Design
Architecture’s top award has its first Black winner
At The Optimist Daily we like to highlight milestones in the movement for equality, like when Maya Angelou became the first Black woman to be featured on a US coin or when St.Louis elected Tishaura Jones their first black female mayor. The latest triumph comes from the world of architecture, Read More...
This fabric can “hear” for you
Hearing loss is something many of us have to accept, with the fine and sensitive tools in our ears inevitably wearing down with age. What if you could remedy this by putting on a shirt that could hear for you? Engineers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and designers from the Rhode Read More...
The air in your home is dirtier than you think. Clean it up with these 4 plants
While it’s tempting to think that the air inside your house or office is clean, the truth is quite the opposite. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, the air inside the average home is up to five times more polluted than the air outside. That’s an alarming fact, especially Read More...
Using berries and pears to create the world’s first ‘vegan violin’
An Irish master violin luthier has unveiled a set of violins that are made from 100 percent plant-based products. The animal-free violins are the first in the world to be registered with The Vegan Society’s Vegan Trademark. What makes traditional violins non-vegan? Currently, most violins Read More...
This skyscraper in Taipei features a carbon-absorbing vertical forest
According to the World Green Building Council, our built environment is responsible for almost 40 percent of the world’s carbon footprint. Facing a dire need to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions, architects and urban planners must ensure that our future buildings have the smallest negative Read More...
What architects can do to ease the PTSD of veterans
For veterans with PTSD, the realities of war are no longer at their doorstep, but the lasting impact of war’s trauma impacts life on a daily basis. So researchers are looking for ways to make architecture more accommodating for veterans with PTSD. Especially these days, we’re all spending Read More...
Designers repurpose architectural mockups into useful community structures
Large-scale development projects usually require architectural mockups typically constructed from high-end, resilient materials, designed to simulate various parts of a planned building. Unfortunately, instead of being repurposed or put to good use after review, those architectural mockups are Read More...
How redesigning playgrounds leads to healthier kids
Playgrounds are a go-to resource for parents and teachers to keep kids entertained and blow off some extra steam, but while swing sets and monkey bars are classics, research shows that rethinking our playgrounds with more innovative designs can actually help kids get more exercise. The World Read More...
Solar-powered bridge arises in Genoa just 15 months after tragedy
Tragedy struck the Italian city of Genoa in 2018 when the city’s Morandi Bridge collapsed under heavy rain, taking 43 lives in the process. Now, after 15 months of almost non-stop work, a beautiful new bridge has now been completed by the firm of renowned architect Renzo Piano (RPBW). Though Read More...
Levi’s announces collection of jeans made from hemp
Now that it is legal to cultivate hemp across the US, clothing brands are increasingly considering turning to this much-beloved material, that’s often touted not only for its strength but also for being more sustainable than cotton, requiring less water and land space. Now, those looking for a Read More...