Design
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...
China’s mega city will run entirely on renewable energy
If it were in any other country, the idea of creating a new city four times the size of Manhattan powered entirely by renewable energy might sound far-fetched. But this is China, where extraordinary projects are becoming almost the norm. Speaking at the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting Read More...
African countries turn their overcrowded urban centers into 'smart cities'
Kigali, Rwanda Vision City, Rwanda’s largest housing project, sits on a hill overlooking the rest of Kigali. Its rows of whitewashed villas and townhouses stand out against the green landscape and shacks made of scrap metal and mud, in the slum in the valley below. Outside the main office, a Read More...
This gem has to be one of the most beautiful treehouses in the world
Who said treehouses are just for kids? In South Africa, a duo of architects recently completed the ultimate treehouse in the suburbs of Cape Town. The “vertically arranged” treehouse strikes a perfect balance between the human-made and nature, and is perched beautifully amongst the surrounding Read More...
Mystery of 2,000-year-old Roman concrete solved by scientists
Some 2,000 years after they were first erected, Ancient Roman harbours made from concrete are still standing across Europe. Meanwhile, more modern constructions have proved far less durable, crumbling into the water in a mater of decades. Finally, scientists have solved the puzzle of what Read More...
Video game used to design public space in more than 25 developing countries
Local authorities have been 'amazed to see that young women from slums could design as architects or urban planners', according to the co-ordinator of a United Nations initiative using the video game Minecraft to get communities designing their own public spaces. The Block by Block project is the Read More...
Madrid's residents are using open-source urban planning to create shared spaces
Since the 2008 economic crisis, Madrid has become the epicentre of major political and urban change. The city’s Indignados are back, asserting that residents have a “right to the city” as well as “lodging, work, culture, health, education, political participation, the Read More...
Science is proving why urban design matters more than ever
In a new study, researchers have concluded that simple interventions can make a big difference in how people perceive their cities. For example, they found that people living in communities that they think have adequate public seating were 9 percent more satisfied with police, and trusted Read More...
Helsinki wants to convince people to give up their cars
JUNE 23, 2017 —For years, environmentalists and urban planners on both sides of the Atlantic have been fantasizing about few- or no-car city living, in order to make their municipalities easier and safer places to live, while also reducing their carbon footprint. The mayors of a number of Read More...
Moth eyes inspire glare-resistant coating for cellphone screens
If you're standing in the blazing sun struggling to read this on your cellphone, there may be some relief in sight. And you'll have a moth to thank. The reason you have to find shade to read your phone is because of how the light reflects off the screen. The reflection reduces contrast, washing out Read More...