At the beginning of last year, Jiri Lev, a Tasmanian architect with no prior hands-on construction experience, embarked on an ambitious project to build his own home. In just six months, Lev completed a 120-square-meter house for $150,000, a fraction of the cost of a standard new home in Australia. Lev’s primary goal was to demonstrate that affordable housing is still achievable. He meticulously designed his northern Tasmanian home with simplicity and ease of construction as top priorities, using locally sourced materials like hardwood, pine wood, and Australian BlueScope steel. Remarkably, Lev made his house plans available as open-source documents, encouraging others to replicate his success and share his vision of accessible homebuilding.

Lev’s approach to construction was rooted in traditional building techniques, favoring methods that avoid the complexities and costs of modern construction, such as roof trusses that require cranes and multiple workers. Instead, Lev utilized straightforward, time-tested techniques that he learned through online resources, making the process surprisingly manageable even for a novice. While he did hire professionals for specialized tasks like plumbing and electrical work, the overall cost remained low. Lev’s design also incorporates sustainable features, such as a “convection door” for heat regulation and untreated wood with natural oils for flooring. The open-plan structure is best suited for rural settings, providing an affordable option for those who cannot afford urban living. Lev’s initiative aims to inspire others to take on homebuilding, potentially transforming lives by empowering individuals to create their own homes and gain valuable skills.

A UK ag-tech firm, Bactery, is revolutionizing agricultural technology with their $25.00 bacteria batteries, designed to power sensing equipment directly from the soil. These innovative batteries harness bioelectrochemical processes in soil microbes, capturing electrons through an array of Continue reading “$25.00 ‘Bacteria Batteries’ Allow Farmers to Power Sensing Equipment with Soil” »

In May 2024, the archaeological community was electrified by a remarkable discovery at George Washington’s estate, Mount Vernon. Initially, two 18th-century bottles were unearthed, containing cherries picked before the founding of the United States. However, this thrilling find soon led to an even more astounding revelation. During the ongoing Mansion Revitalization Project, aimed at preserving the historic home, archaeologists uncovered 35 additional bottles in five storage pits within the cellars, 29 of which contained preserved fruits from Washington’s era. Continue reading “29 Bottles of Preserved Fruit From the 18th Century Discovered at George Washington’s Estate” »

American bison once flourished across the United States, from the western tip of New York state to the eastern edges of Oregon. These magnificent creatures, which can weigh up to 2,000 pounds, were vital as a food source for Indigenous peoples and figured heavily in their history, culture, and beliefs. Continue reading “Rare White Bison Calf Born at Yellowstone National Park Is a Sacred Symbol” »

Polish design studio Nicer Design, led by Mikołaj Nicer and his father Paweł Frej, has developed the Numbird collection of digit-shaped nesting boxes aimed at supporting urban bird populations. These innovative birdhouses double as house numbers, seamlessly integrating functionality with ecological responsibility. Crafted from moisture-resistant plywood treated with natural oil, the Numbird boxes offer a durable and sustainable solution to the challenges faced by their previous clay-cast project, Our Common House. The shift to timber not only enhanced the product’s durability but also facilitated its commercial production, making it accessible to a broader audience.

The Numbird collection is designed to be a family-friendly DIY project, encouraging familial bonding through the assembly process. Each birdhouse is cleverly concealed within the digits, which are crafted with narrow angles and bold curves to ensure readability and aesthetic appeal. This unique typeface was specifically designed to accommodate the standard size requirements for small birds while maintaining the functionality of house numbers. By centralizing the birdhouses behind each digit, Nicer Design ensured the visibility and coherence of the numbers when displayed together. This thoughtful design not only provides essential nesting spaces for birds but also offers a meaningful activity for families, reinforcing Numbird’s dual purpose of fostering both community and wildlife in urban settings.

Nestled in the heart of Chikmagalur, Karnataka, India, the mirrored holiday home known as Reflections by Okno Modhomes seamlessly blends luxury with sustainability. This idyllic retreat, spanning 300 square feet, is surrounded by a vibrant jungle, providing an escape from urban chaos. The contemporary design of the home, adorned with a striking mirrored facade, creates a harmonious blend with the lush environment. The mirrored exterior reflects the greenery, minimizing the visual impact and enhancing the home’s integration with its natural surroundings. Constructed with minimal environmental impact, Reflections features metallic and wooden elements that introduce a modern yet earthy aesthetic, embodying a perfect union of nature and architecture. The home stands as a testament to the possibility of coexisting peacefully with nature through thoughtful and sustainable design.

Upon entering Reflections through a charming entryway, visitors are greeted by a raised living area that appears to float amidst the trees, offering expansive views and the soothing sounds of the forest. The open-plan living space, adorned with floor-to-ceiling glass windows, blurs the line between indoor and outdoor living, allowing immersive experiences with the surrounding greenery. This central area seamlessly connects to an outdoor deck with a hot tub and cozy lounge area, perfect for stargazing and admiring the forested landscape. Further exploration reveals a bedroom designed for comfort and tranquility, featuring natural materials like soft textiles and organic wood finishes. A motorized sliding bed adds a unique touch, offering a direct view of the night sky. Okno Modhomes emphasizes that the mirrored facade not only enhances the visual appeal but also serves an environmental function, reflecting the natural surroundings to reduce visual impact and promote harmony with the landscape. The use of sustainable materials and energy-efficient systems underscores Reflections’ commitment to being eco-friendly while providing a luxurious retreat.

When visiting a museum beside a body of water, the thought of unwinding in a sauna after a day of exploration can be very appealing. The Munch Museum in Oslo, Norway, offers this unique experience with Trosten, a floating sauna in the adjacent fjord. Both the museum and the sauna are designed by Estudio Herreros, emphasizing accessibility and sustainability. Inspired by architectural follies, Trosten combines aesthetics with functionality, featuring a distinct, colorful silhouette. Constructed offsite, its main structure is placed on a prefabricated floating concrete platform and clad in green-toned aluminum to create a serene atmosphere. The sauna integrates traditional wooden decking with modern elements like large terrazzo tiled surfaces, steel handrails, and netting, enhancing its visual appeal and usability.

Trosten’s design ensures visitors can enjoy a relaxing and environmentally conscious experience. The exterior offers stepped seating for sunbathing, while the interior provides lockers, seating spaces, and stepped wooden seating within the sauna. Additionally, a sheltered seating area at the back allows access to the fjord for cooling off. The sustainable design includes an energy system, steam recirculation, and natural and recycled materials, minimizing its environmental footprint. This floating sauna is a perfect retreat after a day at the museum, offering a unique combination of relaxation and ecological mindfulness in a picturesque setting.

Designed by NU Architectuur Atelier, the Green Ark pavilion is a remarkable example of sustainable architecture in Belgium’s Meise Botanic Garden. Located in the heart of the 92-hectare conservatory, this sophisticated structure is part of an ambitious project aimed at restoring and extending 7600 square meters of greenhouses within the historic Bouchout Castle grounds in Flemish Brabant. Built primarily from Kebony Clear wood, a modified softwood with the durability of hardwood, the pavilion’s lattice structure is visually striking and environmentally conscious. The Meise Botanic Garden, one of the largest conservatories globally, plays a crucial role in preserving endangered plant species. The Green Ark pavilion enhances the garden’s mission by offering visitors an immersive educational experience, showcasing the importance of plant conservation.

The Green Ark’s design features a dramatic, curved roof composed of Kebony wood shingles, which resemble cascading scales. This distinctive aesthetic not only adds to the pavilion’s allure but also serves practical purposes, such as rainwater recycling. The interior boasts a wooden structure on a concrete frame, paired with a glazed ground floor that provides intriguing glimpses into the surrounding greenhouses. Kebony’s innovative wood modification process, which combines fast-growing softwood with furan polymers, results in a product that offers the solidity and stability of hardwood while maintaining sustainable sourcing and carbon capture benefits. The Green Ark exemplifies how modern architecture can harmoniously blend with nature, promoting conservation and education in a setting that is both functional and enchanting.

Humans have been representing the world around us in artistic creations for countless millennia. From cave paintings to ancient bone carvings, the meanings of ancient art are only sometimes truly intelligible to modern minds. Archeologists devote countless hours to uncovering, documenting, and interpreting ancient art. Among the more recent papers to interpret ancient South American artwork was published in Antiquity. A team of archeologists sought out the long-rumored rock art engravings of the Middle and Upper Orinoco Rivers in Colombia and Venezuela. Their findings shed light on the sheer amount of carvings and the impressive size of certain monumental snakes. Along the winding, ancient river, the archeologists searched in quest of carvings known by locals and the subject of rumors for hundreds of years. Using drones, photography, and their climbing ability, the archeologist authors of the recent paper documented 157 sites of rock art, noting there are likely thousands more out there. Carved into the rock were insects, alligators, geometric motifs, stingrays, birds, and human or humanoid figures. Sixty of the engravings stretched an impressive 30 feet or more.

Who carved these pictographs, when, and why? According to the dating of deposits of pottery with similar designs, the engravings are likely about 2,000 years old. They may have been carved by Indigenous Piaroa artists or others from nearby tribes. The Piaroa, like others in the region, have ancient beliefs about snakes. The anaconda Cuämoi figures prominently, and his daughter Cuähuais believed to have created rock art along the Orinoco River. In cosmologies throughout South America, snakes can be associated with rivers, creation myths, and spiritual journeys. Why the reliefs were carved is uncertain. However, the authors noted that many were at the ancient river level around the time of carving. Given the size of the monumental figures, they’d be quite visible from afar. The team hopes to engage with the local Indigenous people whose knowledge of the region is unparalleled to continue to deepen their understanding of these artistic signposts along the historic river.