Smart Design

It’s the time of year when boxy Air Conditioner window units have long been shut off, but many are still lodged in windows, collecting dust and grime until their owners find time to yank them out of the windows and into winter storage. And although Central Air may reign in suburbia, single AC units are as much a part of urban centers as are noisy radiators and drafty windows.

Look up at an apartment or office building in a city; the protruding boxes are an unintentional (yet prevalent) design element. Surely architects and designers cringe when they see their work defaced by these antiquated units. read more

Every day, the average American throws out four pounds of garbage. This adds up to about 220 million tons of garbage each year total. Or, enough trash to cover Texas twice. Or, enough to stretch a line of garbage all the way to the moon.

If you’ve ever visited New York and other American hubs and seen the overflowing trash cans, littered streets, and piles of black garbage bags lined up each day, it wouldn’t take these statistics to realize that we have an overwhelming waste problem. For anyone tuned into the green movement, this is old news. Although many people are committed to recycling, the fact that the waste problem gets worse each year demands fresh solutions. read more

As ubiquitous as traffic lights are, they’re a technology with a history that is surprisingly sparse and lacking in history. In 1869, the first red/green traffic light was installed, outfitted with gas lights that were manually turned on at the base. In 1912, there was an upgrade to electric, and in 1920, yellow was added to the mix. Which brings us to 2010, when we’re still using virtually the same system as we we did 90 years ago. read more

This conceptual pendant lamp, titled Nissyoku, combines a streamlined, “galactic yoyo” aesthetic with sustainable construction. The piece features tilting, sliding orbs that can be adjusted to change the way your space is illuminated. The design team explains that they were inspired by a solar eclipse, and in a darkened room, the lamp perfectly simulates the the effect of a glowing, shifting sphere. Depending on how you arrange the orbs, different stages of an eclipse are highlighted. Not only does this concept offer a contemporary, unobtrusive lighting solution, it’s a multi-faceted lighting solution with the ability to function as a wall, table, or hanging lamp. read more