Inspired by fireflies that produce their own light at night, the “Lucciola” (Italian glow-worm) by Bulgarian designer Desislava Sredkova is a unique lamp that doubles as a speaker to set the mood in contemporary apartments. Designed to be used in pairs to increase the light effect with surround sound, the Lucciola can either be hung from the ceiling or used as a floor lamp according to the needs and liking of the user. Measuring 30cm in length, the compact device is available in three variations, i.e. home, club and baby edition, which you may choose from a variety of colors and manner of positioning. The home version comes with regular white light, while on the other hand the club edition features a reflective surface to communicate with disco lights, and rock the discotheque with its unique combination of light and sound.

Via: Desislava.Sredkov

Riverside townships, especially slums, polluting the watershed enclosures are posing a serious threat to almost all the major rivers across the world. Providing a solution, the Ciliwung Recovery Program (CRP) by a bunch of designers, including Rezza Rahdian, Edwin Setiawan, Aayu Diah Shanti and Leonardus Chrisnantyo, has come up with a sustainable skyscraper to purify the contaminated water of rivers by utilizing renewable energy. Intended toward the Ciliwung River in Jakarta, the revival program is planned to be accomplished under three main stages.

First, the contaminated water of the river is moved across the building, through a network of pipes by using capillary vessel systems, to remove the garbage from the water. In the second phase, various minerals are added to eliminate the unhygienic contaminants from the water to make it safe for drinking and other daily needs. In the third and final stage, the household waste is recycled into clean water, so it could be poured again into the river. In addition, the façade of the building features a number of wind generators to harness wind power, while a massive solar reactor located at the top captures solar energy to fulfill its energy requirements.

Via: Designboom

Considering the fact that only one percent (approx) of fresh water is present on the earth in liquid form, the ghost of the water crisis can well be seen haunting the life worldwide in the days to come. Addressing the issue, designers at Design Crew for Architecture have designed a bubble-shaped skyscraper with natural systems that can desalinate seawater without any electricity consumption. Hailed as a freshwater factory, the eco tower makes use of a series of bubbles filled with water-filtering mangroves that convert saline water into drinking water in a sustainable manner. Moreover, the water can be used for irrigation.

Comprising a number of circular tanks filled with brackish water enclosed in spherical greenhouses, the sustainable skyscraper pumps up the brackish water, using tidal power, to circulate it through the mangrove plants that remove the salinity from water to be stored in freshwater tanks for consumption. If everything goes as it’s conceived, one hectare of mangroves should produce up to 30,000 liters of fresh water a day, which is adequate to irrigate one hectare of planted fields daily.

Via: Inhabitat

An entry at Ideation Award 2010 in conjunction with Malaysian International Fair, the “Go” by Indonesian designer Rizki Tarisa is a piece of multifunctional furniture that makes use of advanced technology, so you could lead a sustainable lifestyle while accomplishing your daily tasks in style. Combining the functions of a lounge chair, exercise bike and desktop into a single unit, the multi-tasking furniture also harnesses human power to generate green energy, when you pedal the bike to burn the extra layer of fat from your body, to juice up your gadgets. Users can browse the internet and listen to music while lounging in utmost comfort. Furniture will never be as functional and sustainable as the Go.

[Cheers Rizki]

Drawing inspiration from natural and cultural treasures found in the Alps, German designer Sebastian Krabbe has devised a minimal wristwatch with all steel body construction to give it a robust look. Dubbed the “Rock Crystal,” the masculine wristwatch features polygonal corpus edges, which gives the appearance of a naturally grown crystal. Punching the hours (three, six, nine and twelve) right into the stainless steel face, the watch wraps around your wrist with a wooden strap, turning it into a fashionable accessory for the trendy. While the visible adjustment/wind-up wheel, pin and joint of hands confers an artistic design to the wristwatch.

Via: Formatmag

Yesterday we covered the Waterproof MP3 Player/Radio that lets you enjoy music in the bathroom, and today we have a sleek and compact alternative from Kohler to satiate your bathroom entertainment needs. Designed to complement the shape, profile and finish of Kohler’s iconic WaterTile bodysprays and showerheads, the “K-8033-CP SoundTile Speakers” can be mounted with typical 2″ x 4″ wall tiling systems. Developed in association with Polk Audio, manufacturer of high-performance audio products, the waterproof speakers are compatible with any audio system or “DTV Custom Showering Experience.” Priced around $220/pair, the SoundTile Speakers are available in different colors and finishes to meet individual needs of the customers.

Via: Kohler/Unplggd

In this fast moving society, multi-tasking is a valuable trait, which applies to both people and objects. Fusing technology and furniture into a single object, Singapore-based designer Zyane Tan has come up with a multifunctional unit called “Sony Fusion” that apart from being used as a regular coffee table becomes a high performance desktop for the geeks. The Sony Fusion is a simple coffee table with clean structured lines, made of matte black aluminum with a sleek chrome lining, supported by arched chrome legs. At the push of the power button, the table top splits in half and elegantly slides apart to reveal a trendy touch-sensitive keyboard outlined by LED lights. The adjustable screen can be angled in different directions to allow an ideal work position to the users, while the slot-loaded DVD drive and headphone jack can be found on the sides of the table. Available in blue, white and red, the Sony Fusion when it comes into production would cost about $3000.

Via: Bornrich

Usually you have a number of questions that a sales person would go over with the consumer in order to suggest the appropriate line of products to them. Making this practice a bit more transparent, designer John Villarreal has come up with a digital product guide that using an 8″ touchscreen display catapults the brand image to a higher echelon in the mind of a consumer. Developed for Clinique, the video screen would run on either battery or wall power depending on the store. Thought the new touchscreen plays programming through a compact flash card, but it can be modified to use other media cards as well. The digital product guide also features a structure, finished in high gloss acrylic, to hold together the machined parts in the chrome finish.

[Thanks John]

Based on fluidity and balance of lines, the “Esquisse” from SVDesign is a yacht concept that applies some interesting methods of power saving to allow sustainable sails. Setting high standards of thermal insulation, the Esquisse integrates solar heaters on the edges of the roof for sanitary hot water. Powered by a diesel-electric plant, capable of producing high power for speed, to cover electric consumption, the 55m yacht can reach a top speed of 18kts floating on the waves. Housing owner’s suite on main forward deck, the Esquisse locates a saloon on the aft main deck and top deck and VIP cabins and crew quarters on the lower deck.

[Thanks Sylvain]

If you are one of those who can’t do without music even when taking a shower or bath, the ($186) Waterproof MP3 Player/Radio could turn out to be a smart device to play your favorite tracks anywhere, anytime. Measuring 165 x 165 x 160 mm, the ball-shaped music player presents a 32GB SD card, good enough for a wide range of collection. Powered by six AA batteries to play nonstop music (radio) for 28 hours, the waterproof music system can play music for 13 hours from an SD card or 9 hours from a thumb drive. All you need to do is insert a USB memory device or SD Card into the port inside the MP3 and quench your never-ending thirst for music.

Via: Geekstuff4u