Having buildings and homes that can hold up to the ever increasing intense weather and geological events around the world is becoming more crucial. One architect’s answer to this is the Energy Box. Built as a replacement to a family’s home after the April 2009 earthquake that struck L’Aquila, Italy, this three floor structure is 3,230 sq ft (300 sq meters) and features a living room, three bedrooms, a bathroom, a multi-functional room, and a garage. This not-quite-off-the-grid home incorporates…

Scientists are constantly seeking new and innovative ways to increase energy efficiency for buildings. Researchers at the University of Toronto announced they’ve found a way to do this by fitting window panes with tiny channels of water. Inspired by vascular systems in nature including the network of blood vessels in the human body, they say these channels will help cool a building 7º to 9º C in the summer and reduce heat loss during winter. The thin cooling layer is…

Water is becoming a precious commodity around the world. Finding ways to conserve it is rapidly becoming a priority. One area that’s seen little attention (until now) is conserving and reusing graywater from baths, showers and toilets. Reaqua Systems’ toilet technology is a money and water saving proposition worth looking into. Fitting easily into a cupboard or against a wall, it recycles wastewater from baths, showers and some sinks and uses it to flush toilets. It can also extract heat…

Commercial real estate in major metropolitan areas have taken a heavy hit with the slow economic recovery In Midtown New York City alone, this translates to about 17 million square feet of empty space, with Class A vacancies hovering around 22 percent over the past 5 years. This year’s Grand Prize winner of the Radical Innovation in Hospitality Award from Pink Cloud dk offers a fascinatingly innovative solution. The Pop-up Hotel would temporarily transform vacant prime commercial real estate into…

After 3 years of wrangling, the European Union will begin allowing laser labeling or branding of produce, replacing those annoying sticky labels we’ve grown used to seeing. Laser Food, the company behind this technology, says its MARK SYSTEM has the ability to mark each piece of produce without affecting the life of the product creating some added market value. This process had been previously banned because of the use of iron oxides and hydroxide. The new law, which takes effect…

How many times have you left your umbrella somewhere, only to discover that it’s missing when you’re ready to leave? It happens. The Lizard Umbrella will take the guesswork out of it – and the hassle of figuring out which black umbrella is yours! Cleverly, the name comes from the fact that a lizard can shed its tail to protect itself. This concept umbrella sheds its handle, which you can take with you after stashing the wet umbrella in a…