iPhone App Wanderous Adds A New Twist To Psychogeography
Launched two weeks ago, Wanderous is a new navigation application for the iPhone that creates routes optimized for adventure. Routes in Wanderous start and end where the user specifies, but here's an important twist that sets the service apart from other psychogeography-focused applications: during the journey the routes intentionally wander to one or more interesting, unique, or notable spots chosen by the user. These spots can include parks, landmarks, historical sites, busy city corridors, scenic vistas, and public attractions.
Houses Pop Up On Roof Of Chinese Shopping Mall
The Chinese are known for their sometimes unusual inventions, in for example food. Little did I know that even in real estate, Chinese solutions seem to surprise. In the city of Zhuzhou a real estate developer decided to build four large, single homes on the roof of a several stories high mall.
Playful Drainpipes By Kasia Zareba
Every building has its drainpipes. Completely unnoticed the water flows from roofs to the ground. With any luck the pipes are hidden by an anonymous urban knitting activist, but most of the times grey drainpipes are just there hiding the water.
Are The Street Lights Of The Future Solar Powered?
Lighting experts at Philips have come up with a new solar-powered LED street lighting solution. The new technology, SolarGen2 off-grid system, is unique in that it harnesses sunlight to provide reliable lighting after dark. The panels, constructed on top of the street lights, collect the energy of the sun during day, and re-use this energy during the night when extra light is needed.
The Pop-Up Generation By Lidewij Edelkoort
We recently received the book The Pop-Up Generation: Design Between Dimensions by the internationally acclaimed Dutch trendwatcher Lidewij Edelkoort. The book highlights a new generation of artists, designers and graduates by exploring their vision, work and motivations.
Drungli: The Adventure Generator For Spontaneous Travelers
Say hi to Drungli, an exciting new service that adds a little more adventure to traveling. Calling itself an 'adventure generator', Drungli brings you the cheapest random flights to destinations available at any given moment.
Architects Turn Disused Parking Garages Into Pop-Up Homes
Hackney-based architecture studio Levitt Bernstein has won a housing competition with a proposal to turn disused parking garages in London into flexible homes. The competition, organized by the Building Trust, asked architects and (urban) designers to come up with ideas to tackle the shortages of affordable single-occupancy housing. Levitt Bernstein's idea suggests instant transformation of empty parking garages in Hackney into houses for homeless people by insertion of pre-fab structures. The structures allow for easy assembling and can be inhabited immediately.
Huge Laboratory Flask Pops Up In Winnipeg
Vancouver-based Pechet Studio won a competition held by Winnipeg's Public Art Program with an extraordinary piece of art in public space. The goal of the competition was to develop a work of art that would refresh the image of Winnipeg. The public art installation is named 'Emptyful', which, according to Pechet, refers to the paradox that people experience when they visit Winnipeg. "When you first visit Winnipeg, it can appear empty and open, set amidst the vastness of prairie and sky. But within, the city is full of creative energy."
Put A Bird In It
Didn't we say that design for animals is hot these days? Especially birds and their accommodation needs are a topic of interest for many designers. This community design project from Portland is another neat example. Under the witty name 'Put A Bird In It', designers and artists from around the world were asked to use their creativity to design a unique bird house.
An Inflatable Bridge For Paris
Paris-based architects of Atelier Zündel Cristea have launched an idea for an inflatable bridge in the French capital. The inflatable bridge idea was Zündel Cristea's contribution to the international competition of Arch Triumph, which challenges participants to design a new contemporary bridge for the Seine river in Paris. According to the designers, “the proposed design concept should be bold and elegant and differentiate itself from the existing 37 bridges in Paris”.
High Line for London Competition Has a Winner…
After the first succesful elevated park in New York City, the city of Chicago also decided to create something similar called the Bloomingdale Trail. The trend of elevated parks has now also reached the British capital. The Brits however, have decided to give their own twist to this concept and are now planning to build a mushroomgarden in an old railway tunnel beneath Oxford Street.
Hanging Out With Harry Verhaar
Together with some fellow bloggers, we had the opportunity to do a Google Hangout with Harry Verhaar, Director of Strategic Sustainability Initiatives at Philips Lighting, and drop him some questions about livable cities, the future of urban lighting and good urbanism.
Cardrops: The Car Becomes A Mailbox
Cardrops is a new, smart package delivery start-up from Belgium. Instead of using your mailbox, the post office or other central delivery points to deliver the stuff you bought online, Cardrops uses the trunk of your car to drop off packages.
SmartThings Kicks the Internet of Things Into a New Direction
SmartThings could be one of the first projects to bring the Internet of Things to the people. Although controlling your 'things' is still done online or by using an app, the tangible part of this product are the hub and its connected chips on your physical objects. No more hassle with micro-controllers, but a good-looking piece of electronics. That's where stuff starts to become really interesting.
Urban CampScape Pops Up At The Dutch Design Week
Tomorrow is the kick-off of this year's Dutch Design Week in Eindhoven. Planning to visit the event but don’t know where to stay? The Urban CampScape offers you a place to sleep!
