According to new research conducted at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, nearly any material can be engineered with nanopores to harvest electricity from humidity in ambient air
Derek Lovley/Ella Maru Studio According to new research conducted at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, nearly any material can be engineered with nanopores to harvest electricity from humidity in ambient air

Harvesting Electricty from the Air
According to a study published in Advanced Materials—researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst have found a way to transform almost any material into a medium capable of harvesting electricity from humidity in the air around it. The team, comprising Xiaomeng Liu, Hongyan Gao, Lu Sun, and Jun Yao, calls the new development the “generic Air-gen effect." "Literally any kind of material can harvest electricity from [the] air, as long as it has a certain property,” Jun Yao, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at UMass Amherst, and the study’s senior author, said in a news article on the university’s website. “It needs to have holes smaller than 100 nanometers, or less than a thousandth of the width of a human hair.”

“Imagine a future world in which clean electricity is available anywhere you go,” Yao said in the article. “The generic Air-gen effect means that this future world can become a reality.” While the idea is simple, he says, it opens the door for scientists and manufacturers to potentially design electricity-harvesting materials. [University of Massachusetts Amherst]

A House Built from Dirty Diapers

Front elevation of the 387-square-foot home built with concrete and mortar containing eight percent diaper shreddings
Muhammad Arief Irfan Front elevation of the 387-square-foot home built with concrete and mortar containing eight percent diaper shreddings

Researchers from the University of Kitakyushu in Japan—Siswanti Zuraida, Bart Dewancker, and Romi Bramantyo Margono—and a support team—Firman Fadhly, Andrie Harmaji, M. Arief Irfan, Ananda Setyo Ivannanto, Anjar Primasetra, Ilham, and Ichsan—have built a 387-square-foot prototype home in Bandung, Indonesia, using concrete and mortar made with 8% sanitized dirty diaper shreds. “One baby in a day can [use] four or five pairs of diapers [...] you can image the waste diapers can produce in just one country,” Siswanti Zuraida, lead author of the research published in Scientific Reports, and a Ph.D. student in architectural engineering at the University of Kitakyushu in Japan, told The Verge. According to Zuraida, diapers contain highly absorbent polymer fibers thought to absorb atmospheric moisture and stop concrete from cracking, possibly extending its lifespan. [The Verge]

The Role Architects Play in Preventing Suicide in Public Buildings

The Centre Pompidou in Paris designed by Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers
G. Meguerditchian The Centre Pompidou in Paris designed by Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers

In a recent piece for Artnet News, author Anna Sansom, urged starchitects to embrace their responsibility in incorporating suicide prevention features in public design by sharing a devastating story about her friend who took their own life by jumping over a security rail on an upper floor at the Centre Pompidou in Paris. The incident, which took place in April, raised urgent questions from industry professionals about the role architects play in helping people suffering from mental health crises in the built environment.

Following the tragedy, the Centre Pompidou has decided to undergo an extensive renovation project costing about $285 million. The institution will close its doors at the end of 2025 through 2030 to make significant health- and wellness-focused design changes including creating a new, safer space under the building’s piazza and renovating the roof. [Artnet news]

Denver Museum of Science and Nature to Remove Indigenous Exhibtion

The Denver Museum of Science and Nature said in a “healing statement” that its North American Indian Cultures exhibition perpetuates racist stereotypes and features stolen artifacts. In the wake of the announcement, the institution has decided to close the display this summer and will work with Native communities to design a new installation in its place. The museum has been in talks over the past year with the Denver American Indian Commission, a collective of Native American appointees who consult with local city government, about the removal of the 45-year-old exhibit.

“Indigenous people’s experiences are contemporary and diverse,” commission co-chair Joshua Emerson, a Navajo comedian and writer based in Denver, said in a Hyperallergic article about the museum’s announcement. “We still exist, we still live on the land that our ancestors lived on since time immemorial.” [Hyperallergic]

The Architecture of Battery Technology and Thermal Energy Storage

 The 2 MWh Rondo heat battery at the Calgren ethanol plant in California.
courtesy Rondo Energy The 2 MWh Rondo heat battery at the Calgren ethanol plant in California.

This week, ARCHITECT columnist Blaine Brownell, FAIA, wrote about new developments in battery technology and thermal energy storage. When it comes to current battery technology, the gold standard is lithium-ion tech, which powers most cellular devices and hybrid cars. “Although Li-ion has impressive storage and recharging capacities, increasing demand for lithium has led to environmental concerns and geopolitical tensions,” Brownell said in his latest. Many industries are seeking alternative options that can replace or augment Li-ion technology. And one surprising area gaining traction, he argues, is building materials.

“For example, Rondo Energy, based in Alameda, Calif., offers a heat battery made from bricks,” he wrote in the column. “The battery is a self-contained unit consisting of a stack of bricks and electrical heating elements that warm the modules via renewable power sources. The heaters raise the temperature of the bricks to 1,500 degrees Celsius, converting 100% of the renewable electricity into thermal energy. The bricks’ stored energy may be tapped through the delivery of forced air, which heats up to 1,000 degrees Celsius as it passes over the stack. This heated air is optimal for use in industrial processes ranging from cement and steel production to municipal infrastructure such as district heating or grid energy storage.” [ARCHITECT]

Flora and Landscape Design on Display at the 2023 Chelsea Flower Show

Last week, The Guardian published photos from the 2023 Chelsea Flower Show held May 22 - May 27 on the grounds of the Royal Hospital Chelsea in London. The annual show, which began in 1912, is an event that showcases spectacular horticulture and landscape design that nod, this year, to mental health and wellness. Besides the flowers and plants to gaze at, visitors were greeted by an outdoor laboratory designed to show how valuable insects are to humankind and nature. [The Guardian]

Highlights from Iceland's 2023 DesignMarch Festival

DROPi, featured at DesignMarch 2023 in Reykjavík, Iceland
Minarc DROPi, featured at DesignMarch 2023 in Reykjavík, Iceland

Earlier this month, DesignMarch, Iceland’s annual architecture and design festival hosted over 100 exhibitions, 400 exhibitors, and 100 events spread throughout Reykjavík, the nation’s capital. The event featured Nordic furniture, fashion, products, and installations highlighting sustainability and nature themes.

Local brand FÓLK Reykjavik, for example, collaborated with Kópavogur, Iceland–based Studio Flétta to design pastel-hued poufs made from car airbags bought at a local automotive auction. DROPi, pictured above, was shown by Erla Dögg and Tryggvi—the Icelandic co-founders of Santa Monica, Calif.–based design firm Minarc. It’s a handmade hanging chair inspired by the shape of a water droplet, crafted from durable Sunbrella canvas and a formed metal, wood, or upholstery seat base. [Vogue]

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