Design
From architecture to cultural life: how would you design a city from scratch?
Cities define modern life. They make more money than other places, demand more of the people who live in them, and provide more for them too. Except for the people who aren’t making money; and if you are the kind who does make money, you probably know little about them. Several million humans Read More...
The radically simple design that's changing African architecture
When constructing a building in Africa, the one thing it must be able to do is withstand the African climate. By combining the sophistication of European architecture along with the needs of African buildings, Berlin-based architecture Francis Kéré has started an architectural revolution in Read More...
Reusable space craft, healthy marriages, 10 other key moments of science in 2016
2016 was a turbulent year. Not only in the political world, but also in the world of science. SpaceX demonstrated a big step towards fully reusable space crafts. The Zika virus was uncovered. And scientists even confirmed that there is a nearby planet that could be inhabitable. Science had a wild Read More...
This abandoned military village could soon be a sustainable shared paradise
There are dream-like plans in the works for an abandoned military village sitting just outside the German city of Heidelberg. In what’s being called an “experiment for future living,” the old village may soon be transformed into a sustainable communal residence where people share Read More...
The cities that saved lives with protected bike lanes
Several weeks ago, painted lines and flexible plastic lane dividers began materializing on Maryland Avenue, one of the major north-south arteries that connect downtown Baltimore to the residential neighborhoods above the city. The resulting 2.6-mile route is called a cycle track, one of the Read More...
Designing cities that create more health and less violence
Design affects the brain. The design of our spaces can heal us, hurt us, and alter the way we think. Scientists and designers are starting to understand how and why. And as they learn more, they’re fueling the development of new design tools and approaches that are rapidly changing the built Read More...
From train to car, a Finnish app to guide citizen’s travel plans
Helsinki, on the southern shore of Finland, has a regional population of 1.2 million. Its transportation options include buses, trams, and a metro, not to mention bike rentals in the summertime—yet plenty of people still use cars. To encourage more of those drivers to use public Read More...
Amsterdam has plans to turn its city center into an environmentalist's paradise
Amsterdam’s city center is always crowded with tourists and traffic, but that may all change in the coming years. Architecture firm HofmanDujardin recently unveiled a new project that will decentralize the area and repurpose routes currently used solely by cars into green, pedestrian-friendly Read More...
Suck it up: thorny dragons use their skin like a straw to drink water
Thorny devil lizards shovel damp sand on to their backs and suck the moisture through their skin to their mouths, new research has found. The spiky reptiles live in the arid deserts and sandy plains of central and western Australia, where they feed almost exclusively on ants. Their mouths have Read More...
Invisible solar cells: Harnessing solar energy with stone, concrete and wood
Generating “free” electricity with solar panels is attractive to many homeowners. However, there also many people who don’t like the sight of the blue panels on their roofs or in their gardens. That’s where fashion-sensitive Italians can help. Dyaqua is a new company that offers Read More...