Category: Design & Architecture

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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Design & Architecture

Modular homes in Örebro, Sweden built with solar panels and passive house principles are some of the most energy-efficient

A set of modular homes in Örebro, Sweden providing affordable housing for families have been built with solar panels and passive house principles at its core, making it some of the most energy efficient new builds. Designed by Stockholm-based architecture studio, Street Monkey Architects, the homes are almost completely powered by rooftop solar panels, while on-site batteries store unused energy that can be sold back … Continue reading Modular homes in Örebro, Sweden built with solar panels and passive house principles are some of the most energy-efficient

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Design & Architecture

Mjøstårnet: World’s tallest timber building symbolises “green shift” to carbon-absorbing sustainable design

Brumunddal in forest-rich Norway is a rural town with a major forestry and wood processing industry, which now boasts the world’s tallest timber building – the 85.4m high Mjøstårnet (The Mjøsa Tower). The 18-storey mixed-use building, which overlooks Lake Mjøsa in Brumunddal, contains apartments, the Wood Hotel, swimming pool, office space, and a restaurant. Opened last year, Mjøstårnet is built entirely out of engineered wood … Continue reading Mjøstårnet: World’s tallest timber building symbolises “green shift” to carbon-absorbing sustainable design

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Design & Architecture

The Brighton Waste House: A blueprint for public buildings made almost entirely from waste

The Brighton Waste House – made from 20,000 toothbrushes, 4,000 DVD cases, two tonnes of denim jeans, 2,000 floppy discs, 2,000 used carpet tiles, and construction waste – continues to inspire six years after it was constructed. A permanent building, the award-winning waste house, designed by the architect and University of Brighton lecturer Duncan Baker-Brown, was opened in June 2014 and continues to be a … Continue reading The Brighton Waste House: A blueprint for public buildings made almost entirely from waste

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Design & Architecture

Design and Architecture vs. Climate Change: What Does the Future Bring — ecogreenlove

Green living doesn’t have to look (or cost) like something out of a sci-fi movie. Today, there is a vast availability of ecological materials that can keep inhabitants safe while contributing to minimized pollution. Combined with modern design solutions, they’re helping create aesthetically pleasing homes in which families can live comfortably and sustainably. via Design and Architecture vs. Climate Change: What Does the Future Bring — … Continue reading Design and Architecture vs. Climate Change: What Does the Future Bring — ecogreenlove

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