Design
Solving the waste problem: Materials that self-destruct if they're not "fed"
Wouldn’t it be great if things you don’t longer use, would disappear and decompose automatically? Nature does not produce garbage dumps. Instead, biological cells are constantly synthesizing new molecules from recycled ones. Now researchers are mimicking this natural process and developing Read More...
School covered in 12,000 solar panels generates half of its electricity
Most solar panels are “hidden” on roofs and many people argue they don’t like the blue reflection of the panels. This Danish school presents custom-built solar panels as a featured architectural element. Almost the entire facade of the Copenhagen International School, Nordhavn is made of Read More...
What would the perfect cycling city look like?
Velotopia is as circular as the topography has allowed, for the usual reason that citizens are always clamouring to live near the civic centre. Development has been restricted to level ground and city limits have been restricted to a diameter of 15km. That ensures average commuting distances of Read More...
How two New York City parks helped change America
After exploring ten of the most important homes in American history, PBS's ongoing series 10 That Changed America continues with a survey of the ten parks that proved hugely influential on urban planning in the United States. And, unsurprisingly, two New York City parks have ended up on the list: Read More...
To design the perfect drone, follow nature's lead
Nature has found some elegant solutions to complicated problems and engineers have long been inspired by its designs. But Adrian Thomas thinks translating the best of nature’s discoveries into man-made devices requires the ability to step back and see the context. Thomas is a Professor of Read More...
"Bioinspired" researchers look to nature to solve humanity's biggest problems
When it comes to overcoming an array of varied problems with an even more diverse set of solutions, scientists have nothing on natural selection. Countless generations of millions of species have developed numerous ways to defy gravity, stick to objects while underwater, and even lift objects Read More...
Let it flow: The Netherlands has a new approach to water management
The Dutch have been building dikes—and controlling nature—for centuries as much of their country is below sea level. Global warming with rising sea levels poses new challenges for the Netherlands. As the chief water managers of the world, their response can be relevant for many sea-bordering Read More...
This landscape photographer uses a mirror to create stunning images
In the middle of an extremely salty and shallow desert lake in Australia, a photographer captured some extremely dramatic images of the sky reflected in the salt-scape of the lake. The photographer used a rectangular mirror along with his other photography equipment and stood it in the inch-deep Read More...
The slow lane: Dutch app allows elderly to 'hack' traffic lights
The distance from Noud Rommen’s front door to the local shops is just 100 yards, but to get there, the 71-year-old with mobility problems must negotiate a six-lane dual carriageway with a notoriously short pedestrian crossing time. “If I stick to the rules I can only get to the island Read More...
Will future office buildings harvest algae in their lobbies?
In a prototype of an urban algae farm now on display in an exhibition in Kazakhstan, shows how algae could fit inside existing buildings where people live and work. Designers suspended coils of lightweight glass tubes from the ceiling, attached to pumps that visitors can press to send carbon Read More...