by Bridgette Meinhold, 11/13/09

The majestic wind-powered building acts as the base of the turbine and consists of eleven concentric hexagonal layers that grow out from underneath it. Two of the layers form the entrance of the building in the landscape and the other layers a roof. Inside the visitor’s center, there is a large open area perfect for installations, exhibits and traveling displays. A viewing platform for the wind turbine will allow visitors to enjoy a better vantage point from which to appreciate the turbine and its power.
Natural ventilation and daylighting play a key role in lowering energy demand so more power can be put back in the grid than is used by the building. One interesting feature of the center is a real-time lighting display that indicates how much energy the wind turbine is producing at a given time. Inside the large open room, LED lights are installed on each layer of the roof, and as the wind turbine generates more power, more lights come on.

http://www.inhabitat.com/2009/11/13/michael-jantzens-awe-inspiring-monument-to-wind-power/

Featured on Inhabitat.com

A BRILLIANT DISPLAY
Each of the flat, extra-thin LEDs that illuminate the dress measures a mere 2×2 millimeters, but they work together to create a dazzling light show of hundreds of colors that pulse across the flowing skirt. And we’ve come a long way from those lame, scrolling LED belt buckles—the intricate circuitry that underlies this futuristic frock was painstakingly hand-embroidered on a layer of silk, imbuing it with the fluidity of fabric.

24,000 LEDs work together to create a dazzling light show of hundreds of cascading colors.

To diffuse the light and create an even more ethereal effect, the designers added four layers of silk chiffon, along with 4,000 hand-applied Swarovski crystals that extend the gown’s glittery sheen even after the LED bulbs go dim. And although the Galaxy Dress is lightweight, the heaviest part isn’t the technology but rather the 40-layer pleated silk organza crinoline that gives the skirt its flounce.

http://www.ecouterre.com/5815/bewitching-led-galaxy-dress-by-cute-circuit-is-worlds-largest-wearable-display/

by Yuka Yoneda, 11/11/09

The construction would include 120m- (400ft-) tall mesh towers and a series of interconnected plastic bubbles that can be used to display images and data.
The Cloud, as it is known, would also be used an observation deck and park.
The unconventional structure was originally envisaged as a centre piece of the city’s Olympic village.
Its designers plan to raise the funds to build it by asking for micro-donations from millions of people.
“It’s really about people coming together to raise the Cloud,” Carlo Ratti, one of the architects behind the design from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) told BBC News.

Featured on BBC.co.uk  Read More Here

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8350770.stm

By Jonathan Fildes
Technology reporter, BBC News