XTU Architects’ Radical Housing Concepts For Offshore Oil Rigs

Entitled “x_lands,” XTU Architects’ radical housing concept transforms the bones of offshore oil rigs into verdant sanctuaries. These platforms, very much a symbol of our reliance on oil, pose particularly interesting for adaption thanks to their vast scale and innate structural support. In addition to the greenery, XTU Architects proposes several different window-laden, container-like additions (and even some bubbles) to house human life. Read more …

Technology + Ethics Behind Turning Trees into Power Generators

In its earliest stages, and developed by graduate students from Keio University in Tokyo, the “biological microgrid” Raiki will aim to harvest electricity from trees by drawing from the “triboelectric” effect in foliage. This is a phenomenon of movement, much like static electricity, generated when positively charged leaves come into contact with negatively charged materials (like a tree trunk). Industrial designer Catalina Lotero explained this …

Filmmaker Daniel Askill’s Futuristic Film, “Electric Wave,” Starring Three Extraordinary Women Surfers

From filmmaker Daniel Askill (best known for groundbreaking music videos for Sia and Lady Gaga), the short film Electric Wave depicts futuristic surfing scenes in richly stylized, and sometimes allegorical, moments. Seven-time World Surf League Champion, Steph Gilmore, as well as legendary free surfer, Leah Dawson and emerging talent Coco Ho star in the exquisite cinematic experience, which was shot overnight at Kelly Slater’s Surf …