sustainable design

Environment

In-flight meal tray reinvented with eco-friendly and edible packaging

Design studio PriestmanGoode recently revealed a sustainable in-flight meal tray concept that includes edible packaging. The eco-friendly design is part of a project addressing the impact of plastic waste, with a focus on the aviation industry.

Powerhouse Brattørkaia reaches a maximum height of 39.3 m (129 ft)

Architecture

Building produces twice the electricity it uses

The sustainable office building Powerhouse Brattørkaia is located in Norway and is described as the world's northernmost energy-positive building.

Four years after the Fairphone 2, the Fairphone 3 has arrived

Mobile Technology

Fairphone 3 is the updated ethical smartphone for 2019

It's been four years since the Fairphone 2, but the quest to build the ultimate ethical phone continues with the new Fairphone 3.

The Santa Monica solar crematorium is intended to be incorporated into both the landscape and the culture of coastal Los Angeles

Architecture

Eco-friendly solar crematorium proposed for Los Angeles

Margot Krasojević's futuristic aesthetic as well as the eco and energy efficiency considerations she incorporates into her projects makes for some fascinating concepts. The latest project is a proposed crematorium, memorial space and – if the renderings are anything to go by – a skatepark.

Assuming all goes to plan, the Ostrava Concert Hall is expected to be completed by 2023

Architecture

Planned concert hall hits a sustainable note

Steven Holl Architects and Architecture Acts, in association with Nagata Acoustics, have been selected to design a new concert hall in Czech Republic. The building's unusual form is described as an "instrument in its case" and will sport an eye-catching zinc roof that has solar panels installed.

The Planter Box house was designed for a retired couple with a keen interest in gardening and growing their own food

Architecture

Planter Box House hides behind a cascading wall of vibrant greenery

The Planter Box house by Formzero is a particularly creative solution to residential urban farming, offering its inhabitants ample space to grow their greens in a set of tiered concrete garden beds that make up the facade.

The CORE 9 prototype is designed to provide a housing solution that is cost effective and sustainable

Architecture

Carbon positive CORE 9 home makes owners around $70 a year

The CORE 9 prototype home is designed to not only be cost effective but also sustainably superior. It is part of one of Australia's first sustainable housing projects, which features 220 blocks of land where residents can only build a home that meets specific sustainable home design standards.

Naval architect Maxim Zhivov and the Baikal Yacht Group have come up with the HydroHouse, an awesome combination houseboat, dock and seaplane mooring

Marine

HydroHouse houseboat, dock and seaplane mooring is transportable by land

Naval architect Maxim Zhivov and Baikal Yachts have come up with this combination houseboat, dock and seaplane mooring, and the entire thing is transportable by truck, meaning that it really does offer a relocatable lifestyle for pilots and water enthusiasts.

The Disappear Retreat can be preordered now with an expectation to move into production in 2019

Tiny Houses

"Invisible" tiny house disappears into its surroundings

Architect Carly Coulson preaches a form of design she calls "invisible sustainability," blending sustainable design principles with an aesthetic that is rigorously minimal. The Disappear Retreat, one of Coulson’s flagship designs, aims for “triple-zero living” – zero energy, zero waste, zero water.

The Biological House opened its doors to the public this week

Architecture

World's first Biological House is built from farming waste

So far as sustainable construction materials go, tomato seaweed would seem to belong at the weaker end of the spectrum. But the team behind the conceptual Biological House are showing what's possible when you apply some innovative thinking and advanced upcycling techniques.

The new Geneva Operational Center for Doctors Without Borders will be wrapped in photovoltaic glass

Architecture

Geneva's Doctors Without Borders building to be wrapped in colored photovoltaic glass

Glass surfaces that double as solar collectors are potentially transformative materials for architects. A new building going up in Geneva will make full use of recent advances to wrap an office space in colored photovoltaic glass, providing shading and generating energy at the same time.

The Wikkelhouse is available in the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Germany, the UK, and Denmark

Tiny Houses

Modular tiny house proves there's more to cardboard than packaging

Amsterdam-based furniture company Fiction Factory recently released a novel modular tiny house built from cardboard. Named Wikkelhouse, it can be assembled in just a day and comes in multiple sizes and configurations.