On Bali, a Hotel Chain Focuses on Luxury Eco Resorts, With Stunning Results (Slideshow)
by: TreeHugger Design, 2011-08-04 13:11:41 UTC
Photos: via Designhotels.com
On the Indonesian Island of Bali, one resort chain is making eco luxury its selling point.
Sustainable touches at the 5-star
Alila Villas Uluwatu and Alila Villas Soori, part of the Alia Hotels and Resorts group, include heat-reflective roofs made of lava and facilities built underground to lower temperatures; chefs dishing up local, nearly all organic food; and a corporate-wide focus on the community.
Even if you find "eco luxury" a difficult term to digest, you can't deny the stunning result.
...
Read the full story on TreeHugger
Finally. Graduate Sustainable Design Showcase Goes National
by: TreeHugger Design, 2011-08-02 22:00:17 UTC
The Society for Responsible Design, founded in 1989, may be one of the oldest professional associations committed to the pursuit of environmentally and socially aware design. Now, after eight years of dedicated volunteer hard yards showcasing state-based graduate works, they've finally been able to give the exhibit the national exposure that new ecodesign deserves.
32 talented graduates, representing eight design streams have lent 26 of their inspiring projects to the SRD Change 2011 exhibition. See the projects first hand, as they take over the complete upper ground floor of a
Read the full story on TreeHugger
Enchanting Doorlight
by: Yanko Design, 2011-08-03 08:10:24 UTC
There is something very instinctive about finding your way to the door of a room during blackouts. Based on this instinct, it will be so clever to integrate a flashlight into the handle, so that you have an emergency light handy, wherever you need it. I love the LEDoorHandle, which is based on this simple idea! It doubles up as light sensor mood lights for those who like to indulge in fancy fittings. And the system uses the locking-motion of the handle to harness and charge the lithium batteries of the flashlight.
LEDoorHandle is a 2011 Spark Awards Winner.
Designers: Kun-hee Kim, Kei Shimizu & Nguyen-vu Dang
----------
Yanko Design
Timeless Designs - Explore wonderful concepts from around the world!
Yanko Design Store - We are about more than just concepts. See what's hot at the YD Store!
Temperature-Regulating Building Material Sucks Up Excess Heat
by: fast company, 2011-08-03 18:50:54 UTC
Simply set your walls to your desired temperature and sit back as they cool your room.
These days--apparently realizing that paying for heating and cooling costs money--building owners take energy use seriously: extensive insulation, natural light and cross-ventilation, and intelligent temperature controls are just some of the ways that LEED and other energy-efficient buildings keep costs down. Now Chinese researchers have come up with another tool in the energy-saving arsenal: a building material that can release and retain heat on command.
Developed at the University of Nottingham Ningbo China (UNNC), the material can be set to absorb any extra heat in a room--so if, for example, a
user decides they want to keep the temperature at 70 degrees, the
material can absorb any extra heat above that temperature. This doesn't
mean the end of the air conditioner; the device can still help control
air movement and humidity. The building material just soaks up extra
heat.
"There are quite a few of these materials on the market but they all
have limitations. When
it comes to releasing the heat in a short period there is a time lag... [and] in the past when we've tried to improve on the
thermal response, you lose some capacity to store the original amount of
energy," explained project leader Jo Darkwa in an interview with the The Engineer. "The challenge was how to overcome these two barriers,
making it more responsive but retaining its original abilities. We’ve
been able to do that and manufacture samples at very low cost and using
local material."
There are still hurdles to overcome before the material can be commercialized. The temperature at which the material starts absorbing heat is currently set during manufacturing, but the researchers want consumers to be able to set the temperature once the material has already been applied. Simply set your thermostat and watch as your walls absorb heat out of the room.
Once the material is ready to go, it will probably end up in China first. The country is experiencing a massive building boom, and developers in Ningbo (UNNC's home city) are required by the government to include at least one "sustainable" energy technology in all new buildings. A low-cost heat-regulating building material seems as good a choice as any.
[Image: Flickr user OUCHcharley]
Reach Ariel Schwartz via Twitter or email.
Energy-Saving Go-Between Device from DesignEdge
by: Core77, 2011-08-03 15:00:00 UTC
Most things you plug into an outlet are designed to drain energy, but the Eliminata is the opposite: The little gizmo serves as a conscientious middleman between your appliance and the socket, killing the flow of electricity during downtime and preventing that "vampire drain" that adds up over the course of a year.
(more...)
Solar Powered 20th Street Offices Show Off Brilliant Sustainable Design in Santa Monica
by: Inhabitat , 2011-08-03 17:07:47 UTC
Read the rest of Solar Powered 20th Street Offices Show Off Brilliant Sustainable Design in Santa Monica
Permalink |
Add to
del.icio.us |
digg
Post tags: "sustainable architecture", 20th street office, architects office, belzberg architects, green architecture, Green Building, green design, green roof, LEED gold, Santa Monica, Solar Power, Sustainable Building, sustainable design
Re-worked Brews Up Furniture from Recycled Coffee Grounds
by: Inhabitat , 2011-08-03 19:56:10 UTC
To most folks, used coffee grounds aren’t particularly useful — but a couple of British designers figured out a way to turn those old grounds into new furniture. That’s right, you can now you can rest your cappuccino on a table made of (mostly) recycled coffee grounds. Re-worked, a non-profit design company that specializes in green technology, recently unveiled a product called Çurface (pronounced “surface”), which is a composite board made of used coffee grounds and recycled waste plastics — a perfect illustration of upcycling. The material is water-proof, scratch-proof, and it’s malleable enough to be used in a variety of functions.
Read the rest of Re-worked Brews Up Furniture from Recycled Coffee Grounds
Permalink |
Add to
del.icio.us |
digg
Post tags: "green furniture", Adam Fairweather, Çurface, coffee, decor, green design, Re-worked, recycled material, Recycled Materials, sustainable design, upcycling
The TIND Table Melds Bamboo and Recycled Metal into Something Marvelous
by: Inhabitat , 2011-08-03 22:30:21 UTC
If you’re looking for a truly unique side table for your bedroom or living room, look no further than the TIND. Designed by Nils Finne, this smartly designed piece of furniture has a high visual impact but a low environmental footprint. That’s because it’s made from a recycled steel top that has been waterjet-cut to reveal an intricate pattern which casts fragments of shadow and light on the floor below it. Even the legs have been crafted from bamboo, one of the world’s most rapidly renewable materials.
+ The TIND Table
Photo by Benjamin Benschneider
Permalink |
Add to
del.icio.us |
digg
Post tags: "green furniture", bamboo, bamboo furniture, eco design, green design, nils finne, recycled furniture, Recycled Materials, sustainable design, tind, tind end table, tind table
Bruce Munro’s Brilliant Fiber Optic Fields of Light
by: Inhabitat , 2011-08-03 22:57:07 UTC
Read the rest of Bruce Munro’s Brilliant Fiber Optic Fields of Light
Permalink |
Add to
del.icio.us |
digg
Post tags: bruce munro, Eden Project, energy efficient lighting, fiber optic installation, field of light, green design, sustainable design, uk lighting
Static Dust
by: Yanko Design, 2011-08-02 08:35:37 UTC
Du.Static is the combination of dust and static and its main objective is to rid your room of dust particles. A magic wand kinda stick attracts all dust to it using static electricity and deposits it into the holding trash when the charge is out. The main unit doubles up as an air purifier and indicates the air-quality via the LED indicator. I like it for its sleek looks and moreover my Pottermania isn’t over yet. Maybe I can practice some spells with it…like Repello Dusto!
Du.Static is a 2011 Sparks Awards Silver Winner!
Designer: Won Suk Lee
----------
Yanko Design
Timeless Designs - Explore wonderful concepts from around the world!
Yanko Design Store - We are about more than just concepts. See what's hot at the YD Store!
Comments by our Users
Be the first to write a comment for this item.