Design for sustainability - indoor lighting using sun and water

This is in fact very simple but definitely extremely ingenious: an automatic on/off interior solar lamp invented by Mr Alfredo Moser, an auto mecanic in Brasil.

In 2002, during a long electrical shortage, at Uberaba, São Paulo, Brasil, Mr Alfredo Moser discovered a way to gather sun light in the house through plastic bottles hanging from the roof.

He noticed that a clear two-liter bottle reflected the sun light very brightly when filled with water.  As an auto mecanic, he had to keep his auto shop lit during the day and while there is sufficient sun light, the cost of rooflights and glazing is very high compared to the average Brazilian income. Given that Brazil has an abundance of sun light, he decided to experiment with a solution that enables him to keep on working during the electric outage and potentially save on his electric bills later on.

His construction: take a 2 liter water bottle, fill it with clear water and 2 caps of chloride to keep bacteria from clouding the water.  Cover the bottle-cap with a photo-roll capsule to protect it from UV and fit the bottle in a hole in your roof.

As a result the sun greatly brightened his workspace through the refracting water in the plastic bottle.  The bottle is just refracting sun light very effectively and produces an equivalent light power compared to a 50/60W lamp. In a rainy day, even without much light and direct sun, one still have some light.

In a country with high level of poverty resulting in tiny living spaces cramped together, there are many rooms that don't even have windows.  Mr Alfredo's solution has already helped many families add light into their homes.  Some of these water lamps have been in place for over two years in many rooms. They have never needed to be replaced. They are maintenance free and the cement sealer holds them in place for a long time.

To turn them off, just cover them with e.g. a plastic bucket or wait till the sun sets :-)

Scientist have visited Mr Alfredo Moser and are looking into ways to take this concept to maximize its potential

These kind of ideas that are simple but highly efficient are quintessential in finding a solution to our energy problems. More importantly there needs to be a platform for tinkerers and inventors to share ideas and collaborate. Large companies and fancy startups do bring allot to the table - however, in most cases it’s the average Joe working in his garage or on his computer that finds an amazing solution.

Design for sustainability - old magazines wall

The Swedish architecture firm Elding Oscarson has created some unique partition walls for a graphics company's new office layout.

They used stacks of old magazines in a recycle-extravaganza which not only creates a very warm effect but also provides a striking linear pattern which I personally like.  The sound muffling characteristics of the material will likely generate a softer atmosphere in the adjacent rooms.

I would love to see more of these types of lovely and meaningful installations in corporate environments.  Having suited-up for about a decade, I can testify to the huge amounts of glossy magazines full of prettiness that are scattered throughout the offices and lobbies.

 

6 Creative ideas to decorate your wall

A wall is just a wall, isn't it? A vertical obstacle in space that hopefully divides your living space in more comfortable sizes. Next to that you can hang stuff on it.

However, some designers think differently about those walls and come up with very interesting ways of decorating them.

1. Using paint strips:

This designer wanted a colorful yet affordable way to decorate the bedroom wall. He visited Home Depot every day for a few weeks, taking in total around 1000 paint swatches with him. Next step: arranging the collection in the desired pattern and glue it to the wall. For you readers interested in this approach but not in the commute to your local DIY store: call up the paint distributor and they will probably send you the samples at a small fee. [link]

 

2. Wall graphics:

One of many fancy, funny, interesting... graphics.  this one would also look nice at the IT department [link]

 

3. Warping wallpaper:

This German company makes custom wallpaper that looks like it is being distorted by the elements in and on the wall. [link]



 

4. Light emitting wallpaper:

I love this concept from Jonas Samson.  He designed this new approach to embedded technology, using oled (organic light-emitting diodes) into the textile.  Your wall wears the light.  This might be the new night-light for your kids. [link]

 

5. Pixelnotes:

Duncan Wilson received 2nd price for his concept of a 4-layered wall paper that is basically a set of usable post-it alike notes.  Every 'deeper' layer is slightly darker making the functional wall also become a graphical representation of our daily use of the room. [link]

 

 

6. Wooden panels - the unusual way:

Paul Coudamy has used wooden panels found 'where ever' to decorate the walls and ceiling of an internet cafe in Paris, generating a warm cave-like sensation and I guess the acoustics will be great too.  This is a great recycling idea!  [link]