Tubo Hotel, Mexico

Along the lines of re-conceiving existing construction materials, here is Tubo Hotel.

Architects T3arc faced the challenge of building a fast and affordable hotel to offer lodging to the tourists of Tepoztlan, Mexico.
They used concrete tubes as prefabricated units for the rooms, creating an amusing effect with groups of three rooms. The whole complex took only 3 months to build and we find it just... fun!

Check out more pictures on ArchDaily.

Image © Luis Gordoa

Mom, I Want To Become A Chocolate Printer

3D printing is a fascinating technology - you press CTRL+P on your keyboard and you obtain, layer by layer, a three-dimensional object. Of course the process is more complicated and this probably is the fascination of who does not have to work with it every day.

Yet, what is universally cool is the idea of using chocolate as a mould.

Being inexpensive and easily malleable, it also yields no waste (the excess can be molten down again or eaten), making chocolate a perfect raw material.

This is happening at the University of Exeter, where researchers of EPSRC (Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council) are developing their own chocolate revolution. The idea is that of providing to online customers the possibility of customising their chocolate orders by uploading their own designs. It is a whole new chocolate experience.

Read more on InHabitat.

An Island to Light Up Copenhagen

Think big and you'll generate power for a whole country. Starting from its capital, like Copenhagen.

This "little" green jewel designed by Gottlieb Paludan encompasses a sustainable energy combination (wind power, solar power and pumped hydro power), which could become Copenhagen's alternative energy centre.
 When the wind speeds decrease, seawater is pumped in the inner island lagoon, turning turbines that generate power.

Green Power Island is also bound to become the biggest solar plant in Scandinavia. Four sister projects have been proposed for Bahrain, India, China and Florida.

Read more on InHabitat.

Amazing 40 Feet High Book Case

As huge fans of walls filled with books, could not help but gaze in awe to this family bookshelf that Sallie Trout built in the centre of her own home.

Going up for 40 feet, you can reach some shelves from one floor, some from another, but all of them using a remote-controlled chain hoist. Sitting on a bosun's chair (normally a stable climbing device), you can wander up and down the triangle shaped spiral stairs looking for the book you need.

Have a look at more images, we just loved it!

Stamp Your Smiley With Kaoiro

We often transfer our habits from the "real" world to our virtual domains: it is the case of "winks", "pokes" and so on. Sometimes, the process goes the other way round as with Kaoiro, the smiley stamp.

Based on the same principles of the - we're tempted to say retro - "date stamps", Kaorio's dials can produce over 2,000 kaomoji (Japanese for emoticons). These go far beyond the popular colon-hyphen-parentheses :-), pushing you to create new options to give voice to your mood. It's a fun way of making a point, be it to say "I'm not sure about this artwork" or "This logo is amazing!" You're invited to experiment.

Read more or buy Kaorio on the Japan Trend Shop ^__^

CAT, your aquatic cab.

If you used the tube to go to work this morning, you may have wished for a bit more intimacy, added comfort and possibly a better view. Then when you get to your desk and bump into CAT (City Aquatic Transportation) once again, you can't stop from imagining a whole different journey.

Aimed at exploiting cities' waterways to relieve the urban congestions, these four-passenger crafts designed by Cal Craven propose a thrilling alternative. Their futuristic design is completed with integrated Wi-Fi, autopilot and 360 degree rotating seats. The small vehicles are conceived to be booked online at specific docking stations.

Interestingly enough, the possible uses go beyond "simple" transportation, including business meetings (with an incredible scenery), tourism (with manual pilot) and quite an alternative lunch location. We would definitely book one, or more, today.
Read more, images Curve Creative.