The Advanced Lighting Behind Urban Agriculture

Creative use of space and cutting-edge lighting technology come together to meet the intensifying need for food production ...

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Better Air Quality in New Buildings

The Australian Research Council (ARC) Training Centre for Advanced Building Systems Against Airborne Infection Transmission aims to reduce airborne infection transmission by improving indoor air quality while maintaining comfort and efficiency.

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Can The New American Home inspire builders to go green?

The New American “net-zero energy” home, infers the potential to generate at least as much energy from renewable sources as it uses ||

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Open database analysis of scaling and spatio-temporal properties of power grid frequencies ||

The energy system, and in particular the electricity system, is undergoing rapid changes due to the introduction of renewable energy sources, to mitigate climate change. To cope with these changes new policies and technologies are proposed and a range of business models are implemented in various energy systems across the world. New concepts, such as smart grids, flexumers, or prosumers, are developed and tested in pilot regions. Still, studies rarely systematically compare different approaches, data, or regions, in part because freely available research data are lacking.

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 For years, climate scientists have been wary of attributing extreme weather directly to man-made atmospheric warming, but that's changing in the face of historic heat waves and cascading natural disasters || 

Scientists unveil a plan to prevent the next pandemic (while supporting nature simultaneously)

Jane Goodall on Conservation, Climate Change and COVID-19: 'If We Carry on With Business as Usual, We're Going to Destroy Ourselves' ||

We need to realize we're part of the environment, that we need the natural world. We depend on it. We can't go on destroying. We've got to somehow understand that we're not separated from it, we are all intertwined. Harm nature, harm ourselves. If we continue with business as usual, we're going to come to the point of no return. At a certain point the ecosystems of the world will just give up and collapse and that's the end of us eventually too.

NYCxDESIGN Gathers Odes to New York From Designers Near & Far

Twenty Five designers from the five boroughs and beyond offer a heartfelt message to the world’s epicenter of design during an uncertain time.

U.S. National Library of Medicine || Oral TCM & COVID-19 Update

The National Library of Medicine started in 1836 as a small collection of medical books and journals in the office of the United States Army Surgeon General.
COVID-19 Update On Cytokine Storm: Identification and Treatment ||

Many doctors are focused on treating the inflammatory reactions it triggers ||

Medicinal "Anti-Inflammatory" Plants vs. Synthetic "Anti-Inflammatory" Drugs | NCBI, U.S. National Library of Medicine | 2018 Review || 

[US National Library of Medicine] Currently, the synthetic antiviral drugs or vaccines have limited use in developing countries due to the emergence of resistant strains, the high cost, and the harmful side effects. However, Anti-Inflammatory agents derived from herbs (medicinal plants) have many advantages such as low cost and toxicity, extensive source, and ease of access. Moreover, medicinal plants usually have multitarget effects, which not only act as antiviral agents (with fewer or no side effects) but also stimulate immunity. Therefore, medicinal plant extracts and phytochemicals are attracting more and more attention as the potential sources for the development of new antiviral drugs during the recent decade. 

Huang Lian Shang Qing (common name Coptidis Combination   [US - N L M]                    Antimicrobial Potential of Coptidis Rhizome   [US - N L M]

Ban Lan Gen (common name: Isatis Root): [US - N L M]

Huang Lian Su (common name: Berberine): [US - N L M]

Qing Fei Yi Huo Pian (common name Gardenia)  [US - N L M]

Qingzao Runfei Huazhuo Xingxue: Inflammatory cells / Alveolar cavity [US - N L M]

Yin Chiao (yin chiao chieh tu pien) Yinchiao Tablet  is highly-regarded for its ability to nourish and strengthen the body's immunity during the onset of infection.  Lianhuaqingwen capsules: (common name forsythia honeysuckle) [US - N L M]

Bell's Palsy  (facial weakness or post-stroke facial paralysis)                                                              Tian Ma Wan = Angelica Sinensis / Rehmanniae Radix      [US - N L M]

Oral TCM/CHM analyzed findings from 3,145 patients in 30 eligible studies on immune responses during coronavirus disease

Oral TCM/CHM formulas are a valuable source of drugs for the management of COVID-19 in its early stages. They act on multitargets, inhibit biochemical pathways, epigenetic regulation of gene expression & modulation of immune response

Coronavirus Disease 2019 Outbreak (COVID-19) U.S.Current U.S Coronavirus Information: WolrdOmeter

The 12-Day Greater Boston Design Festival

March 27 - April 7, 2020

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The Guggenheim Reveals Rem Koolhaas and AMO Exhibition ||

Set to open in February 2020, ”Countryside, The Future” will explore the transformation of nonurban areas. Rem Koolhaas, Hon. FAIA, a founder of the Rotterdam-based Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA), has spent much of his design career focused on urbanism and cities around the world. In an upcoming exhibition at the Guggenheim Museum in New York, however, Koolhaas turns his focus to the countryside, exploring various challenges facing the planet's undeveloped areas.

LightShow West | Los Angeles Convention Center ||

LightShow West is the West Coast’s foremost destination for ARCHITECTS, DESIGNERS and other LIGHTING PROFESSIONALS to keep current on the latest lighting trends ||

AstraZeneca’s LEED Platinum West Coast Center Rethinks R&D ||

From research institutions to life science facilities, laboratories of all stripes tend to use disproportionately high amounts of energy relative to their square footage. So the bar was inherently high for HOK when they were tasked to design the interiors for AstraZeneca’s center for West Coast operations in San Francisco, an ambitious facility that positions research and development labs adjacent to administrative and creative staff in open-plan office spaces.

Discover what’s new, next, & cutting edge | AIA Conference on Architecture 2019

Looking for a project or product solution | Tap into the expertise of some of the industry’s best brands, face to face ||

International Conference on Cities Identity Through Architecture & Arts ||

It is easy to identify a city's identity by looking at its architecture. Architecture is the platform where all cultural, historical and economic monuments meet. With each city's unique identity, the impact is left and history made. Similarly, traditions represent a critical piece of our culture and identity. They help form the structure and foundation of our families and our society. 

The Evolving Metropolis

New York City, US, will host the 2019 IABSE Congress New York City with the main theme of The Evolving Metropolis. According to Wikipedia, a Metropolis is “a large city which is a significant economic, political and cultural center for a country of region and an important hub for regional or international connections, commerce and communications”. What better place than the financial hub (and possibly) architectural center of the US and perhaps the world, than Manhattan in New York City ||

21st International Conference on Mechanical Engineering and Manufacturing ||

ICMEM 2019: 21st International Conference on Mechanical Engineering and Manufacturing aims to bring together leading academic scientists, researchers and research scholars to exchange and share their experiences and research results on all aspects of Mechanical Engineering and Manufacturing. It also provides a premier interdisciplinary platform for researchers, practitioners and educators to present and discuss the most recent innovations, trends, and concerns as well as practical challenges encountered and solutions adopted in the fields of Mechanical Engineering and Manufacturing.

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International Builders Show | February 19-21, 2019 Las Vegas, NV

Celebrate outstanding products and individuals servicing the industry |
NAHB Remodelers All-Star Showcase ||

The New American Remodel
The Align Project will challenge your ideas & offer sustainable living solutions for aligning our lifestyles with our ever-changing socio-economic & environmental realities.

Greenbuild International Conference & Expo ||

Greenbuild International Conference & Expo explores new ways of sustainable building and design. Sustainability is at the forefront of Greenbuild, Mccormick Place, Chicago, Illinois | November 14th - 16th, 2018 ||

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An economic model to help policymakers to reassess risk evaluation, concerning the diminutive efforts of climate change ||

Two economists, one with the London School of Economics and Political Science, the other with Princeton University, have created a model to assist policymakers in better understanding willingness issues related to climate change mitigation efforts. In their paper published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Timothy Besley and Avinash Dixit describe how their model works and the ways it could be used.

Why do people share? It's interactive, communicative and contagious ||

                                     

                     

[six-year study] In the modern world, people cooperate with other people including strangers all the time. We give blood, tip providers of various services, and donate to charity despite the fact that there is seemingly nothing in it for us.

Overcoming Tribalism

Control over the nature & flow of information to government decision-makers is significantly altered by the lobbying process & creates a situation of systematically distorted communication:

What Is Tribalism & How It Overrules Reason:

    Overcoming Tribalism:

         Transcending Tribalism:                        

This Power Plant Has Cracked Carbon Capture ||

NET Power figured out how to burn fossil fuels without releasing

greenhouse gases, a critical step in the fight to slow climate change.

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Expansion Will Double Solar Panel Output ||

First Solar, which is presently the largest manufacturer of solar panels in the United States, has officially begun construction of its new and highly-touted manufacturing facility in Lake Township, Ohio - just south of Toledo. The plant, which is less than 10 miles from a current facility in Perrysburg, is expected to be up and running by late next year. The $400 million plant will be capable of producing solar modules with a total of 1.2 GW of annual capacity.

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How London-based studio Made Thought incorporated sustainability and circularity into the core of their work, without sacrificing content or style ||

Sustainability, recycling, and circularity are without a doubt the biggest trend of the year in design. From the Salone del Mobile manifesto decreeing that sustainability was the name of the game at this year’s Milan design week, to David Attenborough’s gut-wrenching Blue Planet II, suddenly we all care about waste. It’s not yet clear if all this recent environmental virtue signalling will result in widespread cultural change, but  there are significant studios taking steps in the right direction.
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Smart walls react to human touch, sense activity in the room ||

Date: April 23, 2018
Source: Carnegie Mellon University
Summary:  Walls are what they are -- sizable, pulseless dividers. With a few applications of conductive paint and some electronics, however, walls can become smart infrastructure that sense human touch, and detect things like gestures and when appliances are used. Researchers found that they could transform insensible walls into smart walls at relatively low cost using simple tools and techniques, such as a paint roller. Read More:
    

Green buildings must go beyond conserving energy ||

Studies show that LEED buildings are typically 30 percent more efficient than other buildings and have other benefits like reduced air pollution indoors. And at least one study suggests people working in LEED buildings are more productive, according to Delmas. “There is an increase in rent for those that have LEED buildings—about 50 cents per square foot annually,” says Magali Delmas.

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THE ROLE OF BUILDINGS AND WHOLE BUILDING DESIGN ||

Buildings are deceptively complex. At their best, they connect us with the past and represent the greatest legacy for the future. They provide shelter, encourage productivity, embody our culture, and certainly play an important part in life on the planet. In fact, the role of buildings is constantly changing. Buildings today are life support systems, communication and data terminals, centers of education, justice, and community, and so much more. They are incredibly expensive to build and maintain and must constantly be adjusted to function effectively over their life cycle.  

How Downtown L.A. Finally Arrived ||

The emergence of Downtown Los Angeles, dubbed DTLA, is no news flash: The area has been on the rise since the late 1990s. But that was the start of a long uphill climb. By 2009, it had already undergone the transition from bleak badlands to vibrant cultural mecca, thanks to early pioneers like the L.A. Live entertainment complex and the Standard Hotel.  Since then, a slew of new hotels, restaurants, and museums have joined, and the neighborhood is showing no sign of slowing down.

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How solar power can protect the US military from threats to the electric grid ||

The first threat to the electricity grid comes from nature. Severe weather disasters resulting in power outages cause between US$25 billion and $70 billion in the U.S. each year – and that’s average years, not those including increasingly frequent major storms, like Hurricanes Harvey and Irma.

Without electricity from civilian power plants, the most advanced military in world history could be crippled. The U.S. Department of Energy has begged for new authority to defend against weaknesses in the grid in a nearly 500-page comprehensive study issued in January 2017 warning that it’s only a matter of time before the grid fails, due to disaster or attack. A new study reveals the three ways American military bases’ electrical power sources are threatened, and shows how the U.S. military could take advantage of solar power to significantly improve national security.

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Workplace stress costs American businesses up to $190 billion every year in healthcare alone ||

Incorporating nature into the workplace can take many different forms including living green walls, indoor trees and planter boxes. Just being able to see nature has been shown to increase both self-esteem and mood, particularly among younger people.                    
[Attention and concentration is not the same thing. Concentration is exclusion while attention excludes nothing] 
 ~Attention restoration theory suggests that looking at nature can cause the brain to shift into a different mode of processing. Researchers studied brain scans of people who were randomly assigned to look at pictures of a green meadow or a concrete roof for 40 seconds. Even this brief glimpse of nature was enough to shift the brain into a more relaxed mode.

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How a Hydraulic Boardwalk Is Giving Istanbul Its Waterfront Back ...

For all their vaunted proximity to the seas that have shaped their ancient city, locals feel the absence of nature keenly in Istanbul. A master plan by Gensler and U.S.-based design firm Dror will reintegrate Istanbul's waterfront within the ancient city's urban fabric for the first time in centuries.

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Tour Venice with a Virtual Time Machine |

A thousand years of Venetian records, maps and images could digitally reconstruct this city's deep history, giving researchers insight into urban life, from disease patterns to trade trends.

Machine-learning project will analyse 1,000 years of maps and manuscripts from the floating city's golden age. The ‘time machine’ reconstructs ancient Venice social networks. PDF File

PLASMONICS || NEW LIGHT SOURCES

The emerging field of plasmonics may usher in new clean & sustainable technologies & desalination systems to avert a future global water crisis. Plasmonic materials contain features, patterns & elements that enable unprecedented control of light by harnessing clouds of electrons called surface plasmons. The name plasmon derives from the physical plasma as a state of matter in which the atoms are ionized.

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With More Bang for the Buck, Renewables Providing Most New Power ||

Renewables were the biggest new source of electricity last year as the cost of building new wind and solar farms fell. Clean energy provided 55 percent of all new capacity added worldwide, the most ever, and total investment was about double the amount for generators driven by fossil fuels, according to a report published Thursday by UN Environment, the Frankfurt School-UNEP Collaborating Centre and Bloomberg New Energy Finance. Investment in clean power dropped 23 percent from 2015 to $241.6 billion, meaning that the new capacity installed came at a lower price. The average capital expenditure for a megawatt of wind and solar fell more than 10 percent, according to the study, and they are some of the cheapest sources of electricity in some countries. “Renewables are much more competitive than they were five years ago,” Angus McCrone, chief editor at Bloomberg New Energy Finance, said in an interview. “In an increasing number of places, wind and solar may be the cheapest option.”

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Innovations In Building Intelligent Cities ||

An artistic rendition of the Thermoheliodome, a pavillion that cools itself via evaporation using mirrored panels that reflect heat toward water-cooled pipes. It is one of several energy-saving concepts from Forrest Meggers, who is jointly appointed in Princeton’s School of Architecture and the Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment.

Cities sprawl and tangle, juxtaposing ancient public squares and glistening skyscrapers. They provide homes for half of humanity, and economic and cultural centers for the rest. 

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The Sustainable SITES Initiative |

Land is a crucial component of the built environment and can be planned, designed, developed and maintained to protect and enhance the benefits we derive from healthy functioning landscapes. SITES helps create ecologically resilient communities and benefits the environment, property owners, and local and regional communities and economies. Administered by Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI), SITES offers a comprehensive rating system designed to distinguish sustainable landscapes, measure their performance and elevate their value. SITES certification is for development projects located on sites with or without buildings—ranging from national parks to corporate campuses, streetscapes to homes, and more.

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'Whole Building' Design | Balancing Security, Safety And Sustainability Objectives

The gateway to up-to-date information on integrated 'whole building' design techniques and technologies. The goal of 'Whole Building' Design is to create a successful high-performance building by applying an integrated design and team approach to the project during the planning and programming phases.

Seeing Justice in Sustainable Light:

The new Alfred A. Arraj United States Courthouse in Denver, Colorado serves as a model for designs that balances openness, security, and sustainability. The building showcases innovative sustainable strategies, such as photovoltaic cells and daylighting using light shelves, while also being one of the first U.S. courthouses to meet the new "GSA Security Design Criteria" standards.

The lighting design provides a dramatic improvement in energy conservation and environmental performance over a conventionally designed courthouse. Most importantly, it provides a healthy, safe and productive working environment in courtrooms.

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Photosystem II molecule, which plays a central role in photosynthesis |

Using ultrafast imaging of moving energy in photosynthesis, scientists have determined the speed of crucial processes for the first time. This will help scientists understand how nature has perfected the process of photosynthesis, and how this might be imitated to produce fuels by artificial photosynthesis.     Read More |

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