Cool Blue Roofs May Be The Secret To Energy Savings – on the amount of energy savings that could be realized if more buildings had ‘cool’ roofs, roofs that reflect rather than absorb sunlight. The Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory’s Heat Island Group says a national campaign could save …
World’s first facade featuring light transmitting concrete opened to public – media facade designed by Carpus & Partner for RWTH Aachen University in Germany uses LUCEM-manufactured translucent concrete panels, part of their Lichtbeton series. Each panel is fitt[ed] with colour-changing technology, with the colours becoming brighter approximately one …
The Color Red for a good Night’s Sleep? – the design team for a nursing home in New York used a recent corridor lighting upgrade as an opportunity to test current research into the effects of light and color on health. The results were published in the Oct 2012 …
Big data in the age of the telegraph – the original organizational chart developed in 1854 by David McCallum of the New York and Erie Railroad offers surprisingly current lessons for dealing with today’s ‘big data’ issues and the flow of information through an organization. [To read this full McKinsey …
This is not the Office of the Future – post on OfficeInsight makes good observations about a tendency to “look at only one part of the elephant” when it comes to designing our future office environments. After calling out four recent ‘high profile’ reports (with links) the author elaborates on these …
Links and Resources for Water Conservation Information Water – the website Water – Use It Wisely. has a great page of water-related resources. It includes links to state, regional, and federal water conservation organizations in the U.S., general conservation organizations, research organizations, water conservation tips, drought info, landscaping and xeriscape, …
And The Oscar Goes To: Top 10 Contemporary Buildings In Movies – with the Oscars coming up architizer had the good idea to post this top 10 list of buildings you may have seen in movies over the last decade or so. Thanks to AIA St. Louis (home of a great …
Quick, how many engineers or engineering firms can you name? If you’re having a little trouble, now’s your chance to become more aware of the huge contribution these inventive thinkers make to our built environment. Here are a couple of links with practical information on what engineers do and what …
Circular bicycle bridge hovers over busy highway – walkers and bicyclists in the Dutch city of Eindhoven have a great way to cross a major intersection, via this wonderful floating bridge designed by ipv Delft. You get a taste of it in the 1-min clip accompanying the post and also …
African cities with high growth potential – about recent release of MasterCard’s African cities growth index. The index covers sub-Saharan cities. According to the the United Nations Human Settlements Programme, the urban population of Africa is expected to triple by 2050 to 1.23 billion (from 395 million in …
Santiago’s biggest newspaper takes a visual approach to urban issues – the Santiago edition of newspaper El Mercurio started a series, Santiago en 180°, with panoramic photos of sections of the city annotated with information on traffic, nearby changes, history, etc. Though a simple project, by rethinking what’s newsworthy El Mercurio has …
Information technology in Africa: The next frontier (The Economist) – IBM, along with other tech firms, is setting up shop in Africa, last year opening one of its twelve global research labs in Nairobi. Africa’s chief attraction is that it has been growing while richer regions have stalled …. Its …
Going With The Flow – article in NYTimes looks at a new way the Dutch are dealing with regular flooding and what lessons it might hold for the U.S. after Hurricane Sandy. Instead of fighting to keep the water out, the Netherlands is now experimenting with controlled flooding, what …
Sci-Fi Stylings From A Legend Of Architectural Fantasy – upcoming exhibition (Feb 16-June 2, 2013) at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Lebbeus Woods, Architect, will feature the visionary architect’s work since the mid-1990s (he died late last year as the exhibition was being planned). There aren’t many built projects by …
102 Visual Phenomena & Visual Illusions – website of Michael Bach, a German professor of ophthalmology. Each illusion or phenomenon is explained, includes references, and an interactive way to convince yourself of what’s really happening. Absorbing and fascinating, especially for anyone involved with design, color, signage and wayfinding. Shown here …
SHoP Breaks Ground on Africa’s Silicon Valley – “state-of-the-art business and technology hub” just outside Nairobi, Konza Techno City is expected to be complete in 20 years. It will include a university campus (with many universities and affiliated research labs), a technology and life sciences district, and a government …
Biomimicry used as a guiding force to design Lavasa Township – post on World Architecture News’ Metroblogs about HOK’s award-winning masterplan for 12,500-acre town of Lavasa, near Mumbai. The development is expected to [be] complete in the year 2020 and will include five planned urban villages that can accommodate …
Here’s another good architecture magazine that requires a non-subscriber to visit a library, though it looks like they’ve got a pretty nice iPad app. Arquine 61 | Public space, space enabled – quarterly magazine focuses on the architecture of Mexico and Latin America, but includes projects from around the world. …