The new complex coming up for the new headquarters of Antwerp Port Authority in Antwerp, Belgium can be stated to be a masterpiece. Being designed by London based architects Zaha Hadid Architects, the new extension is expected to be completed in 2013 and will house about 500 staff members, with the existing building will be refurbished so that the public counters, meeting rooms and offices be in that place. The new building which shall be five stories high will consist of auditorium and restaurant and additional offices and meeting rooms. It will be a towering structure overlooking the city and will sure be a monument to look out for.
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Usage of green energy is the top most priority for people who are conscious about their responsibility towards the nature and environment. Keeping this in mind the mPower system has been developed which generates huge energy at minimal effort. The slender body of the device and leaf like tip resembles the structure of a large leaf. The color is green to enhance its organic nature. The steppers at the bottom are also shaped like leaves with the similar designs. Using this unique product you can save the natural resources and a large amount of money spent on electricity at the same time.
mPower consists of 2 units: Generation and Collection.
mPower Generation is a plant-shaped human-powered unit that produces electricity for immediate and future use. Users access their account using fingerprint recognition, stand on two pads at the base of the unit, and shift their weight from one pad to the other every ten seconds. The system, developed to take up the least amount of a user’s time and effort, can be adapted for the handicapped. A small portion of the electricity generated is used to power the interactive touch-screen at the top of the unit, which offers a broad range of informational services pre-customised by each user. The remaining majority of the electricity generated is sent to the city’s main power plant, to be used or stored. At their convenience, users receive payment for the electricity they generated by accessing their account at mPower Collection.
mPower Collection is a unit that, using the same fingerprint recognition technology, distributes payment and allows for account customisation to users of mPower Generation.
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Today with lot of environmental developments happening world over like global warming, energy crisis, lifestyle changes, it’s become even more difficult to design houses meeting all these requirements. More and more architectural designs are using digital technologies with respect to modeling, simulation, evaluation and fabrication resulting in complex shaped buildings which incorporates the above challenges. One such project is coming up in Tel Aviv whose primary resources are sun, wind, and land and these are fairly distributed amongst these complex structures thus making an optimum utilization of all. It’s of course high quality housing complete with latest gadgets but run on the natural resources. Architect Yiftach Ben Meir, the designer, is a recent graduate from The Faculty Of Architecture and Town Planning at Technion, Israel Institute of Technology (IIT). His final project SeaO2 was conceived under the framework of Tecnion Computer Oriented Design Studio, T_Code with the instruction of dr. Yasha j. Grobman.
Text from Yiftach :
SeaO2 is an experimental ecological housing project. The project poses an alternative to current plans for Tel Aviv North West coastal district. SeaO2 demonstrates vast use of cutting edge computer software, some being used in the aerospace industry, in order to improve building performance and to ensure the existence of a sustainable urban environment with a minimal ecological footprint. The project final form is a consequence of a scientific approach that calculates numerous of elements: the sun orbit, wind conditions, maximum open scenic views, very high density and more, all in a free-form organic manner.
Advanced Computer Simulations ensure the project’s credibility. The project’s unique morphology enables: optimized solar reception for heating at winter time, self-shadowing and solar reception for electricity generation at summer time, natural lighting, optimized natural ventilation, open looks to the natural coastal environment, public green spaces, rain collection and more. Various passive mechanical systems complement the basic morphology, enable better performance and create an energy efficient, environmentally friendly housing project
Designer : Yiftach Ben Meir
Seems like it’s time for designers to look back in time for getting inspiring themselves as done by Christophe Pillet. He has designed a contemporary set which comprises of a bottle, two glasses, and a tray which is accompanying Remy Martin’s top of the line cognac Louis XIII. As per the Remy Martin, it is a perfect tribute to the heritage and class of the quality of cognac that Louis XIII signifies. The design of the bottle also signifies the richness and heritage that was significant during the times of Louis XIII thus the overall design is immensely rich and classy. So, it is truly an inspiring tribute.
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The new FC Sport fuel based car from Honda was recently displayed at the LA Auto Show is one traffic stopper. The designers have taken into their advantage the flexibility which is extended by the fuel cell powertrain as it is placed on the back of the driver. It’s a 3-seater with the styling of sports car major McLaren F1 vehicle, where in the driver is in the middle with passenger seats on side and back. The concept car is right now under study and testing to understand the full utility of the product. Though there may be a possibility of Honda releasing a full fledged version for commercial use.
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