Carlo Ratti's mile-high park in the sky would be world's tallest building

If Carlo Ratti's newly-announced observation tower comes to fruition (and it's a big "if"), it will be as much a sight to behold as the views it provides. The proposed structure is a mile high, which would make it not only the tallest observation tower in the world, but also the world's tallest building by some distance.

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Aptly named, The Mile would reach 1,609 m (5,279 ft) into the sky, or one mile exactly. To put that into perspective, the world's current tallest building, the Burj Khalifa, is just over half that height, at 830 m (2,723 ft). Even the Jeddah Tower, which is under construction and due to be completed in 2018, will only stretch to 1,000 m (3,281 ft), making it the world's first kilometer-high building.

Consequently, it is only reasonable to view The Mile with a degree of skepticism. Even if it's a legitimate proposal, so many things can derail projects of such cinematic ambition that they can easily end up on the cutting room floor. But a legitimate proposal is exactly what Carlo Ratti Associati assures Gizmag this is. "The Mile is a real project, with a client, although it is only in the first phase now," we are told.

Developed in partnership with German engineering firm Schlaich Bergermann und Partner and British digital design studio Atmos, The Mile will be a vertical park and publicly accessible observation deck. Visitors will ascend to the top in "sculptural capsules" that orbit the shaft of the tower. Once there, there will be a viewing deck, a "sky walkway" and a restaurant.

The capsules will be able to host meetings, dinners and concerts, and even, we are told, be home to pools. Visitors will be able to digitally interact with the surrounding views via augmented reality screens and experience the panorama in a variety of different ways.

At 20-m (66-ft) wide, the tower shaft will have a height-to-width aspect ratio of around 80:1, considerably larger than that of the British Airways i360 in Brighton, UK, which is currently recognized as the world's most slender tower. An engineering study is said to have been carried out to develop a means of achieving this, with the structure to be kept in compression and secured using a net of pre-stressed cables.

"The structural concept for The Mile is technically feasible because of its consequent and uncompromised lightweight approach," said associate and team leader at Schlaich Bergermann und Partner Boris Reyher. "The architectural form and the spatial equilibrium of forces become one and the same thing."

In addition, it is envisaged that the tower will be covered by plants and greenery from bottom to top, providing a habitat for animals. Carlo Ratti likens the planned result to taking New York's Central Park, standing it on its end, rolling it up and then twisting it.

The client for whom the project is being developed, a planned location and any construction dates remain undisclosed. More information will no doubt be forthcoming when the project is presented at the MIPIM property show on March 16, though, at which point we may get a better idea of its feasibility.

Source: Carlo Ratti AssociatiTweet

Everybody DOES have a twin: Photographer creates amazing portraits of STRANGERS who look the double of each other

At first glance, it's an elegant set of portraits of twins - but look more closely and the secret is revealed.

None of the individuals captured by photographer Francois Brunelle are related by blood, their faces just have strikingly similar characteristics. 

Mr Brunelle, who lives in Québec, has studied the human face since he started out as a photographer at the age of 18 in 1968.

The same...but different: Nathaniel (who did not give his last name) and Edward Toledo, pictured in Montreal in 2003, are remarkably similar but not twins

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Winners 2012 Skyscraper Competition

eVolo Magazine is pleased to announce the winners of the 2012 Skyscraper Competition. Established in 2006, the annual Skyscraper Competition recognizes outstanding ideas that redefine skyscraper design through the use of new technologies, materials, programs, aesthetics, and spatial organizations, along with studies on globalization, flexibility, adaptability, and the digital revolution. This is also an investigation on the public and private space and the role of the individual and the collective in the creation of a dynamic and adaptive vertical community. The award seeks to discover young talent, whose ideas will change the way we understand architecture and its relationship with the natural and built environments.

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Toyota Fun-Vii Concept Debuts In Tokyo

As Toyota’s smartphone on wheels makes it debut at the Tokyo Motor Show, we can bring to you new pics and a video of this weirs but interesting vehicle.

Toyota believes what they are proposing here is the future mobility in 20xx. Based on that, cars of future are ugly, as you can clearly see, impractical, because it only seats three, and not something to get you to places because it’s too busy linking itself with other cars to make your social life better, hence the car’s innovative body which is big display.

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Light Touch interactive projector brings'Minority Report' user interface to life

 

(Credit: Light Blue Optics)

Las Vegas -- If you've ever watched the motion user interface scene from "Minority Report" and thought to yourself, "I WANT THAT," then check out Light Touch from Light Blue Optics, an interactive projector with a surprisingly accurate touch response.
At its core, the Light Touch is a simple handheld computer running Windows CE, but it uses holographic laser tracking to project a 10.1-inch virtual touch screen onto any flat surface. From there, you can control everything from scrolling through photos to selecting MP3s and dragging folders around the desktop. The laser also does double-duty by ensuring that the image stays in constant focus even across long distances.
We demoed the unit at the Light Blue Optics booth at CES 2010, and came away surprised at the accuracy of the laser. The projection only lights up to 15 lumens, which seemed dim compared to normal fluorescent viewing, and we're skeptical about its outdoor performance; however, we left with a skip in our step knowing that "Minority Report" might become a reality sooner than later.
Want your own demo? Check out the Light Blue Optics Web site for a video of the Light Touch in action.

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Binishell Modular Shelters Look Like Green Hobbit Homes

This may look like Frodo Baggins' hobbit 'hood, but it's actually a network of modular, green-roofed structures called Binishells. However, as modern as they may appear, this idea isn't new. Originally conceived by renowned architect Dante Bini in the 1960s, Binishells were recently relaunched with the help of Bini's son Nicoló. The new system, which uses low air pressure to lift and shape a collection of thin reinforced concrete structures, is an array of incredibly efficient abodes that use 80% less materials, have 95% of the embodied CO2, and boast a carbon footprint 80% smaller than traditional constructions.

 

 

 

 The basic idea behind these dome-like structures is to substitute formwork and heavy machinery with air. Instead of big cranes, low air pressure is used to lift and shape wet concrete on top of reinforced steel. Since Binishells can be formed into an infinite variety of shapes, they can be used to build anything from schools, to offices, to low-cost housing, to emergency shelters and everything in between.

While they may sound fragile since they’re relatively lightweight shells (hence their name), they’re actually quite strong and able to resist hurricanes, flooding, earthquakes and fires. They’re suited for temporary relief housing because they’re easily deployable and can even be fabricated from local materials.
Another cool thing about Binishells is that they’re visually appealing, especially when they’re linked together to form larger communities or structures. The result can be contemporary (as shown in the rendering of an airport above) or idyllic (like the green village seen in the opening image). Like other modular building units, the shells can painted, covered in grass or customized to suit the needs of the end user making it adaptable to almost any type of use.
+ Binishells

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Airbus Concept Plane offers glimpse into the future of flight

Air passengers were given a glimpse of the future of flight when images of a new Concept Plane were unveiled by Airbus at the Farnborough International Airshow this week.

 

Air passengers were given a glimpse of the future of flight when images of a new Concept Plane were unveiled by Airbus at the Farnborough International Airshow this week.
Coinciding with new research which reveals that the passengers of 2050 will be environmentally aware while also recognising the many benefits of air travel, the Airbus Concept Plane represents an “engineer’s dream” about what an aircraft could look like in the future.
More than a flight of pure fantasy, the images released illustrate what air travel could actually look like in 2050 – even 2030 if advancements in existing technologies continue apace.
Charles Champion, Executive Vice President Engineering, said: “The Airbus Concept Plane represents an engineer’s dream about what an aircraft could look like in the long term future. It’s not a real aircraft and all the technologies it features, though feasible, are not likely to come together in the same manner. Here we are stretching our imagination and thinking beyond our usual boundaries. With the Airbus Concept Plane we want to stimulate young people from all over the world to engage with us so that we can continue to share the benefits of air transport while also looking after the environment.”
Airbus experts in aircraft materials, aerodynamics, cabins and engines came up with the design which is an ‘engineer’s dream’ to meet the expectations of the passengers of the future.  Ultra long and slim wings, semi-embedded engines, a U-shaped tail and light-weight ‘intelligent’ body all feature to further improve environmental performance or ‘eco-efficiency’.  The result: lower fuel burn, a significant cut in emissions, less noise and greater comfort.
The Concept Plane is outlined in a new report, ‘The Future by Airbus’, which also talks of ‘morphing’ seats made from ecological self-cleaning materials, aircraft with 360 degree views and virtual decors.
With the majority of under-35s looking forward to flying more in the future – over 40% thinking that for every two flights we make today, we’ll take at least three by 2050 – the vision shared by travelers and the industry alike is for both a more connected and sustainable world.  Behind the numbers is a belief that we will live in an increasingly multicultural world where friends and family will be based further from home, according to 68%; 64% cite a growing desire to travel further and see more of our planet; and just over half the need for greater flexibility between life at home and place of work.
Robin Mannings, a leading independent Futurologist, looks ahead: “Most of us want reduced traffic congestion – both on the ground and in the sky – together with improved comfort for a better travelling experience; the poll confirms that.  By 2050, we’ll also expect seamless access to a plethora of technology and applications.  And ‘flexibility’ will become the new mantra for air travel, with us as passengers choosing levels of speed or luxury in cruise ships of the sky.”
Airbus is looking to the passengers of 2050 themselves for inspiration as the company enters its next 40 years of innovation.  One example of this sees the launch of Airbus’ ‘Fly Your Ideas’ – a global competition challenging University students to develop new ideas for a greener aviation industry.  The winners will share the top prize of €30,000; the runners-up €15,000.  Registration opens this Friday.
For more information visit www.airbus-fyi.com
 

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Sex will not be used to have babies in just 10 years, as couples turn to IVF

Couples will stop having sex to conceive babies within a decade and use IVF instead, scientists said yesterday.
They say 30-somethings will increasingly rely on artificial methods of fertilisation because natural human reproduction is 'fairly inefficient'.
It means that in future, sex will be nothing more than a leisure activity  -  the latest blow to the Christian idea that the role of sex is to produce children.

Dying art: IVF could become better than sex for making babies -
leaving the physical act purely as a means of giving pleasure

If the experts are right, it means the sci-fi world of books such as Brave New World, in which all children are born in 'hatcheries', could soon be closer to reality.
And it raises ethical questions over whether greater use of IVF will lead to eugenics, with couples screening out characteristics they regard as undesirable.
The startling vision of the future comes from John Yovich, a veterinary doctor from Murdoch University in Perth, Australia.
He believes IVF can ease the pressure on couples who have delayed having children to pursue a career, because going for the test-tube option will be more effective than trying for a baby naturally.
Even young adults have no more than a one-in-four chance every month of reproducing through sex. Among the over-35s, this falls to one in ten.
This compares to the near 100 per cent success rate that Dr Yovich believes will be possible with IVF within ten years.

Life begins: A scientist is pictured screening sperm for use in in vitro fertilisation (IVF),
but will take over as the main way for couples to conceive?

Dr Yovich, co-author of a new report in the journal Reproductive BioMedicine, said: 'Natural human reproduction is at best a fairly inefficient process.
'Within the next five to ten years, couples approaching 40 will assess the IVF industry first when they want to have a baby.' He based his hunch on the fact that in cattle, IVF works almost every time. He said there was no reason that success rate could not be replicated in humans.
His co-author, fellow Australian vet Gabor Vajta, said test-tube embryo production in cattle was 100 times more efficient than natural means. He said there was no reason why IVF in humans should not become 100 times more efficient than sex.
At present, IVF has only a 50 per cent success rate  -  among the most healthy couples.
Gedis Grudzinskas, a Harley Street infertility specialist, said: 'It wouldn't surprise me if IVF does become significantly more efficient than natural reproduction, but I doubt whether you could ever completely guarantee that it would work.'
In Aldous Huxley's 1932 novel Brave New World, human reproduction has been done away with and is replaced by a hatching process, in which groups of identical children are produced from surgically-removed ovaries and incubated in bottles.
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Panoramic Wall Mounted Aquariums from AquaVista

The AquaVista 500 just got super sized and now comes in a panoramic 20 and 25 gallon version. Measuring only 6" deep, it'll accommodate all but the chubbiest fish and comes complete with an automatic feeder, filtration, heater, air pump, light and touchscreen control panel.
Fairly plug and play, the Aquavista Panoramic comes with 2 steel reinforced mounting brackets which allow you to hang the aquarium like a flat screen TV, add water, and your water loving friends. It comes in black or silver and is available in two dimensions: 5 ft or 6 ft wide.

Product Highlights:

• Low Maintenance, requires less than 15 minutes per month
• No Daily Care – complete with embedded Automatic Feeder
• Pre-assembled
• Dual filtration system
• Heater
• Air pump
• Lighting
• Easy to use control that simplifies all functions.
• Carbon Dioxide Generator
• Programmable touch-screen

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