use of. At least, so it seemed. Soon enough Read More...
Lessons from a German neighborhood that got rid of parking spaces 20 years ago
You don’t need a car to live your daily life. Don’t believe us? Just ask the residents of Vauban, a neighborhood in the German city of Freiburg. In Vauban, cars are allowed, but only if they crawl along at the pace of a pedestrian (the speed limit is three miles an hour), give priority to Read More...
IKEA develops state-of the-art curtains that purify the air in your home
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), air pollution is one of the biggest environmental health risks on the planet, leading to millions of deaths annually. The problem is more alarming for those us living in cities, so much so that air-purifiers are expected to become a household Read More...
Singapore opens the doors to its first “net zero energy building”
Buildings account for nearly 40 percent of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide, meaning that in order to meet the targets mandated by the Paris Agreement we need to come up with urgent sustainable development designs and high-performance buildings. Bearing that in mind, Singapore has recently Read More...
Solar street lights present cities with a path to strong, sustainable growth
On the surface, the rapid urbanization of cities can be seen as a good thing for the economy. For the cities themselves, however, it can cause money for basic public services to be stretched thin. Such is the case for the cities of Kampala and Jinja in Uganda where everything from road maintenance Read More...
This waterproof jacket doubles as a sleeping bag for the homeless
Five years ago, Dutch designer Bas Timmer heard tragic news: A friend’s father, who had become homeless, had died of hypothermia one night while sitting outside a shelter waiting for it to open. Timmer, a recent fashion school graduate, had been working on winter clothing for his new brand and Read More...
Why a busy street in London made their crosswalk into an optical illusion
On a busy street near a school in London, a newly painted crosswalk is designed to slow down drivers through an optical illusion: As someone approaches, each white stripe on the road looks like a three-dimensional block. The idea is that by catching the eye, the optical illusion will force drivers Read More...