Split Hanger
by: Yanko Design, 2011-08-26 07:15:19 UTC

No one really knows who made the first hanger. Some believe President Thomas Jefferson used the first modern fore runner and others have pointed to more archaic forms that vaguely look like the modern hanger. We’ve seen some novel improvements since then. The Split Hanger continues to improve on this simply by enabling you to fold the hanger making it easier to slip in/out without stretching out the collar.

Designer: System Design Studio

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5 Advancements in green building technology
by: Ecofriend, 2011-08-26 11:44:20 UTC
Ankit Dahiya:

In an effort to reduce the environmental impact of architecture, architects have been coming up with futuristic designs that have a low carbon footprint. This change in strategy comes courtesy of research groups who are working hard to develop next-gen technologies that can help these architects realize their green dreams. From sustainable concrete to systems like BIPV, these green technologies promise green buildings of the future.

Some of the advancements in Green building technology are listed below:

1. Green Building materials

Meld USA known for creating ecofriendly concrete products launched its latest development called Ecox. Ecox is basically made from a precast material composed of 70% post-consumer and recycled cement and glass.These materials are mainly used in the manufacturing process of concrete products that are supposed to be perfectly ordered, and in fixtures and accessories. From house owners to businessman, all like to order these ecofriendly products which are much harmless when compared to other concrete products.

Another step taken toward a green environment is the carbon sense solution, which is developed to store carbon.This technology is expected to suck 1% of Carbon Emissions in the atmosphere each year. This technology is said to provide high resistance to cracking and shrinking, more durability, and it is less permeable to water.

2. Vertical farming

This kind of advancement is made in countries which lack water like Dubai. So in countries like Dubai the fresh water is obtained by converting the sea water.To do this a vertical farm is established in Dubai which uses sea water to cool and humidify greenhouse gases and converts the humidity into fresh water to irrigate crops.The concept behind this is simple.The air is first cooled and humidified along with seawater providing basic conditions for the growth of plants.This air mixed with warm dry air makes the area more hot and then this hot air is condensed until drops of fresh water are obtained. Water scrapers built in various countries is another way of using green environment effectively.

3. Self-sustainable building technique

One of the famous building built using this concept is the Madan Technology Center building, which is a new benchmark in green building design. Its unique feature is that it is made up of concrete flower beds which is rare to see.The troughs are made from recycled products and rain water harvesting process is followed to water the flowerbeds and the surrounding lawns. Buildings like skyscraper are used to harvest solar and wind energy to meet the power consumption effectively. It saves energy and relies on natural resources.

4. Solar 2 Shape changing building to harvest solar energy

Dubai is becoming an architectural hub with all its new ecofriendly buildings and has gained lots of attention for same reason.The skyscraper and the rotating tower are making the news.The building named “Rotating tower” is capable of of rotating around its central axis.The building will be continuously in motion which changes the shape of the building.This helps the building to have a very high resistance to earthquakes as each floor rotates independently.This building will be entirely powered by sun and wind energy and it is estimated that the building will generate 10 times more energy than required to power it and thus making it a positive energy building.

5. House/skyscraper in the ocean

The green building is not only limited to land. A floating underwater skyscraper has been developed by Zigloo and is named “The Gyre”.This will bring the scientists and the vacationers together in ocean without even polluting it and to understand the ocean better.The peak depth is 400 m and the development will provide a comfortable working environment including restaurants, gardens and recreation centers.This building will harvest renewable energy from the sun, wind, and tides. Rainwater is also harvested and a storage basin for fresh water is constructed at the deepest portion of the structure.

High tech light switches to reduce your energy consumption
by: The Design blog, 2011-08-26 13:08:36 UTC
Sreejith Nair:

Home lighting occupies a large chunk of our overall energy consumption. At locations with minimal sunlight, even days need to be illuminated by artificial light. Somehow we do not seem to understand the simple things like turning off the lights when not needed, using low-watt lighting and so on to cut down on our energy expenditure.

Researches have indicated that much of everyday energy expenditure happens when electric appliances are turned on even if their use is over. It could be due to oversight, negligence or paucity of time of the people in the house. Now new solutions in switch manufacturing have come out. Switches have become more of a breed of intelligent devices rather than dumb input terminals. With so much impetus on ecology conservation, it is a welcome reality that such switches are becoming more of a household name. To understand this better, take a look at the following list of high tech switches that can drastically cut down on your energy expenditure.

MAGI Light

MAGI Light is a combination of lamps and switches. There is a distinctive look and feel to this product. Unlike any other switch, the style of operation differs too. Traditionally switches were operated using the pressing mechanism. But with this switch, users will have to turn it to switch the lights on or off. The lamps provide a natural sunlight-like feel. It hardly looks like a switch. Rather, it looks more like a wall-décor accessory.

Smart switches

These switches work on motion-sensing technology. You can control it using only gestures. The switch is a panel with underlying sensors. You need to draw its attention to switch on or off a light source by gesturing to it. There are particular ways to gesture to get it to do things. The main selling point of this switch is that you can control all your lights at once, and from a single point. This design concept has revolutionized how switches may be developed in the future.

Consumption feedback switch

Most of us expend energy without realizing or even making an attempt to know how much we spent. Smart Consumption Feedback switch helps you understand your consumption better by displaying a flashing light to indicate your over-consumption. The intensity of the flashing light is stronger if your energy consumption is more and vice versa.

OLED touch screen light switch

Not only does it allow control over lights, this switch also graphically indicates power consumption statistics. So you would know when you are using too much electricity. The graphical representation comes in different ways.

Green switch

Known as ‘wireless switch’ or ‘green switch’, it enables you to switch on or switch off your electric appliances wirelessly. Essentially, the switch has a chip with capabilities of radio communication. So the next time you leave home, you can give a command to switch off, and all the wireless switches will turn off all appliances.

Motion sensing light switch

As already mentioned, most energy consumption happens when there is no need of it. In other words, failure to switch off appliances after use is the single most accumulator of energy expenditure. To counter this, Motion Sensing Light Switch uses inactivity controls to power on or off lights. When it detects inactivity in a particular room, it powers off lights. It does this by detecting movement in the room. When it sees that there is movement in the room, it decides to keep the lights on.

Floor Plan Light switch

Even after staying for a long time in a house, you may not know which switch controls which electrical appliance. For example, you may switch off the patio lights to switch off the ceiling fan. Floor Plan Light Switch solves this problem by introducing a single panel switch that has the floor plan of the house on the surface. So if you want to switch off the patio light, you need to navigate to that area on the switch-surface and turn if off.

Build Your Own Pallet Armchair Designed By Pierre Vedel
by: TreeHugger Design, 2011-08-25 18:53:03 UTC
There are said to be two billion pallets in circulation around the world, and two/thirds of them are only used once. Designer Pierre Vedel approaches the problem by designing a complete armchair built from exactly one of the ubiquitous pallets . ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Green Lite Motors Produces Hybrid Vehicle Combining Car Comfort with a Breakthrough in Fuel Efficiency
by: Sustainable Design News, 2011-08-07 09:30:55 UTC
Green Lite Motors, a clean technology company developing new transportation alternatives for commuters, is using Autodesk Product Design Suite from Autodesk, to more efficiently design a three-wheeled hybrid vehicle capable of traveling 100 miles on a single gallon of gas, as well as achieving highway-ready speeds of 85 miles per hour and a cruising range of 250 miles.

Although classified as a motorcycle, the vehicle is fully enclosed like a car, giving commuters a safer, more comfortable and environmentally friendly way to get to work.

The vehicle can carry two passengers using a hybrid gas engine and electric motor, which supports long-range freeway cruising, as well as enhanced fuel efficiency in stop-and-go traffic.

Sustainability by Design: Call for Case Studies
by: Sustainable Design News, 2011-08-18 12:14:51 UTC
The AIA New York Chapter is offering a 5 part workshop series of Continuing Education Programs providing a detailed look at sustainable design in the New York region.

The series will commence in September and run through early December, 2011.

As a part of each workshop, specific case studies relative to sustainable design in general and focused on the workshop topic in particular will be presented to augment the content of the topic.

It Turns Out Electric Vehicles Are So Fun To Drive, You Won't Want To Go Back
by: fast company, 2011-08-24 22:15:01 UTC

So much for range anxiety. A new study of people given a test EV found that every single one of them was happy with it as their primary car.

It can seem crazy to think that electric vehicles will replace gasoline engines anytime in the near future: range anxiety, charging times, price, and plain old inertia are all touted as deal-killers. But a new study found that drivers actually preferred their electric car over their conventional clunker (or even a Porsche and Lexus in some cases) after a trial program leasing 450 electric Mini E's to drivers in Los Angeles, New York, and New Jersey.

The study, completed by the University of California Davis, found that EVs did take some getting used to. The 201-horsepower Mini E by BMW has an 80-100 mile range, and recharges at home or work in about three hours with a dedicated charger. Drivers encountered new features such as regenerative breaking when easing off the accelerator (no more "gas" pedals anymore) and faster pickup with the high-torque electric motor. The backseat was also partially taken up by Lithium-ion batteries reducing the seating and storage area.

But by the end of the trial, the drivers, a mix of high-performance junkies, environmental enthusiasts, and technology pioneers, were hooked: 100% of the survey respondents agreed "electric vehicles are suitable for daily use," and two-thirds were more interested in buying an electric car. Only 9% said they were less interested. "Most households," even those with several other cars, reported the study, "preferred to drive the Mini E," admiring its clean, fun, and efficient attributes.

The road wasn't always smooth. Battery life experienced "unacceptable" dips during extreme temperatures, and about 80% of the drivers would have liked to travel beyond the 100-mile or so range, primarily to visit friends, do some recreation, or even work. Picking improvements for future models, most drivers opted for more seats, longer range (about 120 miles) and public charging stations.

Dahlia Garas, program manager at the UC Davis EV research center, says the study shows technical issues are not necessarily the greatest barrier to EV adoption anymore. It's more about giving the public the option to buy the kind of car they want, and experience how compelling "clean and fun" can be, based on the survey results. "The general public thinks that electric cars are all golf carts: slow and boring," she said. "It's not until they drive one, they hear one, that they open their minds that these cars be fun to drive."

Although the Mini E isn't for sale yet, you've got 57 different electric and hybrid models to chose from on the market today. Go for a test drive, and you very well might be hooked.

[Image: Flickr user Ed Callow [torquespeak]]

Reach Michael J. Coren via Twitter or email.

Minimalist Juicer
by: Yanko Design, 2011-08-24 15:16:59 UTC

Nae is an interesting take on what designer Thibaut Rouganne calls a minimalist juicer. Personally I can envisage a far more stripped looking tool for something as simple as juicing but I do like how the lines of the design emphasize its function. The entire thing could be made from one sheet of plastic and it’s far more compact than the traditional juicer.

Designer: Thibaut Rouganne

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Origami swan-shaped IGA Chair comes wrapped in a flat package
by: The Design blog, 2011-08-24 11:56:31 UTC
Asmita Prasad:

Of all the things that can inspire a chair, origami is perhaps the last thing we’d ever think of. But the Japanese paper-folding art has been applied to furniture design in the most novel way by designer Damian Kozlik who uses the intricate principles of art to create a functional chair with ample storage areas.

The IGA chair follows the current European trend of dismantleable and transport-friendly furniture and comes packed in a flat package with ready-to-assemble components. The chair comprises of four separate components with the seat, legs, and backrest provided in the box along with connector parts. Once the box is opened, users can simply glue or screw the main components with the help of connectors and joints and assemble the chair in no time. What’s even better is that finished DIY chair shows no signs of assembly and looks factory-finished.

When finished, the plastic chair features plenty of space to store various odds and ends as well as a comfy chair that can be fitted with a custom cushion to provide a sturdy and space-saving seating solution for the urban user. Being created in weather-proof plastic, the chair can be used both indoors as well as outdoors with its sleek albeit distinct-looking shape giving it a definite designer/boutique look.

Via: DesignSpotter

Smart set to debut new electric bike in Frankfurt
by: The Design blog, 2011-08-24 13:13:48 UTC
Asmita Prasad:

The Frankfurt Auto Show is less than a month away and automakers are revealing their latest creations with a fury in order to grab as many eyeballs as possible. Joining the big names in the game is electric bike maker Smart, who is ready to present a new production version of its electric two-wheeler, the eBike.

Created in collaboration with a relatively young German firm Grace, the eBike is inspired by the mopeds in vogue across Asia a few decades ago, and allows users the ease of choosing between running the bike on the electric motor or legging it the old fashioned way to get a decent workout, out of their daily commute. Fitted with a three-speed transmission, the electric motor on the eBike has four power levels that let the rider choose power-up modes to conserve batteries.

The engine on the eBike produces a meager 250 watts, but the power-conservation modes allow it to maximize its performance in city conditions. With a range of 100km on a full charge, the bike is perfect for short distance daily commutes. The bike’s frame is crafted with a sturdy yet lightweight material that further boosts performance. Fitted with an LED headlamp, a flashlight and a built-in USB port to charge smartphones and other devices, the eBike comes fully city-ready.

With 26-inch standard mountain bike-sized wheels, the eBike is easy to maneuver and control in busy streets. The Lithium-Ion 400W battery housed at the bottom of the frame can easily be charged from a regular power outlet. Smart plans to start full-on production of the model as early as from the next year at an expected price of €2900.

Via: CarDesign