Bazsux

2016. június 8., szerda

Graypants debuts new brighter and lighter Scraplights White recycled cardboard lamp series

The new addition to the Scraplight series comes thanks to seven years of brainstorming. The original Scraplights are made from the company's signature brown corrugated paper, and are known for giving off a rustic warmth that creates a cozy atmosphere indoors. But with the success of their first line, Graypants sought to design a version that would accommodate interiors needing bright, continuous light, such as office spaces or schools.

The Scraplight White series was designed to be more open and translucent, and to give off a bright, modern glow. The lamps are handmade in Holland through a partnership with a social works program that provides craft-based jobs to locals, engaging the community around Graypants’ Amsterdam headquarters.

Each paper piece that makes up the lights is also made from FSC-Certified paper, sourced from forests that continually replant more trees than harvested. Both the Scraplight White and original series are completely recyclable regardless of shape, and the fixtures and parts can be swapped out if they are ever damaged.

Graypants’ Scraplight White is a sustainable alternative to their original series, perfect for event spaces, offices, or even at home.

+ Graypants Studio

from INHABITAT http://ift.tt/1t8RuBn
via Inhabitat

Designer couple upcycles neglected and worn out tires into colorful Tyrochairs

Industrial designers and real-life couple, Abishek and Bhawana created Tyrochair as a solution for upcycling neglected and worn out tires and reducing waste. During the initial phases of the project’s R&D, the designer duo came across various horrifying details about tire disposal. Common methods of tire disposal include burning or illegally dumping tires, which in addition to polluting the water, air, and soil, and hazardous to human health.

To create the Tyrochair, Abiskek and Bhawana designed a robust metal framework to provide maximum seating support. After cleaning and painting the tires, the couple inserted a radial-woven seat, made out nylon (for maximum bounce) and recycled nylon ropes for an eco-friendly, dense weave.

Tyrochair has led the couple to follow their passion for upcycling discarded products and embark on other ventures. “Punahveen (revival of discarded items) – An Upcycle Café” is their newest initiative in their journey towards making the world a better place to live in. Through Punahveen, the couple has created an exquisite upcycled range of home décor, utility and lifestyle products keeping an emphasis on sound environmental practices. Their design consultancy "Welava Design" aims to offer functional and aesthetically pleasing products leveraging the upcycling process.

+ Welava Design

The article above was submitted to us by an Inhabitat reader. Want to see your story on Inhabitat? Send us a tip by following this link. Remember to follow our instructions carefully to boost your chances of being chosen for publishing!

from INHABITAT http://ift.tt/1Uy4feT
via Inhabitat

2016. június 7., kedd

New desalination method from Qatar recycles waste brine and excess CO2 at the same time

Desalination now supplies the majority of clean drinking water in areas surrounding the Persian Gulf, but it’s no easy task and can actually make the seawater saltier. Meanwhile, as the oil and natural gas industries have grown in the region, so too has the carbon dioxide saturating the atmosphere. A chemical engineer at Qatar University has been working to solve both problems simultaneously, and an efficient solution has emerged that could change everything.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aysj7696b0A

Farid Benyahia is the man with the plan. The chemist and his research team found a way to recycle waste brine from the process used to turn salty seawater into clean drinking water. The team retooled the 150-year-old chemical conversion method widely used to produce sodium carbonate for industrial applications, simplifying it from seven steps down to just two. Benyahia found that pure carbon dioxide, when mixed with the brine byproduct of desalination in the presence of ammonia, results in solid sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) and ammonium chloride solution. Additional steps break the solution down into calcium chloride solution and ammonia gas, enabling the ammonia to be recycled to start the process all over again.

“The goal is to solve two nasty environmental problems with one smart solution and generate useful, marketable products to offset partially the cost of storing CO2,” Benyahia told Scientific American.

The simplified desalination process recycles waste brine and eliminates the need to flush the super salty solution back into the sea. By finding a way to put excess CO2 to use, Benyahia believes his new method could help offset the emissions created by a growing energy industry. On its own, this process is more expensive than other desalination methods, but capturing and utilizing industrial CO2 outputs could help bring the cost down, if the appropriate infrastructure is in place.

Via Scientific American

Images via John Twohig/Flickr and Qatar University

from INHABITAT http://ift.tt/1t5v2Jx
via Inhabitat

Modroof: low-budget cardboard roofing that doesn't leak during monsoon season

In areas where poverty is rampant, sometimes a roof over one's head simply isn’t enough. Corrugated metal roofs are costly, can be dangerous, and are insufferably hot during summer months. That’s where Modroof by Re-Materials comes in; it's an affordable modular paneling system made from fortified, recycled cardboard pulp that keeps residents drier, safer, and leaves them with leftover money in their pockets.

Villages in India are starting to look a bit different thanks to stark blue rooftops made from recycled agricultural and packaging waste. Modroof panels are incredibly durable, able to withstand water and fire, and last much longer than other roofing materials. Typically homes are roofed with concrete or corrugated metal, which can create problems from unbearably uncomfortable heat, leaking during monsoon season, and even health issues.

The modular design allows for easy transport and installation, as well as replacement of individual panels. Residents need not worry about high costs, either, as affordable payment plans are made available so low-income families can improve their homes without having to wait. Re-Materials is also looking to equip the panels with solar cells so families can power their homes cheaply and sustainably.

+ Re-Materials

Via Fast Company

Images via Re-Materials

from INHABITAT http://ift.tt/1U5X1BQ
via Inhabitat

2016. június 6., hétfő

Gabion walls and recycled steel panels for an outstanding green home in Texas

The house comprises a series of interconnected modules stretching from the front porch to the garage. Two outdoor patios demarcate different functions, with the entry patio acting as a covered porch. The second one separates the main living area, including the kitchen and dining room, from the study, children's room and utility spaces. It can also be used for outdoor grilling and connects the powder room with the swimming pool.

The roof of the elongated volume is clad in recycled corrugated steel panels with a weathered finish. Together with a visually dominant gabion wall, which shelters the pool area from outside views, it acts as a modern interpretation of some of the iconic elements of the Texas vernacular, and a beautiful example of critical regionalism.

+ Buchanan Architecture

Via Archdaily

Photos by James F. Wilson

from INHABITAT http://ift.tt/1WCbedd
via Inhabitat

2016. június 5., vasárnap

DIY: Make your own bowl out of an old LP record

Did you know that you can transform your old LP records into bowls? All you need is a record and an oven, and you can whip together a stylish, music-themed bowl that can hold everything from desk supplies to snacks. Just make sure to use an old Billy Joel LP rather than the Beatle's Butcher Cover album. Read on past the jump for detailed DIY instructions:

[gallery ids="717307,717287,717289,717291,717295,717297,55125,717285"]

Step 1:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Step 2:

Choose an LP with a colorful label—preferably one you don't ever want to hear again. Clean it thoroughly with soap and water, and dry it well.

Step 3:

Oil one sight of the LP lightly (peanut oil is preferable, but any oil will do), and then place the oiled side down on a cookie sheet. Set a timer for 1 minute and 35 seconds.

Step 4:

Slide the cookie sheet into the oven, and start your timer. After 45 seconds, use a wooden spatula to flip the LP over so it heats evenly.

Step 5:

When the time is up, take the LP off of the cookie sheet and begin molding it, turning up the sides to create a wavy bowl shape. The bowl should not be too hot; if it is, wearing gloves does the trick. (Caution: Do not wear plastic gloves.) You'll have only 20 to 30 seconds of playtime to shape the bowl, so you'll have to work quickly.

If your bowl looks funky, put it back in the oven for another 10 to 15 seconds, as that will heat it up enough to allow you to mold it a bit more. If it just doesn't look right at all, place it back in the oven until it wilts back to its original form, and start over again.

The finished product will be smaller than you might expect. In-house research has shown that three bananas, one large apple, or four heads of garlic will fit into the average bowl, so it can also hold your phone, keys, and sunglasses, but that's about it. Still, it's a cool home decor piece to have around!

Images by Rachel Kramer Bussel, John Tolva, Auntie P, and Stacie via Flickr Creative Commons

[gallery ids="717307,717287,717291,717295,717297,717289,717285,55125"]

from INHABITAT http://ift.tt/1sYx2Dj
via Inhabitat

2016. június 2., csütörtök

Liberland may be the world's first sovereign nation powered by algae

The winning proposal is a pedestrian-friendly design that supports a growing populace with stackable horizontal structures. Called Inverted Archeology, this groundbreaking technique constructs the city-state in consecutive temporal layers to form a self-sufficient, compact, dense, integrated and resilient urban fabric. Algae, strains of which don't require significant sunlight to proliferate, would be grown on the underside of buildings to provide a clean source of energy.

The design specifically creates an environment that is conducive to innovation, ensuring that all citizens - regardless of their ethnicity, race, age, gender or profession - have every opportunity to reach their full potential and participate collectively in financial gains.

The RAW-NYC team led by Raya Ani comprised of an interdisciplinary group of collaborators from around the world, including - for full disclosure - the author of this post. "The team makeup and the design process was quite interesting and challenging at the same time," Ani told Inhabitat. "To bring people together from different backgrounds substantiated our ideas and enriched the design process."

"The main vision was to balance density with quality of life. We wanted to address density differently than defaulting to skyscrapers, where connections between buildings occur only on the ground level. We wanted the city to be built one horizontal layer at a time, where it's possible to walk everywhere and everything is connected. The horizontal layers are stacked in a staggered configuration to ensure natural light penetrates all of them."

Liberland president Vít Jedlička told Inhabitat that he and his team are studying whether a stackable algae-powered city design is feasible for Liberland.

"We are blessed to have such great minds involved in creating Liberland, he said. "The winning design concepts show that the country can become a prosperous habitable area using [the] latest innovations in green technology to remain mostly self-sufficient. We will further study upon the 1st place project to see if and how exactly it could be introduced in reality. When that's possible, we want to launch a virtual 3D landscape with building models to help people choose a place to live or to invest in. I congratulate all selected participants for their clever ideas representing the freedom Liberland stands for."

Sustainability played an important role in the RAW-NYC design. In addition to algae, buildings would feature integrated photovoltaic panels, rainwater harvesting systems and green roofs, and nothing would go to waste - neither space nor materials. Everything would be recycled, including all human, agricultural and organic waste, which would be converted into biofuel, and rooftop and community gardening would be scattered throughout, and floodable parks embrace rising waters.

The Liberland design competition provided the opportunity of a lifetime - to design from scratch a progressive nation state that promotes innovation and autonomy. The RAW-NYC team used every available device to envision a genuinely sustainable, zero-waste urban oasis that will be resilient in the face of the numerous economic, environmental, and social challenges in the pipeline.

+ Liberland

+ RAW-NYC