Infrastructure

NBBJ has unveiled a new proposal to replace tube trains in the London Underground's Circle Line with travelators, or moving walkways. The firm says this would allow users to stroll relatively long distances more quickly than if traveling by train.

Back in 2011, we reported on BIG's waste-to-power station near Copenhagen. It will boast a ski-slope and an installation that expels a steam ring every time a ton of carbon dioxide is produced. The Danish firm has turned to Kickstarter to get the steam ring generator installation up and running.

According to the Los Angeles Times, Frank Gehry has agreed to significantly redevelop the L.A. River system. The changes will primarily focus on turning the river into a water reclamation system, in addition to increasing public access to the river.

Asphalt covers more than 94 percent of paved streets in the US, but have we gone down the wrong road with our choice of building material? A Dutch firm has unveiled plans for roads made from plastic, claiming they would last longer and cut construction and maintenance time.

Mini is demonstrating a new technology that would allow electric vehicle drivers to charge their vehicles from street lights. The Light and Charge system would also provide efficient LED lighting. The system is being showcased the carmaker's plant in Oxford, UK, as part of Low Carbon Oxford Week.

A new technique developed by MIT researchers is able to use high-speed video footage to detect tiny vibrations in structures, that may be indicative of damage or instability. The technique may be useful in monitoring the safety of bridges and buildings.

One unfortunate fact of modern life is that new software becomes old software. DARPA's new Building Resource Adaptive Software Systems (BRASS) project aims to avoid this obsolescence by developing software systems that can still operate properly a hundred years from now.

Philips has announced that it plans to make 110,000 LED street lights in Los Angeles connected. The company will bring the lights online using new plug-and-play CityTouch technology. It is said to be quick and easy to install, and will allow the city's lights to be controlled via the web.

Imagine taking a road trip from the UK to the US, via Russia. According to The Siberian Times, this might soon be possible.

We might be a ways off having buildings pop up at the push of a button, but on construction sites around the world flying robots are already carrying out surveying tasks more efficiently than we can. And experts say that when it comes to automating construction, that's not all they have to offer.

Following an announcement from London mayor Boris Johnson, cycling in central London looks set to become significantly safer. Two new Cycling Superhighways are planned for the city.

As water shortage is a serious issue in many parts of the world, a means of efficiently harnessing safe drinking water from thin air could be a real lifesaver. Italy's Architecture and Vision is developing an off-grid bamboo tower called Warka Water that promises just that.