Sonia Renthlei: Daily traffic snarls, expelling pollution is a daily show we witness on city streets. But, despite the sheer volume of private vehicles on the road, many people are still left waiting on sidewalks and flagging down cabs. Effective public transportation systems are the key to addressing the situation and this is where ATS ULTra enters the picture. ATS Ultra Concept Picture Gallery ATS Ultra Concept It is a battery powered vehicle. A form of the personal rapid transit system, ULTra is now plying the streets of London. Conceived by Martin Lowson, the project sees the rubber wheeled pods running on guide ways which consist of concrete barriers. An internal map also guides the pods on their routes so there’s no need to switch between pods. ULTra has been found to be significantly more economical than conventional public transport systems like underground metros. ULTra, costs just about five million pounds per kilometer of track. In modern context the difference is wide, making the futuristic pod system more feasible. ULTra runs on batteries, which means there’s no need to electrify tracks. The system is recharged at the station itself. Each pod can seat four adults and bear a 500 kg payload. This is enough to accommodate wheelchairs, luggage and shopping trolleys. A battery pack of 2kW of power adds about eight percent of weight to the pod. Terminal 5 at London’s Heathrow Airport is effectively making use of ULTra, which serves about 2.4 miles of distance. The track extends to the business passenger car park and the service, which uses only half as much energy, has replaced the bus service used in the past. Via: Behance

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ATS ULTra offers a safe and green mode of public transport

Abdul Vahid V: Maysan Towers are two emerging sustainable residential towers in the district of Maysan, Reem Island in Abu Dhabi, capital of the United Arab Emirates. The structures merge sophisticated sustainable strategies with sanctified green approaches and compatibility to the cultural uniqueness of Abu Dhabi. World famous architecture and interior firm DWP designed the pair of green structures. Maysan Towers in Reem Island, Abu Dhabi Picture Gallery Maysan Towers in Reem Island, Abu Dhabi The architectural design theme draws influence from the unique natural topography of Al Ain. Maysan Towers are projected to provide a green touch for the ever-expanding city of Abu Dhabi. Indeed, the edifices are expected to give a bright addition to the coveted green agenda of the country. The buildings are to realize respectively with 38 and 36 stories with state of the art residential facilities, living spaces, conference halls, corridors, pools and others. The design is actually inspired by the natural scenery of Al Ain, the Garden City of the Gulf. The architectural wonder will highlight spectacular rock overhangs, green oases and planar mountain uplands. Well, everything will have a clear green touch, say the designers of the massive project. Maysan Towers will spread out across a total floor area of 64,500sqm. The project design has so far grabbed the Cityscape Best Future Residential Development Award last year. Construction of the massive green project kicked off mid last year. Once commissioned, it will certainly be one of the biggest and holistic green residential complexes in the world. The UAE government can show off Maysan Towers as part of their attempt to reduce carbon footprint. Via: Architter

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UAE’s green goals to get a thrust with the gigantic Maysan Towers

Nisha Changrani: Sipping a cup of piping hot tea under a shadowy bough, in the green backyard on a spring afternoon, is almost a dream, gestating to life. Who would not wish to be at a place that drives divinity and tranquility through one’s senses? And what could be a better complement to this tranquility than a cup of tea? Well then, this dream has been granted the boon of reality now. With the tea houses in the journey towards completion, worshipers of sane peace could now hope to find their heavens settling down on the earth. Eco Tea Houses Picture Gallery Eco Tea Houses It will transform the way you enjoy your daily cup of tea. The tea house has lovingly, or rather thoughtfully been named as the Posbank Pavilion. It promises a better sense of being nearer to the touches of Mother Nature, because everything that has gone into its making and almost every other thing that it accommodates in itself, is natural, and more importantly, eco friendly. The best part is that the building in its entirety does not use even a speck of hard wood in its construction, so there is literally no harm to the nature. Instead, it uses concrete plaster that has its origin from stone granulates and sheep’s wool for the purpose of insulation. Secondly, it has a sustainable roof, which can support growing vegetation and ensure proper use of sunlight for generating solar energy. Apart from these regular ecotic features, the house also showcases simple but impressive ventilation systems so as to maintain proper air circulation throughout the structure. What else do you need to feel close to Mother Nature? A cup of hot tea, a well maintained eco friendly place to sit and an eyeful of green majesty to heal every tired nerve of your visual socket. Via: Trendhunter

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Eco Tea House: A tranquil green heaven for relaxing

Startups Alta Devices and Semprius boast new solar efficiency records using very different techniques in an effort to knock down the price of solar power. Originally posted at News – Cutting Edge

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Solar startups set new power records

A relatlively large number of business leaders are shifting their firms to be ready for the new energy economy, but important questions remain, including how to measure success and how to convince others to join in the quest.

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How Can Business Leaders Accept the Challenges of the New Energy Era?

Jharna Bhattacharya: The futuristic eco friendly houses aim at conserving vital non renewable sources of energy. This also implies that these green projects target at cutting down of domestic electricity bill. The success of these green homes lies in the fact that they never compromise with the basic requirements of living conditions in such projects.

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Eco friendly houses for green living

Rahul Gupta: About 90 percent of wastewater produced worldwide remains untreated, causing widespread water pollution. It is estimated that a 30 floor residential accommodation pumps around 120,000 gallons of wastewater per day. According to research, this wastewater is a great source of potential energy. Recently, architectural firm Muoto has developed a concrete solution for treating wastewater pumped out from residential buildings every day. Their wastewater management plan is proposed to be set for experimentation at the residential tower Rimini, located boulevard de Choisy, in Paris. Floor water + REHABILITATION OF IGH Picture Gallery Floor water + REHABILITATION OF IGH Floor water + REHABILITATION OF IGH An entire floor of the premises of the tower has been dedicated for treating, recovering and leveraging the energy, to be used for community activities taking place within the tower. The floor has been reestablished in such a way that the residents can share facilities like a spa, fitness room, laundry, vegetable garden and rooms available for meeting, day care etc. The main purpose of the stage UAE + is to share available energies of the tower, including the energies from the water system. In this way, the project uses the technical aspects of sustainable development that fulfill all natural desires of residents by improving their way of living. Not only this, they will enjoy all facilities, which are not commonly supported by today’s housing. Via: Studiomuoto

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Floor Water+ sustainable building will explore energy potential of wastewater

Rahul Gupta: The ever increasing use of vehicles on the roads and the emissions produced by them has affected our environment severely. Many initiatives have been taken up by eco designers, who are upbeat about promoting the use of less emission producing vehicles. The best way to reduce emissions is by using vehicles powered by electricity. Many renowned auto companies are designing such vehicles that produce lesser noise and definitely help you reduce your carbon footprint. Recently, industrial designer Niels Grubak has come up with an electric vehicle concept, named 2+. 2+ EV-Concept Car Picture Gallery 2+ EV-Concept Car EV-concept for the megacity. According to the designer, the electric vehicle concept is made for megacities that mostly deal with parking issues. The design of the electric vehicle revolves around the concept of motors, which help the vehicle’s wheels to turn 90 degrees, allowing the car to move sideways. This feature will be helpful for parking management in crowded cities. The vehicle can carry two people with luggage and four without it. The concept of the vehicle is imaginative, creative and flexible and caters to the growing need of eco friendly futuristic transportation. Via: Nielsgrubak

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2+ concept electric vehicle moves sideways for easy parking

Shruti Mukim: Jewelry has been an all time favorite with women of all age groups as it allows them to beautify their attire and adds to the charm of their personality. What better way of designing could one think of, rather than doing it the eco friendly way, which serves a dual purpose of adorning and highlighting a woman’s innermost desires, while being gentle on the planet and the environment.

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Eco friendly jewelry to adorn you in an ethical way

Rahul Gupta: Designer Bukowska Arkitekter from Stockholm, Sweden came up with the project idea of Marine Biology Field Station. The main objective behind the project was to build a power station that would be self sustaining. Also the designer intends to use it for two purposes simultaneously i.e. as a field station for producing energy and, secondly, he wants to make it an information and learning center for future use. Marine Biology Field Station Picture Gallery Marine Biology Field Station Marine Biology Field Station Researching the needs of algae and how it would influence the spatial organization of the structure would determine the value of the entire process. Algae requires abundant water, carbon dioxide, minerals and light for its growth. Sunlight should neither be too strong or weak. Algae have a tendency to grow and become dense and, when this happens, sunlight does not penetrate beyond 8cm. Circulating the algae would prevent it from remaining on the surface. There are two methods for growing algae, an open system and a closed system. When algae are grown in translucent photo bioreactors, with some kind of lightning source, it is referred to as closed system. The designer explains that this is a controlled process and all visitors will be excluded. In case of open system the algae is allowed to grow in open ponds, which expose it to natural elements. It is a relatively cheaper process, but you cannot trust its vulnerability. In conclusion, the designer decided to use a variation of open systems as a solution to this problem. Direct sunlight is not so good for algae so he enclosed the open ponds within underground barriers, which would pump algae out into the skin of the building, allowing proper management of sunlight exposure. This process will also help onlookers who seek to learn from the project as they can look from outside through the transparent fence and also they will get to see the columns of algae when it will change its appearance from transparent to an intense green mass. And finally the whole process would operate in cycles, extracting excess algae and turning it into bio fuel, which would help sustain the building with energy. Via: Cargocollective

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Marine Biology Field Station: A self sustaining power station