Modular

An exhibition at the Museum of the City of New York is showcasing the recently-announced winning entry from Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s adAPT micro-apartment design competition launched last July. "Making Room: New Models for Housing New Yorkers" – organized by the Citizens Housing & Planning Council and the Museum of the City of New York – opened on January 23rd and gives New Yorkers the opportunity to test drive some of the features destined for the winning "My Micro NY" development on East 27th Street scheduled for completion in September 2015.  Read More

Ground has been broken on the residential component of the $4.9 billion Atlantic Yards project in Brooklyn, New York. The first of three residential towers to be constructed on the 22 acre (89,000 sq.mt) site, the B2 building will be 32 floors high and contain 363 units constructed using innovative prefabrication methods, making it the world’s tallest modular building.  Read More

Madrid-based architectural studio CSO Arquitectura teamed up with prefab construction specialists Torsan to create SAVMS, a modular housing system designed to maximize adaptability while minimizing ecological footprint. The flexibility of the system allows customers to choose a house of their own design, while the prefabricated approach means costs are kept more or less fixed.  Read More

The making of cocktails is now considered in such high regard that people known as mixologists can make a living from studying and then preparing mixed drinks. These aren't merely barmen and barmaids, but people who take the business of getting drinks exactly right very seriously. Unfortunately not everybody is blessed with the skill of mixology, or simply hasn't got the time to dedicate to learning all of the different combinations of spirits, mixers, and touches that make up the average cocktail. Thankfully there could be a simple solution on the way for these rank amateurs.  Read More

I’m not sure if it’s simply a matter of providing some personal space in an increasingly crowded world, if they’re picking up on some deep-set desire to get back to the womb, or it’s something else entirely, but there seem to be a growing number of pods and cocoons emerging from the brains of designers these days, whether it be for treetop accommodation, a backyard workspace or catching some Z’s at work. The latest comes from Micasa Lab, the folks behind the iRock rocking chair, whose Cocoon 1 is a clear sphere in which you can kick back and relax, store items, or even cook.  Read More

Howe and Howe Technologies of Waterboro, Maine, has unveiled the firefighter of tomorrow called the Thermite RS1-T2. Based on technology developed for the U.S. Army, this squat little modular robot on tank treads is a small, powerful fire fighting machine that provides crews with a means for remote reconnaissance and fighting fires in hazardous areas safely.  Read More

The French Rhone Alpes team has won this year’s European Solar Decathlon with its ecological modular home concept. Dubbed Canopea, the prefabricated prototype home has been designed so that a series of Canopea modules can be stacked on top of one another, creating a “nanotower” which could house up to ten families. The concept is hoped to foster the development of sustainable community living in urban areas, while also taking advantage of the sun’s energy through an integrated system of rooftop photovoltaic panels.  Read More

As fun as the trampoline is, it's but a small oasis of bounce in a world ruled by rigid ground. The SMB Trampoline modulus finds out what happens when you expand the trampoline into an entire network. What happens is a lot more bouncy fun.  Read More

Designed by architecture and design practice Nilsson Pflugfelder, Verbandkammer is conceived as an all-in-one living and working space aimed at visual artists, cramming an impressive number of building functions through its 40 modules, including work desks, meeting areas, archive shelving and sleeping quarters, into a compact, efficient (if perhaps a little cramped) space. And, as you'd probably expect these days, the 40 modules can be rearranged so that the Verbandkammer can be reconfigured at will.  Read More