Category: Design & Architecture

Design & Architecture

Ecobricks: Fighting the war against plastic pollution in Indonesia with furniture solutions

Plastic is a worldwide problem. In Indonesia, its rivers and canals are jam-packed with the pest including bottles, bags and other plastic packaging. It’s been such a huge problem in the country, that the Indonesian army has even been called in to help clean-up the waterways. Now communities are coming together in Indonesia to put use to the tonnes of plastic that are clogging up the … Continue reading Ecobricks: Fighting the war against plastic pollution in Indonesia with furniture solutions

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Design & Architecture

House of Trash: Putting waste at the heart of the household

House of Trash, a showhouse made entirely from trash, is proving just how simple, stylish and elegant trash is when it comes to decorating interiors. The house is a collaboration between Taipei-based engineering firm Miniwiz, a pioneer in technology for the circular economy, and homeware company Pentatonic. Their brief was to create a home design exhibit that showcases everyday decor and furniture made from post-consumer waste. Located on Foro Bonaparte … Continue reading House of Trash: Putting waste at the heart of the household

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Design & Architecture

EcoBrick Exchange: Building schools with plastic waste and empowering communities

EcoBrick Exchange is turning an environmental nuisance into a positive for underprivileged communities in South Africa, by facilitating the construction of preschools using unrecyclable plastic waste or ecobricks. The EcoBrick Exchange is a collaborative project that involves the community in Walmer Township to assist in making the ecobricks, and includes the wider communities of Port Elizabeth and Cape Town to assist in the making too. An Ecobrick … Continue reading EcoBrick Exchange: Building schools with plastic waste and empowering communities

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Design & Architecture

Portree Passivhaus: A self-build mission to create an energy efficient home

Self-building some of the UK’s most energy efficient homes appears to be a mission of couple Mike Coe and Lizzie Stoodley. Known for building one of the UK’s most energy-efficient homes, The Cropthorne Autonomous House, the couple have now moved from the autonomous house in Worcestershire to their latest project – a new ultra low-energy self-build house on the Isle of Skye. The driving force for the design … Continue reading Portree Passivhaus: A self-build mission to create an energy efficient home

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Community, Design & Architecture

Source Park: Skate and BMX park awarded best rescue for renovation of former Turkish baths

Source Park, a state-of-the-art facility for BMX riders and skaters housed in a one-time Victorian swimming pool and Turkish baths, has been honoured for their renovation innovation of a rescued historic building. Source Park in Hastings, England attracts BMX riders and skaters from around the world to its premises amid the splendour of original features including mosaic pillars, brass handrails and the original steam engine pump. A … Continue reading Source Park: Skate and BMX park awarded best rescue for renovation of former Turkish baths

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Design & Architecture, Environment, Kids

Environment learning centre helps school children get up close with sustainability

Primary school children at a school in Amsterdam’s Noord district are learning about gardening and sustainability within a net-zero energy building surrounded by an abundant garden. The Nature & Environment Learning Centre (NME), designed by architecture studio Bureau SLA, works both as a classroom and as an educational tool itself – the building’s sustainability can be seen and felt by all who come in contact with … Continue reading Environment learning centre helps school children get up close with sustainability

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Community, Design & Architecture

Kamikatz Public House: Zero waste pub built entirely out of recycled waste

Kamikatz Public House, a zero waste pub and grocery store built entirely out of recycled waste, has become a central gathering space in Japan’s Kamikatsu, a town which aims to become completely zero-waste by 2020. The building, designed by the architects Hiroshi Nakamura & NAP, houses a bar, a micro brewery, and also living spaces which make ingenious use of recycled materials. From reclaimed floor tiles to … Continue reading Kamikatz Public House: Zero waste pub built entirely out of recycled waste

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Design & Architecture

Wikado Playground: Kids playground built from discarded wind turbine parts

Discarded wind turbine blades have found a second life as a futuristic-style kids playground, Wikado Playground, in the Netherlands. The Rotterdam-based playground is a maze-like structure made from five discarded wind turbine blades that have been cut up into parts and re-painted. The recycled blades make up a slide tower, a watch tower, tunnels, bridges, ramps, and slides. While wind power energy is gaining momentum as the … Continue reading Wikado Playground: Kids playground built from discarded wind turbine parts

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Design & Architecture

Sol Vespidae: Students create solar powered tiny house to be fully self-sustaining

Sol Vespidae, a collective of students from Sacramento State, have created a solar powered tiny house for flexible, off-grid living. The 400 square foot-tiny home on wheels, which was created as an entry for Sacramento’s SMUD Tiny House Competition, features a vertical wall of solar panels on the northern facade as well as a solar roof, providing the home with sufficient energy. The southern facade of the home … Continue reading Sol Vespidae: Students create solar powered tiny house to be fully self-sustaining

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Design & Architecture

Modpools: Repurposing shipping containers into all-in-one swimming pool and hot tub

Shipping containers have become eco-friendly building alternatives for everything from shopping centres, cafes, boutique hotels and urban farms, now recycled shipping containers are being used as backyard swimming pools. Canadian brand, Modpools, have created “relocatable hot pools” made from shipping containers, each of which feature a viewing window. The above-ground swimming pool is easily set up and increases water temperature at 30°c per hour even in … Continue reading Modpools: Repurposing shipping containers into all-in-one swimming pool and hot tub

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