: Chris Haycock

PF1 (aka Public Farm 1) is an installation slated for this summer at P.S.1 in New York represents a common idea as we move into the future… how close are we to the urban farmland?

“Could this be a glimpse of what could be in our city’s future? We’re looking forward to visiting PF1 (Public Farm 1 is the official name for the installation), and seeing how the project works when it’s in an actual space with actual people and yielding actual vegetables. In other areas of the world vertical or step farming happens in the countrysides where terrain or flat space constraints (mountains) have necessitated this way of growing.”

Source: Apartment Therapy

Read the full story here.

“Silent Energy is an interactive exhibit designed by Jannis Huelsen that enables participants to visualize energy consumption and discover new ways of converting kinetic energy into electricity.”

Read the full article here.

via PSFK

The advancements in plastics recently can be seen in new applications, especially in automobiles. Auto designers have pushed pushed the need for more wide-ranging and complex uses of the material:

“Sabic’s new Visualfx resins use two-shot molding and hydrographics. The former (photo below, in an Opel Corsa) is a method of layering resins with hardware or wiring embedded inside, which can enable glowing switches and knobs with translucency and internal light sources. The latter is a method of “immersing a part in an ink pattern floating on water like a film. The pattern adheres to the part [and] can wrap around the part to provide better coverage than with traditional in-mold decoration applications.”

Read the full article.

via Designcentre

Photographer Ilkka Halso’s latest series ‘Museum Of Nature’:
“explores the isolation of nature that comes along with the efforts to protect it, and includes compelling images with the use digital structures that enclose nature and protect it from pollution and the other actions of humans.”

Source: anamorphosis

Sony releases another amazing commercial to follow in the tradition of the super balls and paint bombing.

The hi-res version can be found here (suggested)

or the youtube low res:

France’s Enrovia is developing a temperature sensitive concrete varnish that will change color for certain conditions:

“Problems caused by disappearing traction when roads get icy will be solved when we all get our flying cars - it is the 21st century, after all. Until that long overdue promise is fulfilled, we’re all relegated to putting rubber to the road to reach our destinations. The way winter road conditions are currently mitigated involves lots of salt and many trucks. The trucks are pretty much necessary for removal of heavy precipitation, but salting exacts an environmental, as well as financial price. Motorists, too, could benefit from a warning that road surfaces are less than optimal. To that end, France’s Eurovia is developing a temperature-sensitive varnish that changes color to provide a visual indication to all road users that the pavement is freezing. Once it warms back up again, the varnish returns to its default hue. Durability trials are underway in several areas of France that experience severe weather, and if the coating holds up well, we could all be watching out for pink stripes in the winter. ”

By Dan Roth
Source: Autoblog via Coolhunting

Just when we finally got used to seeing the Prius on the highways…  Though this concept is far from reality, the idea of a carbon fiber plastic frame to reduce weight and an overall fuel efficiency double that of a Prius is worth a read…

“It seems like every other day now that a car company announces a new concept that is redefining what it means to be an environmentally friendly vehicle. However, when Toyota says it, we tend to take a closer look. It was Toyota, after all, that created the Prius, the standard to which all subsequent hybrid vehicles are measured. The Toyota 1/x concept, which recently appeared at the Chicago Auto Show, is Toyota’s latest attempt at redefining what a green vehicle means. And to them, it is all about making it weigh less.”

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