Design
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...
The future of parking garages doesn’t involve cars at all
What would a world in which fewer people own cars look like? I’d never thought about the consequences until I came across this project: the conversion of a seven-story building in Peckham, London, from a dreadful parking garage into cool local business and community Read More...
Li-Fi is set to change the way we access the Internet
You’ve most certainly heard of Wi-Fi, but have you heard of Li-Fi? Li-Fi is high-speed wireless internet transmitted through light. That light can come from something as simple as a desktop lamp. While Wi-Fi works fine, it currently relies on radio waves to work, something that we’re running Read More...
The research is clear: clean, efficient buildings make people more productive
Indoor air quality also is becoming a key determinant of employee productivity. Harvard Business Review published an article on this topic, highlighting a variety of past research reports about poor air quality impacting worker Read More...
Crowded cities are looking to nature to improve residents’ well-being
The proportion of the global population living in urban areas has risen from half in 2000 to 55 percent now, and is predicted to reach two-thirds by 2050. That means more people than ever will be away from nature, which means people are missing the proven health and wellbeing benefits that come Read More...