MUJI to Open a Hotel in Tokyo

A couple months ago, Japanese minimalist retailer MUJI announced its first hotel in Shenzhen, China. Today, they announced that in the spring of 2019, they plan to open a hotel in Japan. The MUJI Hotel will be located inside a 10-story building in the Ginza district of Tokyo—six floors will be dedicated to a MUJI store, and the rest will be accommodation. Rooms will, undoubtedly, …

Why 2,000-Year-Old Roman Concrete Still Stands

How is it that 2000 years later, certain Roman ruins still stand in harbors? Geologists have determined that it pertains to one of the components—aluminum tobermorite, a rare mineral found in volcanic ash. When struck with seawater (another component of Roman concrete, along with lime and rock), a possolanic reaction occurs where the tobermorite crystallizes and spreads—adding further strength. Thus, longterm seawater exposure only reinforces …

Volvo’s Gearing to go All Electric

It’s been a good week for electric automobiles, thanks to two major global commitments. First, China’s Geely announced that Volvo, the Sweden-based brand they purchased back in 2010, will produce only electric or hybrid vehicles starting in 2019. This will include five new models produced at Volvo plants worldwide—three under the Volvo name and two under Polestar (Volvo’s performance brand). This makes Volvo the first …