Growing Structure

Climate/Season responsive architecture

Heat reactive tile

Lately there have been some very interesting products for the home improvement segment and the NewUltraBloom Heat-Reactive Tiles by UltraGlass are no different. These new tiles use a special heat-reactive coating to allow the tiles to change into a variety of colors depending on the temperature, eventually cooling off and returning to their original color. These new tiles come in a wide variety of colors and textures to fit any design. Currently pricing is unknown.

fibre optics tablecloth

Looking for a new way to spruce up your dinner party? Lumigram is a hand washable fiber optics tablecloth that will make your dinner shine.

Concrete Cloth

When a disaster strikes, it’s often difficult to get shelters up in time for displaced residents. Enter Concrete Canvas‘s new Concrete Cloth, a durable waterproof building material made of cement sandwiched between fabric. The cloth, which won Material ConneXion‘s Material of the Year 2009 award, can be molded into any shape when bonded with water — and it takes just two hours to set!

Read more: CONCRETE CLOTH: Flexible Material Makes Durable Disaster Shelters | Inhabitat - Green Design Will Save the World 


http://inhabitat.com/concrete-cloth-flexible-material-makes-durable-disaster-shelters/



Perhaps the most useful application for Concrete Cloth is in disaster relief, where the material could be used to quickly and efficiently house both people and food. Since the cloth has a life span of 10 years, it can be used in situations where displacement is prolonged. Concrete Cloth’s durability also makes it ideal for military use.
There’s just one drawback to Concrete Cloth: the material contains PVC, a plastic that leaches toxic chemicals. If Concrete Canvas could figure out a way to replace PVC with something else, we’d love to see Concrete Cloth used around the world.

Print lighting

http://news.cnet.com/8301-11128_3-9891842-54.html
The ability to "print" organic light-emitting diodes could bring down the cost of flexible, energy-efficient lights.

Your next lightbulb could come off a printing press.

General Electric's Global Research organization said Tuesday that it is the first to demonstrate roll-to-roll manufacturing for organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs)--a move that can dramatically lower costs.

OLEDs have been touted as the next generation of lighting and displays for consumer electronics like TVs.

They are very energy-efficient, are made out of flexible material, and can be tuned to give off different colors of light.

As part of its Ecomagination initiative, GE is investing in the technology in an effort to make it a viable replacement for incandescent or fluorescent bulbs.

The demonstration of a roll-to-roll production, similar to how a newspaper is printed on rolls, has the potential to lower the manufacturing costs and make the end product cost-competitive with existing lighting, according to GE.

This printing process is being pursued by solar manufacturers as well, including Konarka, which is making solar cells from plastic.

GE demonstrated a transparent OLED, made at its research lab, to reporters last October and said it hoped to have OLED lighting devices available by 2010. (For a photo gallery of OLEDs and GE's Global Research lab, click here).

The roll-to-roll manufacturing machine will be used for further research, company said.

House of Fraser, Buy&Collect store

House of Fraser, the UK’s leading department store group, has opened its first new concept store in Aberdeen’s Union Square, with iPads, computers and interactive screens replacing merchandise.


The innovative new store will focus on House of Fraser’s Buy & Collect proposition. At 1,500sq ft, the smaller store format will not stock merchandise. Instead, a series of iPads, computers and interactive screens will be used to order products, which are then delivered the following day to either the customer’s home or to the store for collection.   


This Buy & Collect store gives customers direct access to over 1,000 brands stocked on House of Fraser’s recently redesigned website, which include exclusives such as Biba and Mary Portas’ label, through to stalwarts like Polo Ralph Lauren, Chanel and MAC.  


Customer service is key to the overall concept, with a complimentary coffee bar and comfortable seating encouraging a relaxed shopping environment. Inspired by the level of service given by hotel concierges, the store offers a virtual personal shopping facility as well as traditional department store features including a wedding list and beauty testers. Fitting rooms will also be provided so customers can try on items before taking them home.  


Robin Terrell, executive director of multi channel for House of Fraser, commented: "Aberdeen is a thriving city and we’re extremely excited to be returning there with our first House of Fraser.com store. This is an entirely new concept and the launch is a pivotal moment in the development of our multi channel business, which has seen online sales increase by 107% in the first half of the year."  


Further House of Fraser.com stores are planned, the next being in Liverpool One, which will open later this year.

THE EVOLUTION OF DIGITAL COMMERCE

WHAT RETAILERS & BRANDS NEED TO ACT ON TODAY

This is about the building blocks you need to have in place to survive and thrive in this new retail environment.

There are four key areas:

• Get wired: understand that consumer-facing technology is becoming the backbone of stores
• Be useful: ensure digital collateral such as QR codes is functional and helps to make customers lives easier rather than purely being a marketing tool
• Be agile: make use of technology such as iPads to transform the in-store dynamic, whether it's to upsell, aid customer service or empower a sales associate
• Be without borders: think as an international brand thinks; be prepared to trade without borders

Full Article Link

LED video floor

The latest “state of the art” floor system can easily run full video, high resolution graphics & perfectly reproduce brand logos.  This versatile system can be used to create a walkway, stage, dancefloor or exhibition floor, the possibilities are endless...

Imagine using this floor to create a platform to launch the latest Autumn collection, the models walk down to a video of gently falling leaves, or is used for a new car launch where the floorshows a video of the car being put through its paces.  In lecture theatres and seminars Corporate branding can be displayed as delegates are “walked through” an overview of the company’s activities in different market sectors.  At a video shoot the floor can be used to generate random graphical sequences perfectly synced to the music being performed.

This amazing product creates a situation where the only limitations are what can be created in the user’s mind.


http://www.starcloth.co.uk/index.php?id=15

Liquid Crystal Glass

Products Using Liquid Crystal Glass

http://www.avantisystemsusa.com/frameless-partitions/liquid-crystal-display.html

Smart Glass

Smart glass, EGlass, or switchable glass, also called smart windows or switchable windows in its application to windows or skylights, refers to electrically switchable glass or glazing which changes light transmission properties when voltage is applied.

Certain types of smart glass can allow users to control the amount of light and heat passing through: with the press of a button, it changes fromtransparent to translucent, partially blocking light while maintaining a clear view of what lies behind the window. Another type of smart glass can provide privacy at the turn of a switch.

Smart glass technologies include electrochromic devices, suspended particle devices, Micro-Blinds and liquid crystal devices.

The use of smart glass can save costs for heating, air-conditioning and lighting and avoid the cost of installing and maintaining motorized light screens or blinds or curtains. When opaque, liquid crystal or electrochromic smart glass blocks most UV, thereby reducing fabric fading; for SPD-type smart glass, this is achieved when used in conjunction with low-e low emissivity coatings.

Critical aspects of smart glass include installation costs, the use of electricity, durability, as well as functional features such as the speed of control, possibilities for dimming, and the degree of transparency of the glass.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smart_glass