energy

Why Design Now?: Hope Solar Tower Why? Solar towers capture solar energy to heat air under an expansive collector zone. Based on the principle that heat rises, this air flows towards the center of the collector through electricity-generating turbines and up and out of the tower, like a chimney. When built, the tower will be about 750 meters high and could produce enough electricity to power approximately 500 households. Hope Solar Tower, collector, electricity, generation, power, energy, Why Design Now, Gallery and Exhibition spaces
Why Design Now?: Contour Crafting Why? Contour Crafting is a construction technology that potentially reduces energy use and emissions by using a rapid-prototype or 3-D printing process to fabricate large components. Comprised of robotic arms and extrusion nozzles, a computer-controlled gantry system moves the nozzle back and forth, squeezing out layers of concrete or other material to fabricate a form. The ultimate goal is to print a house in a day while drastically reducing material and energy consumption. Contour Crafting, Center for Rapid Automated Fabrication Technologies, construction, consumption, materials, energy, Why Design Now, Exhibition
Cooper-Hewitt: Rick Cook on sustainable design Rick Cook talks to the Smithsonian Cooper-Hewitt staff. Cook+Fox Architects is a firm devoted to creating environmentally responsible, high-performance buildings. The firm has become known for innovative design at the highest standard of environmental responsibility and for their commitment to excellence enriched by the collaborative process. Rick Cook, Cook+Fox, Bank of America, energy, water, Architecture, Bryant Park, design, New York, talk, long, public program
"Why Design Now" - Triennial Highlights Sunday January 9th was the last day of our National Design Triennial, open since May 14th. How can almost nine months go so fast? Why Design Now, Triennial, Exhibition, energy, mobility, community, materials, prosperity, health, communication, simplicity, categories, themes, global, efficiency, participatory, scale
Why Design Now? Conference, October 1st There was a deluge at dawn on Friday, canceling many trains and tempting people to stay at home, in spite of their commitment to arrive at Jazz at Lincoln Center by 9:00 am for the start of the WHY DESIGN NOW? Solving Global Challenges Conference. Why Design Now, Triennial, Exhibition, 2010, Solving Global Challenges, conference, streaming, participation, Twitter, tweets, online, audience, Beth Comstock, Welcome, Richard Saul Wurman, TED, presentation, data visualization, Information, trends, energy, health, design processes, Elizabeth Scharpf, Sustainable Health Enterprises, SHE, girls, school, tampons, banana, fibers, local, materials, video, YouTube, Timothy Prestero, Design That Matters, incubator, premature, babies, Africa, car, automobile, replacement, parts, social impact
Designing Sustainably Is About to Become Easier Two significant tools for American designers seeking to make their design process more sustainable have recently been announced. The first tool, which hopefully will have broad and positive implications for manufacturers of outdoor industry goods, is Eco-Index. sustainable, design, process, simplify, tools, EcoIndex, manufacturing, outdoor, industry, goods, assessment, evaluate, environmental, impact, measure, lifecycle, materials, packaging, assembly, energy, diversity, emissions, scalability, industries, beta, Source4Style, fashion, interior, business-to-business, B2B, interface, fabrics, aggregate, Display, resolution, fiber, dyes, finishes, specs, pricing, sourcing, open source, open-source, collaboration, transparency
Growing Respect for Dirt A new project by Marieke Staps highlights the emerging interest among designers to devise inexpensive and ecologically sound solutions to ordinary problems. Soil Lamp signals a new environmental consciousness by focusing on simple, abundant materials like soil and finding new ways to harness them. Why Design Now, Triennial, Exhibition, 2010, Marieke Staps, ecological, inexpensive, solutions, soil, dirt, Soil Lamp, materials, technology, batteries, earth batteries, metals, microorganisms, bacteria, renewable, energy, Lebone, Bioconcrete, clock, biomass, nature
E/S Orcelle Container Ship: "Delivering The Future Ahead of Schedule" If there is one design on view at the 2010 Triennial that affects the lives of every American, it is the E/S Orcelle container ship. It is designed as a response to impending changes in the shipping industry, which currently causes 5% of the world’s carbon emissions. ES Orcelle, cargo, container, carrier, ship, shipping, industry, carbon, emissions, regulations, pollution, renewable, energy, sources, solar, wind, wave, power, bunker fuel, byproduct, low-grade, trade, alternatives, prototype, revolutionary, transportation, reduction, lightweight, materials, Why Design Now, Triennial, Exhibition, future
Watt Watchers The PSA’s have been espousing “The More You Know” for two decades, and the designers in this year’s Triennial agree. Some of their most innovative designs are about becoming a little more aware of our nasty consumption habits. Why Design Now, Triennial, Exhibition, energy, power, consumption, usage, awareness, tracking, Interactive Institute, Power Aware cord, Magnus Gyllenswärd, Anton Gustafsson, light, illuminate, Energy Aware Clock, Loove Broms, Karin Ehrnberger, Sara Ilstedt Hjelm, Erika Lundell, Jin Moen, watt
Social Changemakers Join in a Twitter-based Social Entrepreneurship Chat organized by Ashoka. The real time discussions on social entrepreneurship issues take place the 1st Wed of the month, 4-6PM US Eastern Time. Social Entrepreneurship, Ashoka, organizer, Twitter, discussions, issues, mobile innovations, Lemelson Foundation, innovators, Ashoka Tech, Nicaragua, rural, project, fellow, Mathias Craig, hybrid, wind, solar, energy, industries, local, job, creation, economic, activity, Godisa, SolarAid, hearing aid, battery, recharger, Botswana, Howard Weinstein, underserved, disabled, communities, deaf, deafness, hard of hearing, India, village information kiosks, remote, wireless, internet, Web, access, Amol Goje, low cost, affordable, video, conferencing, farmers, productivity, growth, education, generation, interactive, communication, technologies, capacity, increase, urban, population, growth