The diodes on most LED-powered lamps are hidden from sight behind plastic or metal—after all, not everyone wants to see the electronic guts of their devices. But after a look at these beautiful lamps made from hundreds of raw diodes, it’s hard to imagine covering them up.
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We design buildings to make human lives better—but should we also design them to make bacteria healthier? A new study posits just that, suggesting that the microbial communities that live amongst us are deeply influenced by the design of our buildings. Wait—but aren’t microbes bad? Not exactly.
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From afar, the walls at this Gowanus restaurant look like they’re made from grey fabric—but they’re actually made from concrete bricks poured into empty bags of flour from the resident bakery. Concrete masonry unit? More like cookie masonry unit! Sorry.
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Lisbon is beautiful: buildings fronted in colorful tiles, cobbled roads, and incredible street art. The Portuguese capital also has hills—lots and lots of steep hills—and a robust tram system that weaves around the highs and lows, complete with a whole tapestry of wires that crisscross above the tracks.
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Your city’s air quality got you down? Consider picnicking inside this glass-topped park proposed by Orproject. The transparent, ultra-lightweight canopy—inspired by the geometry of butterfly wings—would act as a kind of fresh air reserve: part filter, part outdoor hospital, where you and your friends can breathe in peace. [Orproject]
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The problem with roller skates is that you can’t go from skating to walking unless you change out of them. These strap-on roller skates from Cardiff Skates solve this problem. They get you where you are going with wheels and once you get there, you can walk right in the door without changing your shoes.
The skates easily adjust to fit various sizes and they strap on quickly. Each skate has a wide four-wheel stance so they are great for beginners as well as advanced skaters. Now you can have all the fun of skating without any of the hassles.
They are just $159.99(USD) from Cardiff Skate Co. Now you can skate all you want, whenever you want.
[via The Awesomer]
It might reduce the number of bathroom fixtures you need to scrub come cleaning day, but the built-in sink on this curvaceous Symbiosis bathtub from Desnahemisfera hopefully doesn’t drain into the tub to conserve water usage—because that would be disgusting.
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There was a time when well-traveled luggage looked like the suitcase above: covered with travel stickers, trophies of every adventurous explorer. My father, who spent his youth traveling across Europe in the 60s and 70s kept his weary suitcase for a long time; as a child, I admired all those well-aged little pictures of remote hotels and places I’d never been to.
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Designing and constructing a building is not an easy task; guaranteeing everyone is happy with their view from the thing is almost impossible. But these days, architects are using intelligent computational design to make sure as many people as possible get an amazing view from their desk.
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When it comes to watering, there’s nothing stopping you from simply dumping a bottle of H2O onto the plants on your balcony, as long as you’re cool with possibly damaging them and splashing wet dirt all over the place. A gentler approach is a better idea, and Animi Causa’s new Rainmaker—which emulates a gentle summer rain—requires minimal additional effort on your part.
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