Category: Design & Architecture

Design & Architecture

New Andean Architecture borrowing from indigenous Aymara culture

Bolivian architect Freddy Mamani Silvestre has invented a bold and distinctive new style of Bolivian architecture, which he has penned “New Andean Architecture”. Borrowing from indigenous Aymara culture, the architect is transforming the city of El Alto with his buildings that combine bright colours, symbols and stunning geometry. For the colours, the architect takes inspiration from the woven textiles that are created for, and worn … Continue reading New Andean Architecture borrowing from indigenous Aymara culture

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Design & Architecture, Travel

Seedpod: Nomadic Resorts create comfortable sleep and dining pods for retreat within nature

Design company Nomadic Resorts have devised a comfortable way to sleep outdoors while reconnecting with nature with their Seedpod – a cocoon-shaped nest that can be hung from trees, rocks, beams or tripods. The organically shaped pod, which is shaped like a seed, is a low impact vessel that can be used for sleeping or dining. The structure is engineered to withstand wind speeds of … Continue reading Seedpod: Nomadic Resorts create comfortable sleep and dining pods for retreat within nature

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Design & Architecture

Project Ö: Couple design and build self-sustaining summer cabins on a 5-acre island in Finland

Two designers, who purchased a 5-acre Finnish island on the edge of the largest and the least exploited archipelago in the world, are creating a self-sufficient way of life. Known as Project Ö, the island on the very edge of Finland’s Archipelago National Park has been designed and built from scratch by designers and couple Aleksi Hautamaki and Milla Selkimaki. The couple, who bought the … Continue reading Project Ö: Couple design and build self-sustaining summer cabins on a 5-acre island in Finland

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Design & Architecture

Moroccan women collaborate with architecture students to design and build women’s community centre near Atlas Mountains from earth and stone

A small earthen village near the Atlas Mountains of Morocco is now home to a women’s community centre, designed and built by local women and a group of architecture students using sustainable materials – earth and stone. The Women’s House in Ouled Merzoug is a meeting, working and learning place in the centre of the village, where local  women can share their crafts with the … Continue reading Moroccan women collaborate with architecture students to design and build women’s community centre near Atlas Mountains from earth and stone

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Design & Architecture

Miyadaiku: Japanese carpenters building and maintaining wooden buildings without any nails or electric tools

Japanese carpenters known as miyadaiku use centuries-old techniques in working with wood to build and maintain traditional structures such as temples and shrines. Miyadaiku developed unique methods for interlocking pieces of wood together using distinctive woodworking joints. It involves building wooden furniture without the use of nails, screws, glue or electric tools. Takahiro Matsumoto has been a miyadaiku carpenter for over 40 years. He runs … Continue reading Miyadaiku: Japanese carpenters building and maintaining wooden buildings without any nails or electric tools

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Design & Architecture

Vulkan Beehive: Hexagonal-shaped wooden beehives housing more than 150,000 bees on an Oslo rooftop

A pair of hexagonal-shaped wooden structures above a food market in Oslo, Norway is providing a home for around 160,000 bees while educating visitors on the importance of these pollinators and respecting the environment. Known as The Vulkan Bigård (The Vulkan Beehive) project, the wooden beehives were installed on the rooftop of the Mathallen food market in 2014 by designers Snøhetta. The beehives are well-placed … Continue reading Vulkan Beehive: Hexagonal-shaped wooden beehives housing more than 150,000 bees on an Oslo rooftop

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Design & Architecture

The Anatomy of Earth-Sheltered Homes [Visual] — ecogreenlove

One method of eco-friendly living is through the construction of earth-sheltered homes. These homes offer many benefits that a typical and modern house may not. For example, as they naturally incorporate the earth into their design, they are already more eco-friendly. Likewise, these types of homes can be implemented almost anywhere, including urban areas. via The Anatomy of Earth-Sheltered Homes [Visual] — ecogreenlove Continue reading The Anatomy of Earth-Sheltered Homes [Visual] — ecogreenlove

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Design & Architecture

Eco-friendly electric bamboo cargo bike helping locals and tourists to get around Kathmandu emission-free while improving air quality

An eco-friendly electric bamboo cargo bike launched in the Nepalese capital Kathmandu is helping locals and tourists to get around the city emission-free while improving poor air quality. Kathmandu-based bamboo builders Abari teamed up with American professor Lance Rake of Kansas University to design the Habre Eco Bike in response to issues of urban congestion and pollution in the city of Kathmandu. Made by local … Continue reading Eco-friendly electric bamboo cargo bike helping locals and tourists to get around Kathmandu emission-free while improving air quality

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Design & Architecture

ZeroCabin: Zero impact sustainable cabins for off-grid living in the thick of nature

Chile-based ZeroCabin has created a collection of 100% self-sustaining and off-grid cabins for those who want a retreat in nature that leaves zero impact. Developed by a small team of scientists with no architectural training, each cabin is built by the ZeroCabin  team upon an elevated base of two-metre high wooden piles to maximise views in nature. The timber-framed structures, which are built without using … Continue reading ZeroCabin: Zero impact sustainable cabins for off-grid living in the thick of nature

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Design & Architecture

Mexican entreprenur puts invasive species of brown algae, sargassum, to use as a building material

Mexican entrepreneur Omar Sánchez Vázquez has devised a way to transform an invasive species of brown algae, known as sargassum, into building bricks. The brown algae, which traps turtles and fills the air with the smell of rotten eggs, is a threat to both the marine ecosystem and tourism. The organic, thermal and functional construction material utilises the same technique used to make adobe bricks, although … Continue reading Mexican entreprenur puts invasive species of brown algae, sargassum, to use as a building material

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