Old toilets recycled into new "green" cement. An international team of researchers has discovered a potential new use for discarded toilets, along with other ceramic waste such as basins, stoneware and bricks. It turns out that they can be made into a more eco-friendly form of cement. To make the cement, ceramic waste is ground up, then mixed with an activator solution and water. The resulting mixture is then poured into a mold, and subjected to a high-temperature hardening process. In tests conducted with items made from red clay brick waste, the cement was actually stronger than types that are currently in common use. The strength of cement made with other forms of ceramic waste is still being evaluated. Sodium hydroxide or sodium silicate have been used as the activators so far, although the researchers are reportedly getting promising results using rice husk ash. Additionally, it could be used as an alternative to Portland cement, which is the world's most widely used form of cement.
Source: Asociación RUVID (Spanish) Ibuku Constructs Three New Bamboo Homes in Bali's Gorgeous Green Village. Designed by Ibuku, Bali's Green Village is a community of gorgeous homes built entirely from bamboo. Construction on the village began in 2010, and it continues to grow with the addition three more fantastic homes this year (and they're available to rent!). Constructed with locally-sourced materials and traditional building techniques, the Green Village fits in perfectly with the surrounding natural landscape of Bali’s sacred Ayung River.
Designed by Ibuku, the Green Village is a neighborhood of beautiful bamboo houses in Bali. Built in much the same way as the nearby Green School, the unique homes are constructed around radial clusters of bamboo columns to which bamboo tile and a thatched canopy are attached. Bamboo is used both as the structure and the dominant element of the interior – the walls, staircases, floors and furniture are all constructed from the plant. . + Green Village + Ibuku. Scientists Discover How Ancient Egyptians Transported Huge Pyramid Stones Across Desert Sand. Researchers from the FOM Foundation and the University of Amsterdam have figured out how the ancient Egyptians transported huge stones across desert sands to build the famed pyramids. Through experiments and simulated desert conditions, scientists determined that the secret of moving heavy stones across the porous surface of the desert lies in the dampness of sand. Egyptologists have been able to explain how the ancient Egyptians transported heavy cargo from the quarries to building sites using barges, but the question of moving the 2.5 ton stones across the desert has, until recently, plagued scientists and mechanical engineers alike.
Researchers at the University of Amsterdam conducted several experiments and concluded that the ancient Egyptians must have dampened the sand for the sleds-large slabs with upturned edges–to slide over it without it digging into the sand ahead. Related: Amazing Egyptian Cave Churches are Carved Out of Solid Rock in Cairo + FOM Foundation Via Gizmodo.
Tentsile Treehouse Tents Provide a Safe Haven in the Treetops! Tentsile is a portable habitation unit that can be suspended amidst trees to provide accommodation for three people. With three anchor points and the use of tension instead of poles, the Tentsile is part tent and part hammock. The structure is made from a collapsable frame of webbing straps with fire retardant, UV PU and water resistant polyester fabric infill panels. The three points serve as sleeping chambers and the middle is held in suspension and serves as a vestibule and gathering space. Access is gained via a rope ladder in the middle. It comes in a wide variety of colors and each tent is made by hand and there is also an option to hang the tent with a stand if no trees are available.
The UK tent maker touts this tent for a wide variety of travel styles, for backpacking in the woods, and even as disaster relief shelters. The tents pack down for portability and are durable for long use. . + Tentsile. 6 Fascinating Underground Homes That Go Above and Beyond. When it comes to cool eco architecture, some people feel like the higher up you build, the better. But don't forget to look down once in a while! There are some astonishing examples of naturally sustainable construction right under your nose - hidden underneath the ground. Come with us as we explore six fascinating examples of buried homes that you may have overlooked the first time around.
Unlike other homes whose goal in life is to stick out like a sore thumb (read: that guy on your block who strings up enough holiday lights to cause a neighborhood blackout), this clever dwelling was made specifically so that it would blend in perfectly with the breathtaking landscape in Vals, Switzerland. Designed by the architects of SeArch and Christian Müller, the home is hidden on all sides save for one and by building the house underground, the architects were able to almost completely eliminate the need for heating or cooling in the winter and summer months.
Lush Green Walls Protect a Pond-Topped Sunken Chapel in Mexico. The clients visited BNKR Arquitectura‘s La Estaancia Chapel in Cuernavaca and loved the feel of it, so they asked the firm to design a private chapel for their own yard at their home. They asked for the chapel to be non-religious and discreet, but also a spectacular space where they would feel something special while inside.
The result is a sunken chapel that is barely visible from the house and the yard. In fact, the roof is made to look like a pond that is part of the landscape. Related: BNKR Arquitectura Builds an Entire Pavilion from 5,000 Recycled Coca-Cola Crates As visitors approach the chapel, they see a downward spiral and blooming flowers that direct them down into the space.
. + BNKR Arquitectura Images ©Jaime Navarro Related: Ethereal Rio Roca Ranch Chapel is a Wooden Church Filled with Air and Light. Gigantic Airship Hangar Transformed Into Tropical Island Resort. This supermassive hangar once housed gigantic airships, and now it has been given a second life as an indoor tropical resort that holds the world's largest indoor pool and water park. Located in the countryside between Dresden and Berlin, the building was modified to bring in lots of sunlight and the huge doors were welded shut to keep in the heat -- even during the snowy German winter. Inside, a small oceanside village gives visitors a tropical escape. The dome is the world’s largest freestanding building, and it was originally owned by a company attempting to develop a transport dirigible. When that company went belly-up, a Malaysian company took the reins and created a year-round tropical paradise that maintains a lovely 79 degree Fahrenheit.
If you like big numbers, this project has some jaw droppers — the roof is 70,000 square meters, the indoor pool is the size of four Olympic sized pools, and the interior holds 5 million cubic feet of space. . + Tropical Islands. World's First Quiet Treehouse Provides Safe Haven in a Noisy Environment. Living in a noise-filled world isn't just annoying--it can also be hazardous to your health. To create a safe haven from the onslaught of noise, Blue Forest designed the world's first Quiet Treehouse, an enchanting and acoustically engineered timber structure. The cocoon-like treehouse was created in collaboration with John Lewis and the Britain-based nonprofit Quiet Mark, and will be donated to The Chestnut Tree House Children's Hospice in West Sussex.
Luxury treehouse design and construction firm Blue Forest has charmed us before with their beautiful timber structures and this year’s Quiet Treehouse is no exception. Inspired by the shape of a small coppice of trees, the gorgeous rounded treehouse sits on top three ribbed tree trunk structures. The cozy and contemporary treehouse is also equipped with next generation sound engineering to insulate children and families from harmful excessive noise. + Blue Forest Images © Blue Forest. Julian Hoeber’s Disorienting “Gravitational Mystery Spot” Architecture Pops Up in New York Demon Hill #2 by Julian Hoeber - Gallery Page 1 – Inhabitat New York City.
Point of Beginning | POB covers the latest surveying, mapping & geospatial technologies. Tree Houses: Fairy Tale Castles In The Air Features 50 Breathtaking Tree Houses From Around The World. Email Ilya Korolev, an architect friend of mine, once designed a tree house that was to act as a kid-friendly annex to our lean-to cabin in upstate New York. The design (pictured in the image above) resembled a yurt suspended ten-or-so feet off the ground by high-capacity cables with rope ladder access. The “flying yurt,” as we affectionately referred to it, is yet to be built. But I thought of Ilya’s design as I reviewed the equally brilliant designs featured in Tree Houses: Fairy Tale Castles in the Air. One day… Spectacular Lion Sands Treehouses Let You Sleep Under the Starry Night Sky in Africa. This amazing open-air treehouse at South Africa’s Lion Sands Game Reserve lets you sleep under the starry night sky. The eco resort features five cozy lodges and three deluxe treehouses located in the thick of the wilderness.
The unique treehouses are elevated on platforms that lift guests above the African landscape for an unforgettable night under the stars. Adventurous guests can sleep in the wild of South Africa, safely elevated above the beautiful landscape. Guests can choose from three stilted treehouses. The Chalkley Treehouse hugs an old tree in the middle of a field, and it’s strung with lanterns to illuminate the night. The Tinyeleti Treehouse is nestled within lush trees overlooking a stream, and it’s accessible via an elevated boardwalk.
The deluxe Kingston treehouse is surrounded by natural boulders, and it features a glassed-in bathroom area and a woven roof. Each of the open-air treehouses features a deluxe canopy bed with mosquito netting, a dining area and a bathroom. RIEGL Introduces the World’s First App for LIDAR Data Visualization on the iPad: RiALITY! « The RIEGL USA Newsroom. RIEGL Introduces the World’s First App for LIDAR Data Visualization on the iPad: RiALITY! Dive into the point cloud! For Immediate Release February 26, 2014 RIEGL proudly announces its new iPad point cloud viewer: RiALITY, now available for free in the iTunes App Store. This new, innovative App, the first of its kind, allows users to experience LIDAR data in a completely new environment. RIEGL’s RiALITY App enables users to visualize and navigate through point clouds acquired with RIEGL laser scanners.
“We’re pleased to present a new way of visualizing point clouds. RiALITY features true color point clouds and 3D navigation. Dive into the point cloud! Find out more at www.riegl.com/app. RiALITY: Each point of the clouds can be visualized in true color or single color mode. RiALITY’s Augmented Reality Mode. About RIEGL LMS: About RIEGL USA: Located in Orlando, FL, RIEGL USA is the North American office for RIEGL Laser Measurement Systems, GmbH. Like this: Like Loading... Janet Echelman's Stunning Floating String Sculptures Evoke the Aurora Borealis. Echelman first conceived of her elaborate net sculptures during her Fulbright lectureship in India, where she learned net weaving from the local fisherman of the Mahaballipuram region.
She has used her inspiration from these fisherman to create indoor and outdoor public installations from similar netting, which is hand-woven or machine-woven depending on the project. To create her complex designs, Echelman works with a team of aeronautical and mechanical engineers, amongst other design professionals.
When suspended in the air, the large-scale works take on a life of their own, interacting with wind, sunlight, and precipitation as if they were living beings. During the day, the sculptures woven from fine string reveal their delicate composition. At night this delicacy fades and the suspending forms appear solid, floating mid-air as if they were space ships, organic creatures, or thick pieces of luminous fabric waving in the air. . + Janet Echelman. Analytics Home. Steve's Thailand Dome Home Creation - SteveAreen.com.
Could future spaceships be built with artificial 'bone'? How do you make a light, low-density material without compromising its strength? It’s a conundrum that has plagued engineers and builders looking for tough, durable materials that don’t weigh them down. Now, using a high-tech 3D printer, scientists in Germany have created a lightweight but very strong material inspired by the intricate microscopic architecture of living tissue – our own bones. The research, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, could pave the way for future super-light materials that could be used in microfluidics devices or to make lighter (and thus cheaper) spacecraft. “It’s a long-standing aim in engineering to create new materials which are even lighter and stronger, [but] there’s some kind of limit reached with standard materials,” said lead author Jens Bauer, a mechanical engineer at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology.
Wood and bone don’t seem to have this problem. Wood and bone have another advantage. The secret to dolphin speed? Terreform ONE (Open Network Ecology) New York City. Can NYC be completely self-reliant? – Michael Sorkin. The planet is going to hell in a hand basket. Population grows exponentially, the air is toxic, and there simply aren’t enough resources to go around. The Earth could not sustain even a third of its current population were we all to consume at American levels. This fundamental gap succinctly describes the environmental ‘crisis’ for what it is: a problem of equity.
In New York, we’ve just inaugurated a new mayor, Bill de Blasio, who campaigned in opposition to what he called our ‘tale of two cities’ – the dramatic and growing levels of inequality that increasingly characterise not just New York, but the country. In fact, it’s a tale of two planets. The only solution is to harmonise needs and resources. Popular now Still living with your parents? Why solitary confinement degrades us all Do the phases of the moon affect human behaviour? I use the word ‘responsibility’ advisedly.
Bird’s-eye view of Midtown Manhattan’s neighbourhood food hubs in New York City (Steady) State. 13 February 2014. Knit Fort is an Airy Playspace that Expands and Contracts. Email What kid (or adult) doesn’t like to hide out in their very own fort? New York’s Matt Gagnon Studio has created a gorgeous modular wooden Knit Fort that is perfect for children and adults alike. The open woven walls allow for total movable manipulation -- allowing a child to change the shape of the cozy fort, letting the structure take on a life of its own. Gagnon’s Knit Fort is made from slats of gorgeous stained hardwood, woven into flexible and airy segments and secured with rubber cord. Another stellar attribute of Knit Fort is that it has numerous uses beyond playtime.
. + Matt Gagnon Studio Images © Mark Iantosca via Matt Gagnon Studio via Okay Great. Stilted Roost House was Inspired by Calatrava and Le Corbusier. Tiago Barros Designs a Passing Cloud that Lets You Float Through the Sky | Inhabitat New York City. 5 Super-Efficient Tiny New York Apartments | Inhabitat New York City. Egg-Shaped HemLoft Treehouse is Nestled in the Forests of Whistler. Power Your Life | Yingli Solar. Treehouse Point Eco Resort Helps You Reconnect With Nature in Washington. School of Architecture.