Modular

Located within Spoleto’s high security prison is an inmate carpentry workshop which produces furniture for other prisons throughout Italy. Artist collective Cibic Workshop joined forces with co-operative organization Comodo in order to task these talented carpenters with the creation of Freedom Room: a flexible and low-cost micro-living module concept that could be employed as a tiny dwelling, social housing solution, hostel, or perhaps even a more comfortable prison cell.  Read More

With baristas able to draw masterpieces in a macchiato, the days when going out for a coffee meant a cup of something scorched in an urn seem long gone. Unfortunately, if your tastes run more toward brewed coffee rather than a double decaf or skinny latte, you’re still likely to be pointed to a vacuum-flask at the end of the counter. Alpha Dominche’s Steampunk Coffee and Tea Brewer aims to redress the balance of power by asking the espresso machine to make room for a computerized coffee maker that gives baristas the power to replicate a wide variety of brewing methods.  Read More

There's more to enjoying wine than just the act of drinking it. For people who collect wine, displaying it for guests is almost as important as enjoying the aroma and flavor of the drink itself. The Nucleus modular wine rack is designed with this in mind. It's minimal, and completely customizable, so it can cater to as many or few bottles as a collector needs.  Read More

Many sports require head protection, but not that many allow you to use interchangeable helmets. Every sport seems to have its own helmet designs and safety standards, so multi-sport enthusiasts end up spending hundreds of dollars on a closet full of helmets. Why can't a single helmet bridge the gap between sports? French manufacturer Cébé shows that it can, revealing a three-sport helmet that protects your head during mountaineering, skiing and biking.  Read More

In some cities, the airport can be the busiest place for miles and tends to consume a fair amount of energy as a result. It's no wonder then that several modern airports have started incorporating more green technology into their designs, like photovoltaic panels and wind-powered generators. Now the city of Amman, Jordan is getting in on the trend with the recently opened Queen Alia International Airport, which features an energy efficient, modular design modeled after palm fronds.  Read More

NV01 is a prototype shelving system that can be extended and adapted to fit the available space in any room – in terms of both width and height – by assembling the identical modules in different configurations.  Read More

Architects, it seems, are increasingly interested in transforming a building's use without making permanent changes to the fabric itself. If the BEEBOX we covered in January (a sort of drop-in, self-contained office desk) is exhibit A, then B is an altogether grander intervention. A design team led by Tokyo's Masatomo Kojima has cooked up ROKU Edogawa, a flexible aluminum structure designed to transform any interior space into a cafeteria.  Read More

Argentinian designers Matías Alter and Matías Carrizo have developed the Modularflex emergency response shelter in response to what they see as shortcomings with other designs. Generally, alternatives either require on-site assembly, which may require skilled hands; or they come pre-built, making transportation difficult and inefficient. The simple folding design of Modularflex sidesteps both problems.  Read More

Thanks to modern technology, we currently live in the age of smartphones, autonomous robots, satellite navigation, and ... foldable boats? Well, that’s certainly what it looks like. Just within the past couple of years, we’ve covered a folding rowboat, paddle board, sea kayak and canoe. Now, word comes to us of another boat-to-go, known appropriately as The Transporter.  Read More