
This foldable, solar-powered skyscraper provides instant shelter in disaster zones
Skyshelter.zip is a mobile skyscraper that can be folded and transported to natural disaster zones. Polish designers...

This spinning house uses the force of hurricanes to anchor itself to the ground
This futuristic, hurricane-proof home is cleverly designed to use the force of storms to withstand extreme wind...

Man buries 42 school buses to build North America's largest nuclear fallout shelter
When doomsday arrives, Bruce and Jean Beach have no intention of elbowing their neighbors for space. The retired...

INHABITAT INTERVIEW: Koen Olthuis of WaterStudio.nl talks about design for a Water World
In light of all the dire news related to climate change, rising sea levels and the natural disasters which have...

Dozens of Japanese cities and towns quietly go off-grid
Dozens of cities and towns in Japan have quietly shifted from traditional utility-based grid power system to a...

NASA considers puncturing Yellowstone supervolcano to save life on Earth
A new study from NASA's Jet Propulsion unit has determined that the threat of a supervolcanic eruption to life...

The 2,500-year-old bracket that protects China's Forbidden City against earthquakes
The presence of earthquakes in China has resulted in timber-framing practices that put European design to shame....

Extraordinary man builds 25 plastic bottle homes for refugees in Algeria
A Sahrawi refugee in Algeria is rebuilding lives - literally. Born and raised in the refugee camp in Awserd near...

Couple spent 20 years building Freedom Cove, their self-sufficient floating oasis
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OrBAKZjUxIE Adams and King have been living in their own self-made floating...

INHABITAT INTERVIEW: Water Architect Koen Olthuis on How to Embrace Rising Sea Levels
Sea levels are rising, floods are prevalent, and cities are at greater risk than ever due to climate change. Now...

Ingenious cardboard and bamboo emergency shelters by Shigeru Ban pop up in Sydney
Pritzker Prize-winning Japanese architect Shigeru Ban is widely known and respected for his 20 year career in designing...

INTERVIEW: With Bridgette Meinhold, Author of 'Urgent Architecture'
When artist, engineer and former Inhabitat Architecture Editor, Bridgette Meinhold, heard about the earthquake...

Self-inflating HEXA raft automatically deploys upon contact with water
At sea, situations often emerge where crew and passengers have to quickly evacuate the vessel, causing panic, and...

How Bermuda's iconic white roofs overcome island's chronic freshwater shortage
Life in Bermuda may seem exotic and glamorous to outsiders, but the Caribbean Community member faces significant...

Non-profit creates open-source drinking water filter for 1/10th of the cost
Non-profit organization OHorizons recently created an innovative BioSand Filter that can deliver clean water at...

Radioactive Chernobyl reactor sealed by the world's largest moveable metal structure
Dealing with the remnants of a nuclear disaster is no easy task. As a case in point, take a look at the Chernobyl...

72-ton elevating house lifts 5 feet into the air to escape flooding
Larkfleet Group has created a revolutionary Elevating House that literally rises above flood waters. In case of...

Apocalypse 'preppers' inspire on the edge survival jacket
Some people might think it's irrational, but "prepping" has become a lifestyle for a growing population. Design...

8 inexpensive earth homes almost anyone can afford
1. Dome-shaped earth bag house keeps residents cool in Colombia La Casa Vergara’s uncommon dome shapes may captivate...

Cubicco's hurricane-proof modular homes break into Miami's construction scene
A standard model Cubicco home is far and above what one might expect from a prefabricated house. Stylish and modern...

How to Prepare Your Home and Family for a Hurricane or Superstorm
After Hurricane Sandy, which devastated the East Coast in 2012, it’s more important than ever to make sure you,...

New Zealand company offers small earthquake-resilient starter homes
Hennessy's first house, Papa #1, is 430 square feet, which means it just misses the 400 square feet and below benchmark...

New indestructible bridge design was directly inspired by nature
The job of structural engineers around the world is arguably getting more difficult. Many urban centers are experiencing...

8 groundbreaking Buckminster Fuller semifinalist designs that are changing the world
1. African Design Center trains next wave of African architects The African Design Center is a program of the...

3D-printed house in China can withstand an 8.0 earthquake
3D printers started small, but now companies are printing entire homes - and a Chinese company just created an...

Aussie surfer designs prefab recycled cyclone-resistant homes
Hyman said to Mashable Australia, "I've spent my whole life around the ocean, and seen the damage done by waste...

Why these round houses survive hurricanes that destroy traditional homes
June first marks the official start of the Atlantic hurricane season, and with predictions for bigger and deadlier...

7 impressive homes built to resist natural disasters
1. Indestructible concrete beach house by Aamodt/Plumb Architects Beach-goers often seek the sand for relaxation,...

INFOGRAPHIC: How technology can help when disaster strikes
The devastating earthquake in Ecuador killed more more than 650 people and injured thousands. It is the worst disaster...

World is failing to prepare for increasing natural disasters, UN expert says
The frequency and severity of natural disasters is a subject much studied by scientists, as we struggle to understand...