Design
The concept of “smart” is making its way to the countryside
Stanford researchers are bringing the concept of the “smart city” to the countryside. Just outside of the city of Almere in the Netherlands, the first closed-loop, regenerative, self-sustaining, off-grid “smart village” is being created. The village will house about 200 families on 40 acres Read More...
This church in the Netherlands houses books by day and parties by night
In the Netherlands, it’s common to see old churches that are converted into libraries, museums, and even music venues. It’s rare, however, to see a church that is all three of those things. In a village near the city of Den Bosch, architects have converted a beautiful church into a Read More...
Tel-Aviv is a brilliant example of a smart city
We often hear about smart cities, but what actually defines one? First, a smart city must be people-centric. Second, a smart city relies on big data to operate efficiently. Third, the city must be virtual in the sense that essential information on just about everything must be online and Read More...
6 solar roads shaking up infrastructure around the world
Roads aren’t just for walking or driving anymore. Solar road or pathway projects around the world are showing that streets can both provide firm footing and generate clean energy. Inhabitat rounded up six projects in places as diverse as China and rural Georgia to highlight potentially Read More...
Architecture in Sweden must be sustainable according to new law
Sweden has a longstanding belief in the idea that design can improve people’s lives. Now the country has put that belief into legislation with a new bill that aims to make sustainability and quality integral to the design process. The goal of the targets placed in the bill are to make Sweden a Read More...
Scientists have developed a sustainable alternative to concrete
The coarse sand needed for making concrete is being excavated at a rate faster than it can renew itself. Illegal sand mining has also become a serious problem in countries such as India where criminal gangs illegally strip coarse sand from riverbeds and beaches, damaging delicate ecosystems. Read More...
This bike path stays snow-free with the residual heat of a factory
Biking is in the blood of the Dutch. To make peoples’ biking experience better during the winter months, a “cycle highway” has been constructed in the eastern part of the Netherlands that will be kept warm by residual heat from a local plant. That heat, which would have otherwise been wasted, Read More...
James Dyson on batteries, electric cars and the future of design
James Dyson has designed everything from washing machines to high-speed watercraft. Here's how he gets inspiration plus what comes next for Read More...
Canadians are reinventing assisted living for those with dementia
Taking inspiration from the Dutch village of de Hogewey, developers in Canada are constructing an assisted living complex designed to help people with dementia live independently while also keeping them safe. The idea is that by providing plenty of facilities and activities such as gardening and Read More...
King penguin breeding colonies are structured like fluids
Colonies of breeding king penguins behave much like particles in liquids do, according to a new study by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) and international colleagues. This "liquid" organization and structure enables breeding colonies to protect themselves against predators while Read More...