design

These self-cooled buildings were inspired by termites and frogs

Architects, looking for ways to keep buildings cool amid rising temperatures, find that nature has some surprising tricks.

New York City hopes a 10-foot wall can save it from rising seas

Now New York really is New Amsterdam.

Amazing photosynthetic furniture could grow eco-friendly meals

The desk lunch will never be the same.

Slightly insulting posters beat the hell out of those ‘I Heart [City]’ shirts

What is love if not the right to gently poke fun at the object of your affection, be it a boyfriend, relative, or cherished city neighborhood? It’s clear that Jeni Brendemuehl, Lauren Schroer, and RC Jones have a great fondness for Chicago. They just choose to express that love with Slightly Insulting Chicago Posters like […]

Wooden light bulb is the most magical-looking LED bulb we’ve seen

There are all kinds of futuristic-looking energy-efficient light bulbs on the market — not just the traditional piggy-tail model, but liquid-cooled bulbs that look like glass jellyfish, and bulbs with gills like a mushroom or fins like a Cadillac. But for our money, this wooden bulb by artist Ryosuke Fukusada is the most beautiful energy-efficient […]

Inflatable bike helmet is like an airbag for your head

Like other stuff that is good for your health (not smoking, sobriety, living slow, and dying old), bike helmets are uncool. But you can’t really enjoy your coolness with a giant crack in your skull. How do you protect your noggin without sacrificing your mojo? Swedish company Hovding has the answer: airbag bike helmets. Unless […]

Turbine that looks like a piece of art will fit right in at your yacht club

There are some who believe that those behemoth white wind turbines are beautiful and some (Donald Trump) who believe that they’re a blight on the landscape. Well, here is a wind turbine that will win over both groups. It’s like the Frosted Mini-Wheats of wind energy: The penny pincher in you loves the efficiency, but […]

Awesome patio furniture made of recycled food packaging

In today’s “shit you can’t afford even though it’s made of garbage” news: genuinely gorgeous, if-you-have-to-ask-you-can’t-afford-it patio furniture made from recycled food and drink packaging.

Watch a robot make a 3D-printed chair out of old refrigerators

Designer Dirk van der Kooij makes cool, modern-looking plastic furniture out of defunct refrigerators and other plastic waste. The plastic is ground up, then squeezed out like soft serve into a computerized pattern.