Architecture – Page 2

3D Printer, Architecture, Record Breaker, Science & Technology News

Construction completed on largest 3D-printed building in the world

January 29, 2020

Largest 3D-printed municipality building in Dubai

At 31 feet tall and 6,900 square feet, a new building in Dubai is the largest 3D-printed building in the world — and the first two-story structure of its kind.

The most impressive part of the project? U.S. company Apis Cor built the structure using only three workers and one printer.

Proving that the printer could handle a harsh environment, Apis Cor did the printing outdoors where there was no temperature or humidity control.

However, there was a logistical issue the printer did have to tackle: The square foot area of the building was larger than the printing area of the stationary machine. To solve this technological obstacle, a crane moved the 3D printer around the site.

Continue reading… “Construction completed on largest 3D-printed building in the world”

Architecture, Children, Education, Science & Technology News

‘Part-science lab, part-playground’: how kids made museums take fun seriously

January 24, 2020

From London to California, architects are helping museums provide interactive learning experiences that can’t be found on screen

State of play: TapeScape, an interactive art installation built in collaboration with artist Eric Lennartson at Brooklyn Children’s Museum.

Last year, the Hoxton-based architecture practice AOC set up the Open Studio at the V&A Museum of Childhood in nearby Bethnal Green, east London. The 147-year-old institution was set to be renovated and initial consultation of local schoolchildren had found that they wanted the space turned into the “most joyful museum in the world”. AOC set up the Open Studio to find out how this could be done. It was a test-lab of forums and workshops for children and families, a space where visitors were encouraged to hold objects from the V&A’s collection and answer questions such as: “What is a museum?”

Continue reading… “‘Part-science lab, part-playground’: how kids made museums take fun seriously”

Architecture, Green Friendly, Housing, Science & Technology News

Scientists bring concrete to life & it might be the future of construction

January 22, 2020

Today in weird news we didn’t expect to read: Researchers in Colorado have produced Franken-concrete. It’s alive, and it may be the future of green buildings.

Concrete is, quite literally, all around us. It, or versions of it, has been used since 1300 B.C., meaning even a trip to Roman ruins is surrounded by concrete. In the last century, the technology of concrete hasn’t changed, but this new breakthrough has changed that.

The second most consumed material on earth, the production and use of concrete is responsible for 6% of global CO2 emissions—no small thing. Using bacteria, sand, and a hydrogel, the researchers found a way to produce a material that mimics the strength of concrete-based mortar.

How does it work? The power of the bacteria helps to “biomineralize the scaffold, so it actually is really green. It looks like a Frankenstein-type material,” said study senior author Wil Srubar, Ph.D. “That’s exactly what we’re trying to create–something that stays alive.”

And if you thought the idea of living concrete was weird enough, hold on tight: It’s about to get weirder. The material can reproduce, with a little help. If researchers split a brick of the material in half, the bacteria grows the pieces into two complete bricks. They found that this works to end up with eight bricks from the original one in three “generations.”

Continue reading… “Scientists bring concrete to life & it might be the future of construction”

Architecture, City Planning, Environment, Science & Technology News

5 bold urban design projects that made cities more fun, clean, and accessible in 2019

January 3, 2020

Cities can get rid of cars—and build urban ski slopes.

You may think the only changes to cities have been negative ones, and yes, urban areas have certainly seen increased traffic and heightened housing problems, but plenty of places have also debuted new features that aim to make a positive impact. Whether adapting to climate change, trying to be more inclusive to underserved populations, or updating their infrastructure with new technology, cities around the world are serving as laboratories to test bold ideas.

Here’s a look at some of the most fun and interesting urban innovations of 2019, proving that some cities are already in the future and are using their corners of the world to make our planet a little bit better.

Continue reading… “5 bold urban design projects that made cities more fun, clean, and accessible in 2019”

Architecture, Engineering, Green Friendly, Inventions, Science & Technology News

Porous polymer coatings dynamically control light and heat

November 10, 2019

The porous polymer coatings, which switch from white to transparent when wetted, can be put into plastic enclosures to make panels that control light and temperatures of buildings. Credit: Jyotirmoy Mandal/Columbia Engineering

Buildings devote more than 30% of their energy use to heating, cooling, and lighting systems. Passive designs such as cool roof paints have gone a long way toward reducing this usage, and its impact on the environment and climate, but they have one key limitation—they are usually static, and thus not responsive to daily or seasonal changes.

Columbia Engineering researchers have developed porous polymer coatings (PPCs) that enable inexpensive and scalable ways to control light and heat in buildings. They took advantage of the optical switchability of PPCs in the solar wavelengths to regulate solar heating and daylighting, and extended the concept to thermal infrared wavelengths to modulate heat radiated by objects. Their work is published on October 21, 2019 by Joule.

Continue reading… “Porous polymer coatings dynamically control light and heat”

3D Printer, Architecture, Record Breaker, Science & Technology News

Watch a massive 3D-printed building take shape

November 8, 2019

Dubai is now home to the world’s largest 3D-printed two-story building.

On Wednesday, officials in the city’s Warsan neighborhood unveiled the building, which is 9.5 meters (31 feet) tall and has a total area of 640 square meters (6,889 square feet). The structure’s concrete walls were constructed in place using a massive 3D printer — and the entire building serves as a testament to the power of 3D printing in construction.

Continue reading… “Watch a massive 3D-printed building take shape”

Architecture, Augmented Reality, City Planning, Science & Technology News

Digital twins could form the “end game” for optimum smart city design

September 19, 2019

Digital twinning technology can transform how cities are designed, monitored and managed

Research finds that urban digital twinning and city modelling technology is having a transformative effect on how cities are designed, monitored, and managed.

Urban modelling and digital twins, in particular, will form the “end game” of the smart cities journey to optimised design and the ultra-efficient operation of entire cities, according to ABI Research.

Its research findings reveal that the installed base of urban digital twin and city modelling deployments will rise from a handful to more than 500 by 2025.

The global tech market advisory firm said the technology is helping to transform how cities are designed, monitored, and managed and optimising the holistic performance of cities across verticals in terms of energy management, mobility, resilience, sustainability, and economic growth.

Continue reading… “Digital twins could form the “end game” for optimum smart city design”

Architecture, Engineering, Housing, Science & Technology News

Are these fireproof, hurricane-proof geodesic domes the post-climate change house of the future?

August 21, 2019

Geoship is touting the bioceramic geodesic dome as the home of the future—and getting help on the rollout from Zappos, which wants to build some near its headquarters to give to the homeless.

In a world where wildfires and hurricanes are becoming more frequent, design for new housing would be smart to anticipate the climate disasters that are coming. So these new buildings aren’t made from wood or any other conventional building materials. Instead, they’re made from bioceramic—which can withstand disasters, and perhaps dramatically lower construction costs.

It’s the design of a startup called Geoship, which is using the material to build new dwellings in the form of a geodesic dome and has plans to produce both backyard cottages and full communities. It’s caught the attention of Zappos and is working with the company to build a small “village” of the domes in Las Vegas near the online shoe retailer headquarters. The plan is to offer them as free housing for some of the many people who are experiencing homelessness in the city.

Continue reading… “Are these fireproof, hurricane-proof geodesic domes the post-climate change house of the future?”

Architecture, Great New Product, Home Technology, Science & Technology News

This self-sustaining plant ecosystem helps you light up your home

July 21, 2019

You love plants, plants love light, you love light, you’ll both love the Mygdal plantlight! It’s a revolutionary lighting solution not just because the luminaire is a completely self-sustaining ecosystem where the plants can grow-undisturbed, but also because of its one-of-a-kind electrically conductive glass coating. It actually streams the electricity invisibly along the surface, so there’s no need for a cable connection between the power source and the LED. Bring even windowless spaces to life with a plantlight!

Continue reading… “This self-sustaining plant ecosystem helps you light up your home”

Architecture, Engineering, Entertainment, Science & Technology News

The world’s first rooftop infinity pool with 360-degree views is set to be built in London.

June 19, 2019

The proposed Infinity London tower, whose construction could begin in 2020, would be 55 stories tall and adorned with a rooftop infinity pool with transparent sides and a transparent floor.

Swimmers would enter and exit the pool via “a rotating spiral staircase based on the door of a submarine, rising from the pool floor,” the company designing the pool said.

The pool’s designer, Alex Kemsley, explained to INSIDER how this actually works.

Continue reading… “The world’s first rooftop infinity pool with 360-degree views is set to be built in London.”

3D Printer, Architecture, Engineering, Housing, Science & Technology News

ETH Zurich makes lightweight concrete ceiling using 3D sand-printing

April 19, 2019

A lightweight concrete ceiling with formwork 3D-printed from sand is among the innovations to feature in an experimental robot-made house built by university ETH Zurich.

The DFAB House, currently under construction in Dübendorf, Switzerland, showcases five digital building methods that have never before been seen in architecture, and the concrete Smart Slab is the latest addition.

The structure has been computationally designed to use only the minimal amount of material necessary to make it load-bearing, and is less than half the weight of usual concrete slabs.

Continue reading… “ETH Zurich makes lightweight concrete ceiling using 3D sand-printing”

Architecture, City Planning, Housing, Latest Trend

Super-tall, super-skinny, super-expensive: the ‘pencil towers’ of New York’s super-rich

February 13, 2019

The proposed 2022 skyline overlooking Central Park.
Photograph: Andrew C Nelson/Jose Hernandez/Skyscraper Museum

An extreme concentration of wealth in a city where even the air is for sale has produced a new breed of needle-like tower. By Oliver Wainwright

It is rare in the history of architecture for a new type of building to emerge. The Romans’ discovery of concrete birthed the great domes and fortifications of its empire. The Victorians’ development of steel led to an era of majestic bridges and vaulted train sheds. The American invention of the elevator created the first skyscrapers in Chicago. Now, we are seeing a new type of structure that perfectly embodies the 21st-century age of technical ingenuity and extreme inequality. A heady confluence of engineering prowess, zoning loopholes and an unparalleled concentration of personal wealth have together spawned a new species of super-tall, super-skinny, super-expensive spire.

Any visitor to New York over the past few years will have witnessed this curious new breed of pencil-thin tower. Poking up above the Manhattan skyline like etiolated beanpoles, they seem to defy the laws of both gravity and commercial sense. They stand like naked elevator shafts awaiting their floors, raw extrusions of capital piled up until it hits the clouds.

Continue reading… “Super-tall, super-skinny, super-expensive: the ‘pencil towers’ of New York’s super-rich”