Design
These beautiful energy-efficient homes were built in a factory
A company in Quebec has introduced a factory-built house to the market that runs entirely on solar power. Even though the house takes only five days to assemble, the look and feel of the home is that of a chic, modern living space. What’s more, the home costs no more than $147 per square meter Read More...
Buildings could soon be constructed using concrete solar panels
One ton of CO2 is generated by making one ton of cement, which is made from limestone and a few other things heated to an extremely high temperature. But what if concrete could generate its own energy? It seems we’re getting very close to that reality after the world’s largest cement maker Read More...
Bionic leaf is 10 times better at photosynthesis than real plants
Plants take in carbon dioxide, water, and sunshine to create a sugary fuel. Now researchers have done the same, but even Read More...
In Norway, an ambitious new standard for green building is catching on
In Drøbak, Norway, there’s a little school that’s one of the most unique — and possibly the greenest — in the world. On top, solar panels face the sun at a 33-degree angle, and beneath, energy wells tap geothermal Read More...
The rural Brazilian school that enraptured the architecture world
The young architects behind a school in rural Brazil didn't expect international recognition for their work. Their goal was simply to serve disadvantaged students in the remote community of Formoso do Araguaia, a municipality around 500 kilometers (311 miles) northwest of the country's capital, Read More...
This Indian city is using the newest technology to reinvent the modern city
The Indian state of Andhra Pradesh plans to revolutionize the concept of what the modern city will look like. The local government is completely redesigning its capital to include large shaded walkways to encourage people to walk more, plentiful green spaces, widespread use of renewable energy, and Read More...
Could termites teach us how to save the world?
After being neck deep in oil for nearly a decade, it made perfect sense that the writer Lisa Margonelli would become obsessed with termites. Termites offered an escape from the depressing and seemingly intractable politics that stop us from breaking our addiction to Read More...
Designers created a shipping container that mimics clouds to create clean water
In 2016, the competition asked designers to build a device that could extract at least 2,000 liters of water a day from the atmosphere, use clean energy, and cost no more than 2¢ a liter. From the competition came a shipping container that can use clean energy to extract clean waters out of thin Read More...
Dandelion seeds fly using ‘impossible’ method never before seen in nature
Dandelion seeds fly using a method that researchers thought couldn’t work in the real world, according to a study published in Nature. When some animals, aeroplanes or seeds fly, rings of circulating air called vortices form in contact with their wings or wing-like Read More...
No more distraction: these glasses block all the screens around you
In many public places, it’s hard to avoid distracting screens. News and commercials keep streaming at you—even if you don’t want to watch. These glasses help. A special film turns screens black while you keep seeing everything else around Read More...