Softwall LED, a luminous version of Softwall + Softblock, is an integrated lighting system as flexible as its counterpart, with LED ribbons of light adjusting to changes in the wall’s length and movement. Softwall LED has a soft, even glow that emphasizes the visual delicacy of the translucent textile fibers and visually enhances the expansion, contraction, and fluid movement of these completely flexible, freestanding partitions. Softwall + Softblock elements of various heights, materials, and colors all connect to one another simply and seamlessly with concealed magnets to create continuous lengths.

Contact: Molo Design, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
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Contact: Ben McDonald, Culver City, CA.
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In recounting his experiences, the designer explains that “for these hungry little creatures to grow they require a nice hot and humid environment and food. Give them this and they basically grow on anything. In order to get the bacteria interested in the paper I used agar (a substance scientists use to cultivate bacteria in the laboratory). Fortunately some of them liked it, and some even started eating the cellulose of the paper. However if you let them grow without rules it immediately becomes chaotic. So to form images I had to control the shape of the bacterial culture right from the outset. For this I used various techniques such as silk-screen printing and old wooden-cut letters. At first the ink on the paper is hardly visible because the quantity of bacteria is minimal. But then, as they start to grow their pigment is unveiled and you begin to see them. In a converted poster box where the paper can reveal its life, messages appear and change through time.”

Contact: Jelte van Abbema, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
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Designers Yvonne Laurysen and Erik Mantel developed BAMbOO for the project ‘Design Interventions for Stimulating Bamboo Commercialization’ by Pablo van der Lught.

Contact: LAMA Concept, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
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“With the demise of the oil business in about 25 years and the ever increasing utilization of electronic materials, it makes excellent green engineering sense to pursue new materials that are derived from renewable resources,” Wool said. “The biobased materials are derived from renewable plant and animal feedstock, which use carbon dioxide from the air and help minimize global warming, as compared to petroleum feedstock.”

A novel bio-based composite material developed from soybean oils and keratin feather fibers (KF), Feather Circuit Boards are suitable for electronic as well as automotive and aeronautical applications. Keratin fibers are a hollow, light, and tough material and are compatible with several soybean (S) resins, such as acrylated epoxidized soybean oil (AESO). Not only is the material lighter than that of conventional circuit boards, but electrons also move at twice the speed through the feather-based printed version as well. Moreover, these materials are both bountiful in Delaware.

Contact: Center for Composite Materials, University of Delaware, Newark, DE.
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In eliminating the need for a manually applied membrane, Hycrete Element can also save time in construction schedules. With typical membrane applications, contractors must often wait for the concrete to dry before a waterproofing sub-contractor can apply the membrane – even after rainfall and re-wetting. In contrast, Hycrete Element is dosed during concrete mixing and is not subject to weather delays.

Contact: Hycrete, Inc., Carlstadt, NJ, USA.
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The process, which is based on a liquid extracted from biowaste, strengthens the cellular walls of wood, increases the density of the materials, and makes the product stiffer and significantly harder than untreated wood. Kebonization results in the wood cells being permanently blocked, which reduces shrinkage and swelling by approximately 50% when compared with untreated wood. The polymer is permanently bonded to the cell structure in the wood by means of a process that cannot be reversed; thus, Kebony contains no chemicals that can be released into the environment. In the waste disposal phase, Kebony can be treated as regular untreated wood.

Available Kebony species are pine, spruce, oak, beech, maple and southern yellow pine. The raw materials for Kebony are acquired from commercially managed forests with large timber harvests. Kebonized wood has a golden brown colour that naturally turns grey. Kebony acquires a natural silver-grey patina and exposure to sun and rain creates an interesting effect of visual depth.

Kebony exhibits good durability and long life spans in harsh climates, and there is no need for paint or sealing. The increased resistance protects against decay, fungi, insects and other microorganisms. Required maintenance is limited to normal cleaning.

Contact: Kebony ASA, Skien, Norway.
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Monocoque’s structural skin is generated using a Voronoi pattern, the density of which corresponds to simulated loading conditions. The distribution of shear-stress lines and surface pressure is embodied in the allocation and relative thickness of the vein-like elements built into the skin. The prototype model was 3-D printed using OBJET’s Polyjet matrix technology which allows for the assignment of structural properties to multiple 3-D printed substances. This innovative technology provides for the ability to print parts and assemblies made of multiple materials within a single build, as well as to create composite materials that present preset combinations of mechanical properties.

Contact: MIT Media Laboratory / Material Ecology, Boston, MA, USA.
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Designed by Eric Olsen with Superficial Studio, Electroboard is economical like conventional gypsum-based cladding and creates additional value though embedded conductivity. It offers material and energy efficiencies as well as infrastructural flexibility. The low voltage power supplied by Electroboard is compatible with many technologies like liquid crystal displays and OLED light fixtures, and point-of-use electrical transformers are eliminated with Electroboard—thus creating considerable energy savings.

Contact: Superficial Studio, Hollywood, CA, USA.
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24K Blown Glass vessels can be internally coated with clear, flexible, and adhesive antishatter resin, and glass elements can become structural when reinforced with steel embedded in clear resin. Each project is engineered and tested for safety.

Suzan Etkin Enterprises specializes in unique collaborative ventures with architects and interior designers. The design process requires exploration, engineering, and testing to coax the inherently organic material into precise and safely designed structures while maintaining the inherent character of blown glass.

Contact: Suzan Etkin Enterprises, New York, NY, USA.
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