Tag Archives: urban-design

MAD Architects Unveil Urban Forest Skyscraper For China

Inspired by mountainous Chinese landscapes and the traditional villages built their hillsides, MAD Architects has unveiled plans to create a towering vertical Urban Forest. Designed for Chongqing, China, the projects consists of a stacked vertical forest set in the heart of the city, designed to bring more nature and open space in a dense and compact way. MAD Architects is becoming more known for their sustainable designs , and hopefully the green design aspects of this new tower extend beyond the garden spaces on each floor.
Posted in Architecture & Design | Also tagged , , , , , , , | Comments closed

Forwarding Dallas Hill-Filled Design Wins Re:Vision Dallas Competition!

The winner of the extremely exciting  Re:Vision Dallas competition to create a completely sustainable community on a run-down city block in downtown Dallas was just announced yesterday – and it’s incredible! “Fowarding Dallas,” submitted by Portuguese-based architectural firms Atelier Data and Moov took the grand prize with their hillside-inspired design that consists of a series of peaks and valleys, runs completely on renewable energy, is covered in vegetation, and can even grow its own food. The coolest part? This  mixed-use eco-community won’t just a concept – it will actually be constructed in Dallas in 2011! Read the rest of Forwarding Dallas Hill-Filled Design Wins Re:Vision Dallas Competition! Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg Post tags: city block , Dallas , eco community , forwarding dallas , Re:Vision Dallas , re:vision dallas winner , sustainable community , Urban design
Posted in Architecture & Design | Also tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments closed

Replacing Ugly Construction Site Barriers with Beautiful Living Green Walls

Normally at a big construction site, an ugly OSB wall plastered with posters provides a barrier between the site and the rest of the city. Typically thought of as eyesores, these walls are anything but pleasing to the eye. But what if they could be transformed into living urban spaces full of plants and systems that provide both an environmental and social benefit to the people walking by? The Symbiotic Green Wall , by Kooho Jung & Hayeon Kelly Choi, could do just that! Read the rest of Replacing Ugly Construction Site Barriers with Beautiful Living Green Walls Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg Post tags: "green wall" , "living wall" , "water collection" , Air quality , construction , construction wall , Hayeon Kelly Choi , Kooho Jung , noise abatement , rainwater , symbiotic green wall , symbiotic wall , Urban design , water filtration
Posted in Architecture & Design | Also tagged , , , , , , , | Comments closed

re:Use Canopy Upcycled from Plastic Cups by BIOS Design Collective

One of the main principles of permaculture is that “the problem is the solution.” Problem: tons of waste cups created by attendees of the OutsideLands concert in San Francisco. Solution: a fabulous recycled cup canopy. BIOS Design Collective tapped a keg and invited their friends over for a canopy party, building a gorgeous wave of concave color at Stable Cafe just in time for Architecture and the City .
Posted in Architecture & Design | Also tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments closed

Manhole of the Future is Powered by Rainwater

Instead of acting as one of the most bland parts of city landscapes, what if manholes served a purpose? That’s what designers Cheolyeon Jo and Youngsun Lee propose with their “ Eco Sign “, an electronic manhole cover that gives directions to the closest train or bus stop . Read the rest of Manhole of the Future is Powered by Rainwater Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg Post tags: bus , Electricity , green design , hydroelectric , kinetic energy , manhole , rainwater , renewable energy , sustainable design , train
Posted in energy | Also tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments closed

Pavegen: Energy Generating Pavement Hits the Streets

Any one point on a busy street can receive up to 50,000 steps a day, so imagine if you could take all that foot traffic and turn it into something useful – like energy ! A new product designed by Laurence Kemball-Cook, the director of Pavegen Systems Ltd. , can do just that. With a minuscule flex of 5mm, the energy generating pavement is able to absorb the kinetic energy produced by every footstep, creating 2.1 watts of electricity per hour.
Posted in energy | Also tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments closed

Join Our Live Webinar with Boston Bike Czar Nicole Freedman TOMORROW at 3:30pm EST!

Our Green Talks series of interviews with green thought-leaders has been a smash success so far – garnering hundreds of registrants and viewers from all over the globe, and we’re super excited about the next one, which is happening TOMORROW at 3:30pm est! with Boston’s Bike “Czar” Nicole Freedman . We’re beyond thrilled to announce this interview with Nicole , as she is the driving force behind the first citywide bike-sharing system in the United States! Nicole is a former Olympic cyclist and has played a pivotal role in making Boston a more bike-friendly place as the director of the city’s bicycling programs . Boston’s new bike sharing system is set to debut this spring and will provide 1,000 to 3,000 bicycles for public use throughout the city , and we’ll be chatting with Nicole about her hopes for this exciting new project and the challenges she’s faced. We’re also going to try to convince her to move to New York City and launch a similar program here! Bostonians, New Yorkers and anyone who cares about greening your city and improving the cycling landscape, this is going to be a CAN’T MISS DISCUSSION with a fascinating visionary, so join us for our latest webcast in our Green Talks series this Thursday at 3:30 pm EST ! SIGN UP HERE TO JOIN IN THE CONVERSATION > *We’re going to be preparing some questions for Nicole ahead of time, so if you have any questions you would like her to answer, please submit them in the comments below! Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg Post tags: bike sharing system , boston bikes , green design , Green Talks , nicole freedman , sustainable design , transportation
Posted in Transportation | Also tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments closed

Abvent Artlantis Studio V2 1 2 2

Abvent Artlantis Studio v2.1.2.2 Artlantis Studio is a unique software application developed especially for architects and designers, ideal for quickly and easily creating high quality 3D renderings, QuickTime VR panoramas, objects and animations. A recognized leader in preview window technology, Artlantis is the rendering software used by over 167,000 architects, designers and urban design professionals in more than 80 countries. Artlantis interfaces directly with ArchiCAD, VectorWorks, Ske
Posted in 3D Design | Also tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments closed

Public Bike Sharing: Progress and Challenges Ahead

On the chic streets of Paris , a woman wearing a purple cardigan zooms by on a chunky, mocha-grey bicycle . The woman fades from mind, but the retro bike lingers on as a memory with its decidedly unique styling. Strangely, an older gentleman with a bouquet of flowers tucked into his bag now rides by on a bike that looks just like the last one. And now, yet another man is walking the exact same bike down the street too. Coincidence, or something more
Posted in Transportation | Also tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments closed

West Loop Park Infuses Chicago With Green Urban Space

As the construction process for Hudson Yards drags on in New York, we’re glad to see green urban design is alive and well in Chicago. The windy city is no stranger to sustainable building , and this urban park, located on the fringe of the city’s downtown, will certainly give Chicago even more green cred . Perkins + Will , the architects behind the design, developed the park to create more open space for the city, but the greenway also proves to be a pedestrian-friendly gateway that connects the existing downtown to any future development across the Kennedy Expressway . Read the rest of West Loop Park Infuses Chicago With Green Urban Space Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg Post tags: chicago city planning , Landscape Architecture , sustainable urban planning , Urban design , urban expansion , urban park , urban planning , urban restoration , urban revitalization
Posted in Landscape | Also tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments closed