It has only been a couple of days since the Liberator 3D-printed gun was successfully fired in Texas by Defense Distributed. But after the gun was downloaded over 100,000 times in just two days, the State Department told founder Cody Wilson to take down the blueprints from the company’s servers immediately. The sheer number of downloads is not what is causing concern for the federal government – they are concerned as to who is doing the downloading. The web-based plans are subject to the International Traffic in Arms Regulations that do not allow the “export [of] any defense article or technical data for which a license or written approval is required without first obtaining the required authorization from the DDTC (Directorate of Defense Trade Controls).”

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Nearly twelve years after the World Trade Center’s Twin Towers fell, construction workers have finally topped off 1 World Trade Center with an iconic spire. The capping of the 1,776-foot-tall building brings the structure to its full height, adding what is now the tallest building in the western hemisphere to the New York City skyline. The addition also symbolizes a victorious comeback that honors the many who lost their lives.

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Sandy Grove Middle School in North Carolina—the nation’s first net-positive, LEED Platinum designed, leased public school—just received four striking solar structures that will produce enough power to power three electric vehicle charging stations on the campus. The structures, made by Spotlight Solar, are 20 feet tall and each incorporate 12 solar panels. These will, in combination with a geothermal system and high-efficiency LED lighting, enable the school to produce 20% more energy than it requires.

 

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Melbourne recently held an Emergency Shelter Exhibition in Federation Square, where BVN Architecture created a beautiful shelter that fits together like a 3D puzzle. Starting from materials that are likely available immediately after a disaster, BVN set out to create a shelter that not only provided necessary protection from the elements, but also was inspiring and provides an element of joy. Prefabricated plywood pieces are laser-cut and then assembled together like a 3D dinosaur puzzle, and the shelter is designed to be wrapped in plastic or vinyl sheeting to protect the interior from rain, sun and wind.

 

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A crater lake in northeast Siberia is giving researchers a much better idea of how the world’s polar regions may change due to the increased saturation of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere. Formed by a one kilometer wide meteorite about 3.6 million years ago, the un-glaciated Lake El’gygytgyn lies 100 km north of the Arctic circle and provides the only unbroken climate record depicting the last time CO2 levels were as high as they are now. At the time, temperatures were 8C higher, the north was covered in lush tundra forests, and sea levels were 40 meters higher, The Guardian reports.

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The Ego Sport Center is a newly renovated energy-efficient building set on the southeast coast of Spain in Almería. The sports facility includes two swimming pools, workout rooms and rooftop sports courts, and it was designed by Spanish firm Ferrer Arquitectos and completed in 2013. The architects strived to limit the building's carbon footprint and operational costs by incorporating a range of water and energy efficiency strategies - read on for a closer look!

 

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Yale researchers recently discovered a way to boost the efficiency of solar cells by a whopping 38 percent by coating them with a fluorescent dye. Polymer solar cells are popular for their low cost, low weight, large area and mechanical flexibility, according to Physorg, but they only convert roughly 50 percent of the solar energy absorbed into usable electricity. The organic squaraine dye improves light absorption and recycles electrons, thereby hastening the light to energy conversion process.

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Photo via Shutterstock

When it comes to capturing solar energy, plants are first in their class. Able to function at nearly 100 percent quantum efficiency, they can produce an equal number of electrons for each photon captured. Using these photons to split water into hydrogen and oxygen, the resulting electrons are able to create sugars that help the plant to live and reproduce. Researchers at the University of Georgia have developed a way to harness the power of the photosynthetic process to generate a clean form of electricity. Ramaraja Ramasamy, assistant professor in the UGA College of Engineering, explained how his team manipulated the biology for human advantage.

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Completed last year, the Landscape Laboratory in Portugal is a modern restoration of an old stone factory. The renovation was designed by Porto-based Cannata & Fernandes Architects, who sought to preserve the existing structures as much as possible. Many features - including the original stone walls - have been left untouched, while the interior was adapted to new times and uses.

 

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There are those who will only let their firearms be taken away from their cold, dead 3D printers. Defense Distributed, a group of IT professionals, students, and engineers located in the US and Germany, have reported to Forbes that the downloads for its Liberator gun have reached 100,000. Earlier this week, they had demonstrated their product being discharged successfully in Texas. Since then, California Senator Leland Yee has been taking steps to ban the weapon, attempting to outlaw the manufacture of 3D-printed guns.

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Dutch designer Jolan Van Der Wiel created a public workshop where visitors could make their own colorful trays using natural forces. The designer, famous for creating strange, spiky objects with the help of gravity and magnetic fields, is now harnessing the power of centrifugal forces and a recycled tool he developed himself.

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Marta Crass created this incredibly realistic cardboard camera without the use of any precision machining tools (like laser cutters or plotters). Measuring 6.5” x 4.5”, the replica camera is modeled after a 1960s-era Nikon camera given to Crass by her grandfather. Although it doesn’t take pictures, the beautifully crafted camera showcases the potential of recycled cardboard – and it can be yours for $150.

+ Cardboard Camera on Etsy

Via Damn Geeky

The article above was submitted to us by an Inhabitat reader. Want to see your story on Inhabitat? Send us a tip by following this link. Remember to follow our instructions carefully to boost your chances of being chosen for publishing!

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Koostik continues to unite nature and technology with their latest handmade wooden iPhone accessory called Pivot. Similar to other speakers currently in their collection, this new Koostik speaker provides a boost of 2-4 times the volume of an iPhone’s speaker using only natural acoustic principles. Pivot can be used with an iPhone in portrait or landscape mode, making it the perfect companion for watching videos as well as listening to music!

+ Koostik

The article above was submitted to us by an Inhabitat reader. Want to see your story on Inhabitat? Send us a tip by following this link. Remember to follow our instructions carefully to boost your chances of being chosen for publishing!

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Deep in the Alaskan Interiors, 20 miles from the nearest town, stands a spooky, abandoned igloo showing no signs of life. Called the 'Igloo City Hotel', the kitsch masterpiece was once a popular pit stop in the 70s, but quickly fell out of favor and into serous disrepair. But this little igloo may soon find a second life. We've caught wind that it's currently undergoing restoration!

 

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Back in March the NYC Planning Commission approved plans for Cornell’s new tech campus located on Roosevelt Island – and now it looks like the university is about to jump its final hurdle. The City Council just announced that it will vote to approve the 2-million-square-foot sustainable campus, and if all goes as planned, construction will break ground in 2014.

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