Inspired by origami, researchers from the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences have developed a more stable form of inflatable structure. Most inflatables—whether they be stadium domes or the everyday moonbounce—are monostable, meaning that they need a constant source of pressure to remain inflated. The researchers created a series of "triangular building blocks" that individuals can arrange in a variety of "multistable shapes," according to a Harvard SEAS press release. After assembly, which requires an initial source of pressured air, the structures lock into place without needing the constant input of pressure.
“You can imagine these shelters being deployed as part of the emergency response in [a] disaster zone,” said David Melancon, a Harvard SEAS Ph.D. student and co-first author of "Multistable inflatable origami structures at the metre scale," in the same release. “They can be stacked flat on a truck and you only need one pressure source to inflate them. Once they are inflated, you can remove the pressure source and move onto the next tent.” [Harvard SEAS]
Aiming to create a more sustainable technique that reduces the need for air conditioning, researchers from Purdue University, in West Lafayette, Ind., have formulated the world's whitest paint. The paint surpasses the cooling capacity of previously developed ultra-white paints. “If you were to use this paint to cover a roof area of about 1,000 square feet, we estimate that you could get a cooling power of 10 kilowatts," said mechanical engineering professor Xiulin Ruan in a university press release. "That’s more powerful than the central air conditioners used by most houses.” [Purdue University]
On April 22, President Biden held a virtual Earth Day Summit, officially recommitting the U.S. to the Paris Agreement and committing to halve emissions in the U.S. by 2030. [The White House]
Many compostable plastics on the market prove tricky for recycling companies to process and end up in landfills, alongside mountains of other single-use plastic items. Hoping to create an option that biodegrades more readily, researchers from the University of California, Berkeley embedded "polyester-eating enzymes" into plastic, which decomposed in a matter of days when exposed to heat and water. “People are now prepared to move into biodegradable polymers for single-use plastics, but if it turns out that it creates more problems than it’s worth, then the policy might revert back,” said Ting Xu, professor of materials science and engineering and of chemistry, in a university press release. “We are basically saying that we are on the right track. We can solve this continuing problem of single-use plastics not being biodegradable.” [UC Berkeley]
Following a 12-month performance observation period, the Kendeda Building for Innovative Sustainable Design has officially achieved Living Building Challenge certification from the International Living Future Institute. The project, located on Georgia Tech's campus in Atlanta and designed by Lord Aeck Sargent, a Katerra company, in collaboration with design architect The Miller Hull Partnership, was also named a winner in AIA's 2021 COTE Top Ten Awards. [ARCHITECT]
Using just a metal detector, a team of archaeologists working along Maryland's Eastern Shore has located the home of famed abolitionist Harriet Tubman. After years of searching, archaeologist Julie Schablitsky uncovered an 1808 coin that led her team to excavate the site, uncovering bricks, pottery fragments, and buttons that, along with historical records, indicated they had found the location where Tubman lived alongside her father and siblings. "It’s not just one artifact that tells us we have something," Schablitsky told the Washington Post. "It’s the assemblage. It’s the multiple pieces.” [Washington Post]
The American Institute of Architects has announced the winners of its 2021 COTE Top Ten Awards. Located from Tempe, Ariz., to Toronto, this year's winning projects showcase a commitment to sustainable environmental performance while maintaining design excellence. [ARCHITECT]
Software developer Autodesk has partnered with the Smithsonian Institution, in Washington, for an upcoming exhibit that will be featured in the Institution's Futures exhibition. The two-park exhibit will highlight the intersection of artificial intelligence and design, and include a 22-foot cantilevered structure. You can read more about the Futures exhibition, scheduled to run from November 2021 to July 2022, here. [ARCHITECT]
