After three decades of hard work, Amtrak trains in the Northeast Corridor and Pennsylvania get to retire. They will be replaced by 70 high-efficiency electric Amtrak Cities Sprinters (ACS-64) built by Siemens in Sacramento, California. The ACS-64 units are based on the company’s EuroSprinter, and the trains will take over for the Electro-Motive diesel locomotives made back in 1978 and 1988.
Last year, the Smithsonian was one of the first American institutions to jump on the 3D printing bandwagon when they scanned and printed a Thomas Jefferson statue from Monitcello. The world-famous museum will now embrace the technology even further by embarking upon a quest to scan its entire collection. From bones to sculptures, the museum will digitally preserve its vast collection of over 14 million items for future generations.
The United States Supreme Court has ruled unanimously in favor of Monsanto in a seed patenting case against an Indiana farmer that some had hoped would break the company’s monopoly on modern agriculture. Monsanto sued Vernon Bowman after he purchased their Roundup Ready Soybeans from a grain elevator to plant a late second crop, The Guardian reports. Bowman argued that the patent was exhausted since he bought the seeds from a third party, but the corporate giant said he had agreed not to save any of the harvest for replanting when he entered into a contract to purchase their seeds. Justice Elena Kagan agreed that patent exhaustion did not apply in this case and the court ordered Bowman to pay $84,456.
Aamodt Plumb Architects, a young design studio based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, saw its second completed project built this January along The River Trail at The Forks in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The firm’s Smokehouse, a collaboration with felt artist Rebecca Howdeshell, was one of three winning entries to The Warming Huts v.2013: An Art + Architecture Competition on Ice. Jury members selected designs that best “push the envelope of design, craft and art” in an open competition that drew over 100 entries. Their winning design responds to the harsh winter conditions of The River Trail by employing natural materials and primitive building methods to create a unique space that provides shelter and warmth.
Home coffee-making equipment has come a long way, but the typical french press is still assembled from plastic and delicate glass in an overseas factory. The Portland Press is a french press for a mason jar that is made in the state of Oregon out of materials sourced in the USA. It’s a simple, clean, practical design made out of fundamental materials: glass, wool, steel, and wood. Most importantly, the Mason jar is easy to replace if it breaks, and the rest of the Portland Press is backed with a lifetime warranty. The Portland Press just launched a crowdfunding campaign on Crowd Supply – if you’re a fan of this project you can support it here!
+ Portland Press on Crowd Supply
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If you find yourself in the Bay Area on May 28th, don’t miss out on your chance to attend a sneak peek screening of If You Build It—a full-length documentary film about Studio H‘s revolutionary design/build program at a rural high school in Bertie County, NC. The full-length documentary chronicles one year in Studio H and tells the story of designers Emily Pilloton, Matthew Miller and their 13 students who dreamed up—and built—a beautiful solution that changed the face of their hometown. The story exemplifies the power of hands-on education, the raw brilliance of youth, and the impact a few budding minds can have on the future of a community. Come see the film before it is widely released, meet some of the Studio H’s new students from REALM Charter School, and learn more about how design and hands-on building can transform youth education. All proceeds from tickets sales will go to help fund building materials for the Studio H program in Berkeley. Inhabitat readers also receive 25% off their tickers—just enter “inhabitatlove” at checkout!
Alaska photo from Shutterstock
Until this past Friday, the U.S. was the only Arctic nation that lacked a formal strategy in its approach to the region. In advance of Wednesday’s Arctic Council meeting in Sweden, the Obama Administration just put forth a vague Arctic policy that seeks to take advantage of emerging opportunities in the region, while recognizing that an undisciplined approach to exploring those new opportunities could threaten national security, interests and the global good.
It takes real skill to turn salvaged materials into something new and exciting, which is why we applaud Pickett Furniture‘s creative spin on recycling. They were on hand this weekend at BKLYN Designs, where we got to check out their unique handcrafted furnishings and accessories made from responsibly sourced wood and vintage textiles. Read on to see more of their eclectic and charming bamboo lamps, vintage Marimekko fabric pillows and kids’ toys!
Image© Frank Lumsden
In an effort to create a cleaner and greener future, last week the Essex Wildlife Trust officially opened the new Thurrock Thameside Nature Park – a 120 acre reserve built on top of a former landfill. Over the past half a century London has shipped piles of trash up the River Thames to the Mucking Marshes Landfill where it festered as a blemish reminding the world of how messy the human race can be. But after many years of rejuvenation, this new nature park has proven that we can make substantial efforts to reverse what past generations have trashed.
The Jacques Rougerie Foundation has just launched their International Architectural Competition, a new program awarding innovative and creative architectural projects that have focused their programs on building at sea or in outer space. This competition is open to all and offers a unique opportunity for students in architecture, engineering or design to share their vision. Awards of €10,000 each will be presented by the Institut de France to three winners in the following categories: Innovation and Architecture for the Sea; Innovation and Architecture for Space; and Architecture and Sea Level Rise. Registration closes on May 28, 2013 and projects must be submitted by August 14, 2013.
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