Storing massive amounts of data in the modern world is a lot more complicated and expensive than it would seem, given the persistence of the internet, which now dates back almost 40 years. Hard disk drives are relatively easy to break due to regular usage, and they only last an average of five years before becoming inoperable – making the information stored within disappear forever. Keeping the internet alive over the years requires a ton of electricity, and not just in terms of manufacturing and shipping new storage drives. Simply operating the massive arrays of computers where data is stored creates a tremendous carbon footprint, contributing significantly to climate destruction.

Microsoft’s Project Silica wants to solve one piece of that puzzle: data archival. The team behind Project Silica has been busy figuring out how to archive impressive quantities of data away in a physical vault that requires minimal amounts of electricity to maintain. In the automated vault, shelves of individual glass sheets storing up to 7 terabytes each (that’s over 1.75 million songs, according to Microsoft) are accessible by robotic servos that can track down a given sheet, then bring it back to a physical reader that transmits the data inside over the cloud. The only catch: once data is written to a glass sheet, that sheet can never be written over again.

Designer: Microsoft

An “ultrafast femtosecond laser” modifies the shape of the glass plates as it writes, storing information in voxels – 3D pixels that can store volumetric information. These voxels are encoded into the body of the glass, and can only be read with a quick-moving microscope that works similarly to a CD or DVD reader albeit at a much larger scale. Somewhere between those two interactions, robotic servos shuffle up and down steel rows, storing data away on shelves that look straight out of the Minority Report or The Expanse.

The entire four-step process is powered by Microsoft Azure AI, which makes sense given how complex it must be to make a foolproof automated system integrating digital and physical interactions, which is exactly what’s going on inside of the Project Silica library. Its robotic servos “climb the shelves, fetch the glass, and then zip back to the reader” before stopping to self-charge.

Each glass slab is designed to last for 10,000 years, which is evidently twice as long as it’s been since humanity’s oldest recorded writing was created about 5000 years ago. Even more shockingly, the entire library is “passive, with no electricity in any of the storage units” according to Microsoft.

Elire is already collaborating with Project Silica to store music in the Global Music Vault, but the technology isn’t quite ready for widespread use. Microsoft says there are about “3-4 more developmental stages” before these glass-based libraries become the norm for long-term data storage on a commercial level, but the benefits are clear. Project Silica could represent a massive step forward in minimizing humanity’s carbon footprint while ensuring its achievements live on through the ages.

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Putting up decorations on a wall is always a big commitment, primarily because most fixtures are designed to be permanent. Circumstances, however, change far too often than one would imagine, and there will be times when you wish you could have designed a wall differently. Maybe you need to reclaim some wall space, or maybe you grew out of an old fad, or maybe you’re actually moving to a new place with a different wall setup. Whatever the case may be, most people will probably want to have the flexibility in designing their walls, even if it simply means being able to change the setup as needed or desired, even if it just means expanding or shrinking the design. That’s the kind of “open” design that this unique wall installation is trying to present using creative and sustainable design as well as a pinch of math.

Designer: Duffy London

When people think of shapes, a hexagon is probably not going to be at the top of their lists, yet it turns out to be a rather versatile polygon with some hidden benefits when it comes to composition. Like a triangle, it has a rather interesting shape made of tilted lines, but like a square, it can be easily grouped together in different combinations to create a tiled pattern. When used with a mathematical tiling system called “Truchet Tiling,” you can even rotate the hexagons in different directions and you’d still end up with a pleasing whole that looks as if it were designed that way from the start.

The Abyss Wall Tile was created using that principle to bring Duffy London’s famed Abyss design to a vertical plane. Just like the Abyss Table, each hexagon displays a layered design reminiscent of contour maps, particularly those of the ocean floors that lead your eyes toward abyssal depths. In this particular incarnation, however, there are three distinct patterns available and you can combine these hexagonal tiles to create a larger map-like composition on your wall. The clincher is that, no matter which direction you rotate the hexagons, you’ll still be able to combine them in a way that makes them look like a unified pattern.

What this means is that you have complete freedom in how you arrange the tiles and how many or how few you want to put up on your wall. You can even change the arrangement as you want, adding or removing pieces as needed. Of course, you still have to consider how these tiles will be mounted without being absolutely permanent, but with many options available today, that shouldn’t be much of a problem.

The Abyss Wall Tiles also has a sustainable angle to it, almost like a nod to the oceans that they portray. They use plexiglass, recycled plastic, and brushed stainless steel and are handcrafted to help reduce their impact on the environment. It’s a simple yet ingenious design that gives peace of mind as well as enjoyment as you immerse yourself within the abyss of your self-made ocean floor.

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Wind turbines are currently in popular demand due to the growing necessity of green energy, but there’s a deep sense of calm involved in watching a much less advanced windmill for the land (turn forever, hand in hand). That’s the idea behind the W.I.P.: Windmill In Play installation by Taiyi Yu, a graduate student in industrial design at the Royal Academy of Art, The Hague, Netherlands.

Windmill In Play is a deconstructed windmill, meaning it takes the classic windmill design and simplifies it using everyday parts that make it easy to build and deploy. You can watch the process of constructing Taiyi Yu’s handmade DIY windmill design in the video linked below, meaning anyone with the time and energy can learn to build one of their own.

Designer: Taiyi Yu

As the windmill turns, it physically powers a series of mechanisms that shuffle sand from the base of the installation into a hopper that gradually displaces the collected sand in a unique shape as the wind moves the windmill around its 360-degree radius.

Most of the materials used in the Windmill In Play design are simple to work with – like wood, fabric, and piping – and it appears that they’re mostly recycled materials sourced directly from the trash. An especially impressive part of the design is the pink sail fabric, sourced and cut from old umbrellas as seen in the construction video.

Windmill In Play is not just a cool science project that creates a potential outlet for recycled materials. According to designer Taiyi Yu, it serves an artistic purpose as well, saying, “The project questions how winds have been harvested through windmills and reflects on how we perceive and appropriate winds.”

“The windmill, as a concrete example but also as a metaphor for modern industrialisation, is implicated in the dichotomy between humans and nature. It exemplifies the rationality of seeing the natural world as a resource, a power that reconstitutes experience through its mechanical structure.”

Even though the windmill itself isn’t designed to produce electricity, it could serve as a direct example of what’s possible with everyday materials – and hopefully, it could become a starting point for even more designers and creators who want to develop their own green energy solutions.

The post This deconstructed windmill installation design highlights the power of wind first appeared on Yanko Design.

The global climate crisis is an ongoing, and worsening, part of everyday life. As a global phenomenon, it is now undeniably pushing the needle on everything from agricultural collapse to global civil unrest, due largely to society’s dependence on CO2-emitting fossil fuels for transportation, heating, and electricity. But there’s always hope. Sustainable design is growing more and more prevalent in efforts to combat global climate change and lessen the resulting destruction of our one and only livable planet. Take this solar-powered aircraft or this sustainable coffee cup-turned-planter as recent examples of sustainable design pervading product design on a macro and micro level.

Green energy is a huge (and rapidly growing) part of sustainable design, but one of the key issues with large-scale green energy production – drawing mostly or entirely from natural energy sources like solar and wind, which produce zero carbon emissions, therefore slowing the roll of climate change – is solar panels and wind turbines provide far less energy than coal or oil power plants for the amount of land they take up. Many countries’ power grids are still mostly dependent on fossil fuel sources as a result, and since climate change ripples across the entire globe, the complex process of reaching a single unified solution is inevitably going to require the collaboration of the entire global workforce.

Soleolico is doing its part by putting several green energy sources together in the same space with its newly revealed photovoltaic “sails”, which are basically vertical-axis wind turbines (they have tall blades facing forward attached to a hub that’s facing upward, allowing the turbine to spin in a horizontal radius) with solar panels mounted on the front part of the blades. As of October 6, one fully operational Soleolico unit is placed outside of the Palacio de la Magdalena in Santander, Spain, with hopefully many more installations to come.

Designer: Firàs Safieddine (via Soleolico)

Soleolico’s core idea is providing a 24/7 green energy source. Its individual blades are designed to automatically orient to the direction and strength of wind through the company’s “patented magnetic system”. Moreover, if either wind or solar become unavailable, the same system can lean on whichever resource is available, even storing excess power in built-in energy storage systems.

Generating green energy isn’t Soleolico’s only function. It also scrubs CO2 out of the air via a 3D-printable coating made of “natural agents” that make it similar to a tree. The company even goes as far as calling it the world’s “First Technological Tree”, given its ability to integrate naturally into forests and other important and complex ecosystems while providing a higher energy production capacity than traditional wind turbines.

The aforementioned 3D-printable coating, currently produced at the LaMáquina manufacturing center in Barcelona, Spain, uses Pure.Tech organic 3D-printing technology. According to Aldo Sollazzo, the Director of Pure.Tech, “the installation of 1,000 units of Soleolico absorbs the same amount of CO2 as 287 trees in a year, according to our calculations, based on data from the European Environmental Agency and our certified laboratories”.

That’s not all. Soleolico’s “sails” design can also display advertisements and branding imagery, making them function as self-sustaining electric billboards. It’s unclear how quickly it (and other technology like it) will catch on en masse, but the fact that such an invention exists and can be produced quickly thanks to new advancements in 3D-printing tech is ultimately hopeful.

The post This 3D printed wind turbine design uses solar arrays for 24/7 green energy first appeared on Yanko Design.

Some say that the world runs on coffee or that coffee is what actually makes it go round. Regardless of opinion, there’s no denying how much of the brown liquid is consumed every day, whether at home or especially from coffee shops like the famous (or infamous) Starbucks. When taking the latter into account, you can’t but help consider the amount of waste the coffee industry is producing simply from the cups alone, whether plastic or biodegradable paper. More conscientious coffee lovers have switched to reusable tumblers to help minimize their impact on the environment, but that is only half a step better than using plastic drinkware. This portable coffee cup, in contrast, takes the product’s lifecycle into account and puts it to good use even when you can no longer drink from it.

Designer: Alex Philpott (Beta Design Office)

Most coffee tumblers today are made from a combination of materials such as plastic, rubber, metal, and silicone. While some of these might be considered sustainable, the sum of the parts isn’t. These reusable drinking vessels naturally last a lot longer than the disposable variety served at many coffee shops, but they still end up polluting the land and seas at the end of their lives. Definitely not a good way to give back to the Earth that produces the coffee beans and water that fuel our modern lives.

That’s where the Earthmade Aromacup sets itself apart. Using Bamboo-O, an eco-friendly material made from bamboo fiber and plant starch, these travel coffee cups offer a significantly more sustainable option than typical silicone or thermal tumblers. More than just the materials and processes, however, the drinkware’s life continues even after it is no longer usable, at least not by humans. It can be easily used as compost material at home, contributing to the healthy growth of plants that, in turn, could nourish our food or clean up the air at the very least.

Beyond its sustainability, however, the Earthmade Aromacup also offers practical features matched with a clean aesthetic. A user-friendly keyhole locking mechanism makes it safe to bring your coffee or any favorite drink with you on the go, while easy disassembly makes it trivial to keep the cup clean and hygienic all the time. The cup’s soft body and ribbed texture offer a comfortable and safe grip when you need to take a sip anywhere.

The choice of single pastel colors, applied with food-safe coloring via a sustainable injection moulding process, visually sets it apart from most travel cups. At the same time, it appeals to the minimalist aesthetic that continues to trend, making these cups an attractive alternative to common, mass-produced coffee tumblers that also let owners feel good about their contribution to the Earth’s health every time they take a sip.

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Carbon-neutral flight seems to quite literally be on the horizon with this conceptual falcon-shaped aircraft. The eponymously named Falcon Horizon embraces the boundless potential of solar power with a uniquely designed body that additionally helps with lift and allows the aircraft to navigate the skies. Departing from conventional aircraft design, this concept harnesses the advantages of flying wings, drawing inspiration from the efficiency of birds of prey.

Designer: Laszlo Nemeth

In an era where solar-powered manned flight is not only possible but actively under development, the aviation industry carries a weighty responsibility to chart a sustainable course. Falcon Solar minimizes the need for cumbersome batteries, leveraging solar energy not just for propulsion, but also for shaping the boundary layer around the wing, unlocking heightened efficiency. The solar panels extend from one wing to another, covering a massive area of the airplane, and therefore providing it with the power it needs to complete its journey. The delicate balance between propulsion and boundary layer manipulation yields superior overall performance.

As we witness the dawn of a new age in aviation, Falcon Solar stands as a testament to the potential of clean, renewable energy sources to reshape the skies. Although just a concept for now, its innovative format speaks to the collective aspirations of a world seeking greener horizons, while propelling us towards a future where the sky truly knows no limits. Explore the future of flight with Falcon Solar – where innovation meets sustainability.

The Falcon Solar is a winner of the Red Dot Award: Design Concept for the year 2023.

The post Award-Winning Solar-Powered Aircraft Ushers in a New Era of Zero-Emission Travel first appeared on Yanko Design.

I was today years old when I learned that 35% of the ocean’s microplastic problem comes from washing machines. Most of the clothes we wear today have some blend of synthetic fibers that degrade ever so slightly when washed. These microscopic fibers mix in the water and get dumped down the drain, making their way into our oceans, and then into our body through seafood and even salt. Microplastics have reached parts of the body we never thought possible before, like our brain, our reproductive organs, and even fetuses through the placenta. It sounds scary (and it somewhat is), but the folks behind PLANETCARE 2.0 have a simple solution – a microfiber filter attachment for your washing machine.

Designers: Miha Vrhovec and Lenche Gjorjioski

Click Here to Buy Now: $62 $95 (35% off). Hurry, only 122/199 left!

Simply put, PLANETCARE 2.0 is a nifty filter that snaps to the side of your washing machine, filtering all the water the machine drains out after a cycle. Think of the PLANETCARE 2.0 as the water equivalent of you sorting your trash. You wouldn’t throw recyclables along with food waste, would you? So why would you dump microplastics out with your water?

Scientifically Proven – The only microfiber filter that truly stops 98% of fibers.

Tested by 7000+ Users – Their first-generation filter is used by more than 7000 users providing valuable feedback.

Easy to Install – Takes only 10 minutes to install the filter and a minute to change the filter cartridge.

Designed to easily attach to your washing machine in a matter of 10 minutes (you can assemble it yourself without calling a plumber), PLANETCARE 2.0 catches all the microplastics from your washing machine’s drain water, ensuring they never make it to the ocean. An estimated 700,000 tiny fibers shred from your clothes with each wash cycle. Depending on the fabrics you wear, these fibers will include natural materials like cotton, denim, wool, and silk, but also synthetic materials like nylon, polyester, and other fabric blends found in most clothes. PLANETCARE 2.0 catches up to 98% of these microfibers (both natural and synthetic), preventing them from getting carried into our waterways. The result indirectly benefits you, but directly benefits our planet, nature, and the delicate ecosystem of life on Earth. While we can’t easily remove existing microplastics in the world around us, we can easily prevent more microplastics from being added to it.

The PLANETCARE 2.0 is a rather cleverly designed product that tackles the microplastic problem on a whole systemic level. Plug the device into your washing machine and its microfiber filter traps up to 98% of all microscopic fibers in the drain water, without using any electricity. Once the filter reaches its maximum capacity, it pops up to reveal a red-colored ring, letting you know that it’s time to swap out the old filter for a new one. Just take the old filter cartridge out and add a new one in like you would replace batteries on your TV remote. The old filter cartridge can be sent back to the folks at PLANETCARE, who reuse 95% of the cartridge and recycle the remaining 5%, ensuring absolutely zero wastage. The entire circular economy around the filter tackles the microplastic problem on a systemic level, so that you’re not just passing the buck onto the next guy. You’re part of an honest movement to ensure plastics never enter our environment and our bodies again.

First-timers can grab their PLANETCARE 2.0 starter kit for just $62, which includes the device itself along with 3 filter cartridges and a spare drain hose. If you’re a part of the 7000+ users currently using the 1st gen Planetcare filter, you can upgrade to the v2.0 device for $31, with global shipping in December 2023 so you can begin the new year on an eco-friendly note!

Click Here to Buy Now: $62 $95 (35% off). Hurry, only 122/199 left!

The post Your Washing Machine is Polluting the Ocean with Microplastics. This Modular Filter hopes to stop that. first appeared on Yanko Design.

Living in a sustainable, conscious, and smart manner has become not only a necessity but our moral obligation and duty toward the planet. Our homes should seamlessly integrate with, and nourish the planet, not drain her resources and reduce her lifespan. Being at one with Planet Earth, while taking rigorous care of her has never been more of a priority. In an effort to encourage an eco-friendly way of life, sustainable architecture has been gaining immense popularity among architects. And, McDonald’s has jumped onto that bandwagon with its outlet in Tai Wo, Hong Kong.

Designer: McDonald’s

McDonald’s Tai Wo outlet in Hong Kong recently underwent a renovation that transformed it into a prime specimen of sustainable design and architecture. The restaurant is a testament to how sustainability can be incorporated almost anywhere with the right direction, effort, and intention. The Tai Wo location is Hong Kong’s first LEED Zero Carbon restaurant certified by the US Green Building Council. The building will save 848.22 metric tons of carbon dioxide which equates to planting more than 36,000 16-foot-tall trees!

The space is defined by twenty commendable sustainability efforts, which are working throughout it. McDonald’s collaborated with eco-social startup HK TIMBERBANK, and designed the exterior facade which is crafted from local trees. These trees fell either due to old age or typhoons. In fact, even the furniture and décor inside are built using recycled materials. McDonald’s also teamed up with CLP Power Hong Kong to set up a solar power system on the rooftop.

The entire building is marked with smart devices to monitor energy consumption and indoor air quality. In fact, the restaurant has also signed a “green lease” with the landlord to share data connected to sustainability and lay down low-carbon operational guidelines. It incorporates an education corner that is packed with sustainability-themed books, providing integral reading material to the next generation. Cool phone-charging bikes that can be ridden by visiting families have been added to the space as well. McDonald’s is also releasing a new line of Happy Meal books and coloring games that encourage children visiting to learn about environmental protection.

The post McDonald’s Opens Its First LEED Zero Carbon Restaurant in Hong Kong first appeared on Yanko Design.

Japanese architect Shigeru Ban designed the Paper Log House with his non-governmental organization, Voluntary Architects’ Network, which he founded in 1995. The Log House was created as a shelter for victims of natural disasters in response to the Great Hanshin earthquake in Kobe, Japan. The model was also installed in Antalya as a school building after the 2023 Turkey-Syria earthquake. It is intended to be easy and quick to construct, and also quite economical. The Pritzker Architecture-prize winning architect has now designed the latest prototype of the Paper Log House for Morocco since it was devastatingly hit by the earthquake on September 8th, 2023.

Designer: Shigeru Ban

The 6.8 magnitude earthquake caused innumerable damage to buildings and claimed over 3000 lives. The prototype is constructed using cardboard tubes, which gives the structure its name. The cardboard tubes function as the columns of the house, and are used to accommodate prefab wood panels. These wood panels form the walls, floor, and roof. The various components are elevated above the ground using a base created from plastic beer crates filled with sandbags. The temporary shelter has been constructed at the National School of Architecture of Marrakech as a symbol of hope, resilience, and support in an extremely difficult time.

Besides providing support through structures and architecture, Shigeru Ban also held a lecture on September 27 where he introduced the Paper Log House and his knowledge and experience in post-disaster support. He also stayed back in Marrakech to visit the affected areas and find potential locations for the Paper Log House.

Shigeru Ban’s humanitarian effort is truly commendable. He is providing valuable support and shelter to victims. In fact, his involvement in disaster relief is spread over three decades, taking into account his work across the globe over the years, from Kobe to L’Aquila, Turkey to Haiti!

The post Shigeru Ban Offers The Paper Log House To Morocco For Disaster Relief Following The Earthquake first appeared on Yanko Design.

If you’re looking for a cozy and comfy nature retreat then you may want to consider the Adventure Whare Retreat. Designed by Studio Well, the Adventure Whare Retreat is located in Castle Hill Village, New Zealand. The spacious and impressive home is a traditional A-frame structure with a modern and contemporary twist. It perfectly merges with its alpine surroundings, while also prioritizing practicality and sustainability. The home is designed to offer a sanctuary of peace, shelter, relaxation, and connection.

Designer: Studio Well

The exterior of the home is inspired by the traditional A-frame hut. The home is surrounded by trees and nestled in greenery. It provides ample shelter and privacy while flaunting a roof with timber-framed glazing that connects the retreat with the native bush reserve. The intriguing cloaked form of the home ensures that it is well protected from the weather. As you enter the home, you are welcomed by a warm and open space marked with exposed timber structural elements and cork flooring.

The entrance holds a mudroom that stores wet gear and flat-roofed bedroom wings which in turn provide privacy and relaxation. The retreat is the perfect culmination of warmth, simplicity, and minimalism. It is well connected to nature and serves as a unique and simple dwelling to reside in. Natural materials and green tones define the entire space.

The Adventure Whare Retreat was designed as a space for recharge and reprieve for the entire family. The family enjoys adventuring and exploring local mountains, and forest regions, hence the home is a calm and peaceful shelter for them. The exposed timber theme has been maintained indoors and outdoors, which supports an outdoor lifestyle while allowing a serene connection to the surrounding landscape. The materials selected are not only chosen for aesthetics but also to handle the rigors and moodiness of the climate. Ultimately, the Adventure Whare Retreat is an excellent escape from hectic city life and a safe haven in the wild outdoors. The interiors are welcoming and warm, but well-equipped and spacious. It allows you to disconnect from urban life and connect with rural life in a safe, comfortable, and cozy manner.

The post Adventure Whare Retreat Is A Traditional A-Frame Hut With A Modern Twist To Let You Comfortably Enjoy The Outdoors first appeared on Yanko Design.