Scientists at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology and Bayer have developed a seismic wallpaper that can hold up building walls during earthquakes, reported The Inhabitat. The system, called EQ-Top, is a glass fiber fabric that can help keep mason walls stable. After two years of research and testing, the patented product, which could help keep office buildings and apartments safer during an earthquake, will soon be available for purchase. For many years researchers at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) simulated earthquake scenarios in the quest to find a better way to support buildings in the event of such a disaster. At first they tried using materials with a carbon fiber base, but those created even worse damage after testing. By 2010, the university team began to experiment with glass fibers. These strong and stiff glass fibers are interwoven to create durable and elastic panels. The fibers crisscross in various directions, so they are both strong and pliable, allowing the covering to distribute energy evenly when the walls shake during an earthquake. Standard wallpaper glue is not enough to keep walls standing in the event of seismic activity, however. KIT therefore began working with Bayer's Material Science division to enhance the product. The result was a flexible yet soft adhesive that contains water and polyurethane beads. The adhesive forms to the grooves in a wall's masonry, and as the water evaporates it boosts the wallpaper's strength. The fabric was put to the test in a model home in an earthquake simulator, and thanks to the seismic wallpaper the building still stood and suffered little damage after the simulated quake. Bayer will market the wallpaper later this year. The building material is expected to cost more than regular wallpaper, but builders and homeowners who live in quake-prone areas may find the product well worth the price - and of course - the saved lives.

Architectures have spoken about "Vertical farms" for many years. Today, despite the skepticism, such projects transformed from "green dreams" into reality. Several years ago a Swedish-American company called Plantagon International unveiled plans for a series of massive skyscraper greenhouses that stood to transform urban farming in large cities. As reported The Inhabitat, while the spiraling vertical farms seemed too good to be true at the time, Plantagon International just broke ground on its very first vertical farm in February, 2012 in Linkoping, Sweden. The "Plantscraper" will grow and supply fresh vegetables while creating solutions to some of the most vexing city pollution issues. Inside the 17 storey globe with massive glass walls, vegetables will be grown in pots and then transitioned to trays positioned around a giant central helix. The plants grow as the trays slowly migrate down the central core and are ready to be harvested once they reach the bottom. Plant residue and manure will be collected along the way and transformed into biogas to run the heating and cooling systems of the greenhouse. Scientists want the vertical farm to not only grow food but also help in developing sustainable solutions for energy, heat, waste, and water issues of daily city life. Construction on the company's first enormous vertical greenhouse is expected to take 12 to 16 months. Before this project there were 3 attempts to build "Vertical farms" in Japan, South Korea and Netherlands. As reported the Speigel, a small prototype of the "Vertical farm" was launched in one of Tokyo's skyscrapers in 2005. Then, in 2011 a 3-storey greenhouse built in Suwon, South Korea. From the outside, the so-called vertical farm has nothing in common with the luxury high-rises surrounding it. Inside the building, heads of lettuce covering 450 square meters are being painstakingly cultivated. Light and temperature levels are precisely regulated. And about at the same time first products form "Vertical farm" appeared in Netherlands supermarkets. These vegetables were grown in underground "vertical farm", which constructed "PlantLab" company. According to studies of Columbia University, New York, who invented the project "Vertical Farm", by the year 2050, nearly 80 percent of the earth's population will reside in urban centers. The Vertical Farm must be efficient (cheap to construct and safe to operate). Vertical farms, many stories high, will be situated in the heart of the world's urban centers. If successfully implemented, they offer the promise of urban renewal, sustainable production of a safe and varied food supply (year-round crop production), and the eventual repair of ecosystems that have been sacrificed for horizontal farming. "Vertical Farm" can be put in a big city. It should be very effective. Manufacture of food products it will not depend on the vagaries of the weather. This farm will produce several harvests per year. Another benefit - Isolated plants can be protected from infections that affect the field. The same is true of the pests.

A Japanese company, Air Danshin Systems Inc., has come up with perhaps the most inventive solution we've seen - they fit out existing houses to levitate in the event of an earthquake. In the wake of last year's Fukushima disaster the company is set to install the levitation system in 88 houses across Japan, reported The Inhabitat. As fantastical as a home levitation system may seem, Air Danshin claims that the technology is not only effective, but also 1/3 cheaper than many other earthquake-proofing systems out there - and it requires little maintenance. According to Spoon & Tamago, the technology calls for a fairly simple, if powerful, set of mechanisms to be installed around a property. When an earthquake hits, a sensor responds within one second by activating a compressor, which forces an incredible amount of air under the home, pushing the structure up and apart from its foundation. The air pressure can keep the home levitating up to 3cm from the shaking foundation below. An indoor valve controls the flow of air under the house, keeping the structure steady as it "floats". Once the earthquake is over the home gently falls back onto an earthquake-resistant reinforced concrete foundation. While the earthquake-resistant levitation system is presently being installed in houses, we hear the Japanese firm hopes to expand to install the system in larger, potentially more critical structures. To promote the technology, Air Danshin Systems have made some fairly convincing, and somewhat humorous, videos to demonstrate their technology in action.

Nowadays, it is very popular to transform non residential sites into residential facilities, especially, if the transformation is very cheap. In particular, lighthouses, windmills, space stations, churches, railway stations, water towers, platforms are converted into residential complexes. But architects from Pinkcloud Danish architectural studio went a step further. They have come up with a design that could transform 400 oil refineries around the world into giant energy positive communities. According to official website of the company, When the planet hits peak oil and there is no longer any use for the 49,000 silos that are used to store reserves, these spherical structures could make the perfect solar-powered homes. Their shape optimizes sunlight capture and they are also airtight, waterproof, and structurally bulletproof. An individual silo can be turned into a single family day-lit home, or whole refineries can be converted into interconnected communities that share resources. PinkCloud studio recycled oil silos have everything we expect from a 21st century home, but first they have to be cleaned out. Detoxing the silos involves using in situ bioremediation - soil microbes that eat up harmful toxins. Once it is suitably cleaned, one or more families can move in. These 100 percent self-sustaining buildings have a green roof and green wall that absorb carbon dioxide and improve air quality, high-quality insulation, photovoltaic panels, a rainwater harvesting system and even a basement-level water storage area. The house is heated with radiant flooring, and water with solar power. Energy efficiency is achieved through passive design, and each level of the home is reached by way of a pneumatic elevator. It's possible to connect up whole communities of these recycled silos that would share underground heating and all other infrastructure necessary to run an off-grid home on renewable sources of energy. Earlier, The Inhabitat reported, that the architectural studio KEG Apartments from Athens has a great idea to recycle old trucks into apartments that can either remain stationary or stay attached to the truck and be mobile. Hopefully the containers could be cleaned well enough to eliminate any past toxins to ensure safe air quality. Perhaps this is very efficient design for small houses, as a human population increases at an exponential rate, but the aforementioned two projects are still on paper.

Baca Architects was recently granted approval to build the UK's first amphibious house on the banks of the Thames River in England, reported The Inhabitat. The test home will respond to the issue of rising floodwaters - a pressing world-wide problem caused by climate change. When faced with rising tides, the modern home will rise and float, keeping its occupants safely out of harm's way. The comfortable 70 square meters home will be built adjacent to the river's shoreline with only 32 feet of clearance should the waters rise over their normal levels. The Baca team conducted years of research to come up with a model home that would respond to flooding conditions and work with the flood to protect the home. The firm is a leader in waterfront architecture, and this an ideal site upon which to develop a flood-resistant home. During dry times, the home will rest on fixed foundations that will keep it in place. But if flooding should occur, the entire structure will rise up in its dock, and buoy along with the flood waters. The house will be built in a flood-prone area called Flood Zone 3b, which is located on a tiny island in the Thames in Buckinghamshire. Like other homes in Buckinghamshire, the home will be designed with a traditional pitched roof and other characteristics found in homes in the region. Although it will blend in our the outside, the home will be highly energy efficient thanks to lots of insulation and high-performance glazed windows. A surrounding garden will be planted as the first line of defense against flooding, and the home will react when the water reaches a threatening level, after providing a warning message to the residents. The lightweight timber facade will rest between four vertical guideposts that will keep the structure in place and protected. The house is planned for construction later this year, and it will provide a great model for dealing with flooding problems around the world.