SMIT (Sustainably Minded Interactive Technology) latest technological innovation, the GROW panel, trumps both conventional solar panels and wind turbines in harnessing natural energy. Combining the best of green tech and ecology, GROW draws inspiration from ivy growing on the side of a building – resulting in a hybrid energy delivery device of flexible, ivy-like fluttering solar leaves that provide power via both sun and wind. Using a series of flexible solar cells as leaves, GROW takes the shape of ivy growing on a building- the leaves are solar cells while the wind that causes them to flutter is harvested as viable energy using a series of piezoelectric generators on the underside of each leaf. The GROW leaves are made from 100% recyclable polyethylene covered with thin film photovoltaic modules encapsulated in Tefzel.
The solar leaves need to be wired together in order to collect the energy they produce, but the system is extremely flexible allowing it to be installed on a building no matter what shape it is. It’s also extremely easy to maintain since replacing a single leaf when it fails doesn’t require you to take down the entire installation. – Via – Inhabitat
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Japanese Tea Houses are among the most beautiful and serene structures on the planet, and are usually minimalist in design and modest in size. This inflatable Japanese teahouse, designed by Kengo Kuma, was created for an exhibit at the Museum für Angewandte Kunst Frankfurt. At a first glance you don’t even know that is a house I thought that is a inflatable balloon, and maybe discotheque, but not a japanese tea house. Normally this type of structure does not make it past the drawing board, but the Japanese have more guts then we do when it comes to architecture. I don’t know why they wanted to build this house because is just a waste or material, time and money.
The teahouse does not rise up from the ground as a fixed wooden construction, but unfolds as an airborne form. When a ventilation system is activated, the teahouse swells into shape like a white high-tech textile blossom. In its interior, comprising a surface of approximately twenty square metres, are nine tatami mats, an electric stove for the water kettle, a tokonoma niche and a preparation room. Integrated LED technology allows the use of the teahouse at night; the interior can be heated by way of the membrane. Finnaly ..one questions for my readers ..when you saw this house what did you think it was ? – Via – Dvice & Slipperybrick
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As global warming takes effect, and we have to think of more environmentally friendly ways to live our hectic lives, people are increasingly thinking of new ways to accomplish this effort. Check out this new concept home by Cradle 2 Cradle. It has a photosynthetic, phototropic spinach skin surface and a vegetated roof system that filters storm water in.
The residence incorporated many other sustainable features. It was designed with passive solar strategies in mind, using thermal mass and shading devices where appropriate. It has a landscaped roof garden designed to collect and filter stormwater . It recycles black and grey water to be used in garden, which in turn provide fruits and vegetables to the occupants. Soy-based wall panels and recycled concrete materials are used within the structure providing a sustainable alternative to standard construction materials. Not only does the building run a photosynthetic and phototropic skin made with spinach protein, but it also produces more energy than a single family’s needs, allowing the excess to be distributed to neighbors. This radical shift, from centralized energy systems today, fosters community interdependence as neighbors benefit from the resources of others. – Via – Io9 & Ecofriend
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The 63.02° house was designed by Schemata Architecture Office, a house built at 63.02° to the road. The house in Nakana, Tokyo, was completed in December and has a floor space of 71.4 m2. Sharp angels are everywhere on this one of a kind rentable home that seems to have carved a place in the neighborhood. From these pictures the house looks very modern, but the space is very very small, I’m sure that in a house like this you’ll have to organise every inch. Finnaly this is a great example of how you can use a very small piece of land in a crowded city to make a place to live. – Via – Dezeen
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Stylish Apartment For Sale in Linnéstaden, Sweeden
Turning an Old Pool Into a Skaters' Heaven : Octopus by NEVERCREW’S
Metz Residence in Minneapolis
‘Anamorphism’ : A Stunning Street Project by Ninja182
Spoil Yourself With The New Globe Bench from Hstudio
