Bridget Borgobello
Hungary's Odooproject prefab home produces twice the amount of energy it consumes
On the eve of the opening of the European Solar Decathlon, a team from the Budapest University of Technology and Economics is ready to present its innovative solar-powered prefab home, which produces twice the amount of energy than it consumes. The Solar Decathlon Europe is an international competition among universities which promotes research in the development of energy-effective and light-structured residential buildings that only use solar energy. This year the prestigious competition is being hosted in Madrid, Spain and will see a selection of university entries from across Europe, including Germany, Denmark, Spain, France, Hungary, Italy, The Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, The United Kingdom and Romania, and four more from China, Japan, Brazil and Egypt. Read More
The British auctioneer firm Bonhams has sold an historic 1898 Phébus Motor Tricycle for £28,750 (US$45,635), which went to auction on September 8. The Phébus tricycle was previously bought in France in 2009 were it received a restoration by Mick Penney. Read More
Following the lead of the Earthquake-proof school desk, Wood Luck is an earthquake resistant bed that can withstand up to 65 short tons (59 metric tonnes) of falling debris. Designed by Shinko Industries, the bed has been built to give users some “good luck” protection during an earthquake. And with the ability to withstand 65 tons of tumbling detritus, it may just become a lifesaving piece of furniture during an emergency situation. Read More
The InSync travel case has been designed to securely transport and charge up to 16 iPads and a 13-inch laptop, simultaneously. While you may not have 16 iPads lying around for your next trip, the travel case could be a practical idea for businesses or school groups. Read More
Tiny Feng Shui mobile cube designed for Zen living
San Francisco architectural firm SpaceFlavor has given tiny living a Feng Shui makeover with its prefabricated mobile cube. The eight-foot (2.4-meter) cube was commissioned for Feng Shui expert Liu Ming, and includes an office, bed, storage and meditation space. Drawing from the Chinese principles of Yin (private and closed) and Yang (public and open), the mobile dwelling was designed to modestly accommodate Ming’s personal activities such as study, meditation and sleep. Read More
Flat-packed Mini House takes two days to install
Mini House is a functional prefabricated modular home that comes delivered flat-packed and can be constructed on-site in just two days. The first prototypes, which were designed and built by Swedish architect Jonas Wagell in 2010, are currently being used as summer houses in different parts of Sweden and an upgraded Mini House 2.0 is on the way. Read More
Facit Homes claims to be the first company in the world to digitally fabricate a bespoke home on-site. The company has developed a process (D-Process) whereby it delivers a compact mobile production facility (MPF) to the construction site, equipped with all the materials and machinery required to transform a 3D digital design into a physical building. “We are the first company in the world to have successfully trialed manufacturing a house on-site,” Managing Director of Facit Homes, Bruce Bell told Gizmag. “We bring our compact high-tech machine to site and make it there and then—its an amazingly efficient way of designing and making a house.” Read More
The $2 million Dark Knight-inspired home cinema
This extravagant Dark Knight-inspired home theater is the latest concept design by Elite Home Theater Seating. The Canadian company is better known for manufacturing luxury theater seating, but has also designed several themed home theaters including a traditional Batcave and a Pirates of the Caribbean ship. Read More
South Korean designer Seungji Mun has created a sofa concept that is designed to keep your cat happy as you sit back and relax. Dubbed the Cat Tunnel Sofa, the concept tries to provide a fluid harmony between the daily activities of pets and their owners. “For humans, the cat tunnel sofa is just a comfortable sofa, but for the cats, it is their playground and a comfortable bed,” Seungji Mun told Gizmag. Read More
This modest sized apartment situated on the fifth floor of a tall building in Moscow was strongly overshadowed by surrounding buildings and a dark central courtyard. To correct the problem, architect Peter Kostelov transformed the interior design into an “Oak Tube” that allows natural light to filter through the entire abode. Read More
