Design
'People are nicer to each other when they move more slowly': how to create happier cities
When Charles Montgomery first started talking about urban happiness, people laughed at him. As his colleague Omar Dominguez explains, “happiness is kind of an out-there concept for some people”. Montgomery and Dominguez work at Happy City, a Canadian organisation named after Read More...
A skyscraper made of bones: How biomimicry could shape the cities of the future
In her lab at Cambridge University, the bioengineer Michelle Oyen has been busy making samples of artificial bone and eggshells. The samples are only centimeters in length, but she hopes that they’ll someday make up high-rises and skyscrapers. And in that way, cities of the future will Read More...
'Transformative technology': 3D-printed reefs
If architect James Gardiner is even half right, 3D printing is about to launch a digital design revolution. Dr Gardiner believes it will transform our world like the industrial revolution did in the 18th and 19th centuries. Using similar technology to that which could be employed to Read More...
Green rooftops are helping U.S cities prevent floods
Covering the roof of a building with soil and vegetation can look beautiful, but that’s not why cities across America are having green roofs installed on their buildings. As climate change continues to create more intense storms, green roofs are a good way to prevent flooding by stopping storm Read More...
Why Amsterdam's The Edge is a model for green offices worldwide
Imagine buildings that can sense where its inhabitants are, what their schedule is at a given time of day, and direct them to spots that are most productive for their tasks. These buildings are not in a distant future; in fact, one such smart building is already making global headlines in green Read More...
This will be the largest 'Passive House' apartment complex in the world
Sitting on a piece of land roughly the size of a football field in a former freight yard in Heidelberg, Germany, a new 162-unit apartment complex called Heidelberg Village will soon be the largest passive house development in the world. To meet the exacting "Passivhaus" standard, buildings can only Read More...
World's most breathtaking greenhouses
"The yearning for nature is really strong, and particularly if you're a city dweller, it's even more important." Jim Eyre, one of the founding directors of WilkinsonEyre, speaks as an architect who can attest to the power of nature within an urban environment. He is part of the team responsible for Read More...
Building computers with nanowires made from bacteria
You know the nanowires used in computers? Well, researchers from the U.S Navy have found a way to craft them from a genetically modified bacteria found just about anywhere on Earth. The team of researchers altered the bacteria so that it would be 2,000 times better at conducting electricity at the Read More...
Natural scale caterpillar soft robot is powered and controlled with light
Researchers, using the liquid crystal elastomer technology have demonstrated a bioinspired micro-robot capable of mimicking caterpillar gaits in natural scale. The 15-millimeter long soft robot harvests energy from green light and is controlled by spatially modulated laser beam. Apart from Read More...
This new apartment building has an ‘Uber room’ to wait for your ride
There was the building in D.C.’s NoMa neighborhood that tried to lure new tenants with a communal English bulldog that everyone could call their own. Then there are the rooftop dog parks, pools and gardens on buildings in neighborhoods where D.C.’s newest residents flock to pay $2,000 for a Read More...