MIT researchers tested the ‘sensing skin’ by attaching it to the underside of a concrete beam, then applying enough force to cause tiny cracks to form in the beam under one patch of the skin.
The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), in 2009, assigned a grade of “D” to the overall quality of infrastructure in the United States, saying that ongoing evaluation and maintenance of structures was necessary to improve that grade. Since then, federal stimulus funds have made it possible for communities to repair some infrastructure, but high-tech, affordable methods for continual monitoring remain in their infancy. Instead, most evaluation of bridges, dams, schools and other structures is still done by visual inspection, which is slow, expensive, cumbersome and in some cases, dangerous.
The Central Public Library in Vancouver, Canada, was designed by the architect Moshe Safdie as the winner of a design competition. Photography by lightgazer Flickr.com
A book is a window to knowledge and a library is one of the best places to read it. Below are some of the most amazing and interesting libraries in the world. (Pics)
The 64-mile tunnel would connect the far east of Russia with Alaska.
Plans to build the world’s longest tunnel have been unveiled in Russia. The tunnel will run under the Bering Strait as part of a transport corridor linking Europe and America via Siberia and Alaska.
These pods are moored in a canal in The Hague. They used to be oil rig life rafts, but now they serve as hotel rooms. Except for an exterior lock and a chemical toilet, they remain in their original state. This way, you can get the true life raft-in-a-canal experience!
Recycled shipping containers are blending environmentalism with style.
Corrugated shipping containers have come a long way from transport, storage, and handling of various goods. They have attracted the eye and attention of architects and city planners alike. (Pics)
Mankind has forever dreamed of what the future might hold. Many dreanm of what advances in architecture would be and would the advances make houses look all curvy, like on the animated TV show “The Jetsons”? (Pics)
Say hello to your dream house if you have ever wanted to live inside the retro-futuristic world of a Jules Verne novel. This $1.75 million New York apartment is packed with giant gears, blimps, and a working porthole.(Pics)
Architects Anders Berensson and Ulf Mejergren of VisionDivision from Sweden have been commissioned to designChop Stick, a concession stand for 100 Acres: The Virginia B. Fairbanks Art & Nature Park at the Indianapolis Museum of Art. They “sacrificed” a beautiful 100 foot poplar, to demonstrate how to make something new efficiently and respectfully. (Pics)
The following is a letter written to the Mayor of Providence, RI by Walt Barrett. Walt would like to encourage you to pass the letter on to the mayor of your town or city and try to make some changes across the country.
Ryugyong Hotel in Pyongyang stands out on the Pyongyang skyline in 2009
One of the world’s largest hotels, the massive Ryugyong Hotel in Pyongyang, is nearly ready to welcome guests after nearly two decades in the making, according to Architizer. (photos and video)
Farming is moving indoors, where the sun never shines, where rainfall is irrelevant and where the climate is always right.
The perfect crop field could be inside a windowless building with meticulously controlled light, temperature, humidity, air quality and nutrition. It could be in a New York high-rise, a Siberian bunker, or a sprawling complex in the Saudi desert. (w/video & pics)