3D printing startup Icon collaborated with home-builders Lennar Corp and architecture firm Bjarke Ingels Group to create the Genesis Collection, 100 3D-printed homes in the Wolf Ranch suburb of Austin, Texas. These homes not only comprise the world’s largest neighborhood of its kind, but they are also built more efficiently, quickly, cheaply and sustainably than those made by traditional means, while being more resistant to …
To innovate in the fight against climate change, the startup Plantd devised a method of turning a fast-growing perennial grass into a building material that is stronger, lighter and more moisture-resistant than traditional panels—while maintaining the same price. The company works with local farmers near Durham, North Carolina to grow the renewable grass which is adept at capturing carbon. In their electric and modular factory, …
Inspired by loofahs, a new material makes clean water more accessible by purifying it sustainably, quickly and affordably. The new invention is a hydrogel made from poly(N-isopropylacrylamide), a heat-sensitive polymer also known as PNIPAm that switches from absorbing water when it is cooler to expelling water when it is heated. The gel’s shape is similar to that of the household item, featuring an open-pore structure that …
