For the second year running, the V&A museum and its supporters have used London Design Festival (and perhaps the inevitable few too many glasses of bubbly that surrounds it) to gather some funds for the innovatively named 'Design Fund to Benefit the V&A'.
The little extra dosh is set aside to enable the museum to purchase stand out examples of contemporary design—or, in other words, some very attractive, if obscenely expensive, bits of furniture— acquiring the design icons of the future, if you will. Amongst their haul this year was this worryingly delicate 'SOFA_XXXX' by Yuya Ushida that is, in fact, an expandable and contractable seating solution for cramped living conditions. Also on display was the organic form of Dutch designer Joris Laaumann's 'Bone Chaise' complete with the (almost more interesting) wooden cast for the chair.
Great potential exists in retrofitting old high-rise buildings with these innovative solar panels.
(Credit:
Sharp Japan)
A see-through solar energy panel announced today by Sharp -- primarily designed for balcony railings and skyscraper windows -- offers an uncommon alternative energy solution and sense of privacy in a single package.
The semi-transparent black solar panel launches in Japan on October 1, and delivers a solar power conversion efficiency of about 6.8-percent with a maximum output of 95 watts. While the low conversion rate seems lackluster comparative to the 10- to 20-percent efficiency standard these days, few see-through solar panel options exist commercially. Overall panel size stands at 4.5-feet wide by 3.2-feet tall and sports a super thin profile of only 0.37 inches.
A related press release notes that the module, which also acts as a heat shield, mostly consists of laminated glass infused with photovoltaic cells. Sharp did not announce plans for a U.S. debut of this nifty panel, nor did the com... [Read more]
by: Gizmag Emerging Technology Magazine, 2012-09-25 08:26:30 UTC
Researchers at the University of Nottingham have developed another weapon in the ongoing war to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases emitted from fossil fuel-burning power plants. The researchers have created a new porous material called NOTT-300 that they claim is cheaper and more efficient than existing materials at capturing polluting gases, such as carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide, from flue gas... Continue Reading New low-cost material could help bolster carbon capture
by: Environmental Leader, 2012-09-25 13:45:07 UTC Toyota will roll out 21 hybrid vehicles by the end of 2015, while scaling back plans for widespread sales of its new all-electric compact in a decision that signals the company’s growing confidence in its hybrid strategy and its tepid view of battery-powered vehicles. Toyota predicted its sales of hybrid models will likely surpass 1 [...]
London Design Festival: every scrap of material and minute of production time was carefully recorded during the manufacturing of these twelve wooden chairs, helping the Royal College of Art students that designed them to measure each one’s sustainability. (more…)
A few weeks ago, I idly wondered whether the FLIZ concept bike was a solution looking for a problem: the slick homage to the draisine struck me as the sort of oddball prototype that surely has some imaginable practical purpose beyond its origin as a thought experiment. Commenters were less sympathetic, ridiculing the contraption—often cast as a deathtrap—as an ill-advised project, possibly on par with the tongue-in-cheek treadmill bike.
As such, I felt a little sheepish about throwing the Dyson Award entry under the bus (metaphorically, of course)... but not so bad as to pass on another recent concept called the Bicymple. The designers at Bellingham, WA's Scalyfish Designs sought to "evolve the established bicycle design while adhering to the basic principles of simplicity, functionality and excitement?" The result looks something like an iteration of Joey Ruiter's City Bike, with a rear-steering option for "crab riding."
By removing the chain, the number of moving parts and overall complexity is significantly reduced. A direct-drive, freewheeling hub joins the crank arm axis with the rear-wheel axis, shortening the wheelbase and minimizing the design.
More than just a stylish concept bike, the bicymple is comfortable, easy to ride, and brilliantly simple to maintain. The lightweight design and short wheelbase make for a nimble ride. The optional rear-steer mode is remniscent of custom "swing bikes" and allows tighter turns and "crab-riding."
As far as I know, Thomas Porter has no connection to Bicymple
For reference, this well-produced short documentary about Brooklyn-based 'mutant bike' builder Thomas Porter opens with a solid minute-and-a-half of "custom 'swing bike'" tomfoolery (before venturing into rather less SFW territory). In lieu of the promised video, the Bicymple team has included some action shots:
Bicycles are all the rage these days; Interbike notwithstanding, we've seen several concepts lately, from the FLIZ to the CERV (and most recently the unacronymous Bicymple), each an attempt to evolve beyond the traditional diamond frame.
Yet the pedal-powered drivetrain is as tried-and-true as they come, and a Guatemalan (via Canada) nonprof has demonstrated its efficiency and versatility time and again. It's not quite as quintessentially lo-fi as Liter of Light, but Maya Pedal's remarkable upcycling project is a veritable post-industrial revolution for rural Guatemalans... and potentially for underdeveloped communities the world over. The San Andrés Itzapa-based NGO accepts donated bicycles from the US and Canada, which are either refurbished and sold or, more interestingly, converted into "Bicimaquinas" (pedal-powered machines).
Pedal power can be harnessed for countless applications which would otherwise require electricity (which may not be available) or hand power (which is far more effort). Bicimaquinas are easy and enjoyable to use. They can be built using locally available materials and can be easily adapted to suit the needs of local people. They free the user from rising energy costs, can be used anywhere, are easy to maintain, produce no pollution and provide healthy exercise.
The Bicimolino pedal-powered mill/grinder
In short, Maya Pedal turns scrap bicycle parts into all variety of human-powered municipal machinery: "water pumps, grinders, threshers, tile makers, nut shellers, blenders (for making soaps and shampoos as well as food products), trikes, trailers and more."
by: Design 4 Sustainability, 2012-09-07 08:01:28 UTC
The Ahrend 360, an ultra-light visitors' chair with a magnesium frame and a one-piece seat shell, has won a Red dot Award from the internationally ...
by: Design 4 Sustainability, 2012-09-06 06:43:37 UTC
The IFA Berlin, on of the worlds biggest appliances fairs is coming to an end today. And how about sustainability in the latest offerings. Not bad ...
by: Design 4 Sustainability, 2012-09-04 12:31:57 UTC
Amy Prieto, Colorado State University assisting professor, re-imagines the lithium-ion battery in a 3D solid state form, with no liquid electrolyte ...
by: Design 4 Sustainability, 2012-09-04 09:58:41 UTC
A few years ago, while living in Shanghai, I stood in a supermarket to buy sparkling water. Since not many chinese like to drink the stuff, they also ...
by: Design 4 Sustainability, 2012-09-03 09:10:03 UTC
And the winners are ...... again Philips for its Smart TV and Sony for its Smart Phone. Smart seems to be the clue for sustainability nowadays! :) ...
by: Design 4 Sustainability, 2012-09-03 07:29:01 UTC
You can cut wasted standby power switching off TVs and connected appliances at the power source (and back on again) with your remote control and the ...
Light up your life and your living room with gorgeous lights from the London Design Festival.
As far as I know, Thomas Porter has no connection to Bicymple
The Bicimolino pedal-powered mill/grinder
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