inhabitat

Disaster-proof design

a birds-eye view of a village, with a community of houses to the right and a surrounding forest to the left

Ramboll helps Lombok locals build earthquake-resistant bamboo housing

In 2018 when Lombok was struck by several earthquakes, some measuring up to magnitude 7, local communities around...

Rendering of the foldable skyscraper

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...

Margot Krasojević Architects, Self-Excavation Hurricane House, hurricane-proof house, lightweight structure, hurricanes, water purification, land reclamation, green architecture

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...

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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...

Koen Olthuis, Waterstudio, Waterstudio.nl, amphibious houses, floating house, houseboat, water house, flood proof housing, inhabitat interviews, jill fehrenbacher interview

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...

solar panels, solar power, Japan

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...

volcano, NASA, supervolcano, geology, NASA scientists, problem solving, subterranean solutions, magma, eruption, drilling, technology, clean energy, geothermal energy, global catastrophe,

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...

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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....

Tateh Lehbib Breica, United Nations Refugee Agency, refugee, refugees, refugee camp, refugee camps, Algeria, plastic bottle, plastic bottles, plastic bottle home, plastic bottle homes, plastic bottle architecture, architecture, refugee home, refugee homes, refugee shelter, refugee shelters

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...

Wayne Adams, Catherine King, Freedom Cove, self-sufficient floating island, Vancouver Island, British Columbia

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...

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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...

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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...

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INTERVIEW: With Bridgette Meinhold, Author of 'Urgent Architecture'

When artist, engineer and former Inhabitat Architecture Editor,  Bridgette Meinhold, heard about the earthquake...

HEXA life raft, HEXA inflatable design, floatation device, Yoo JiIn, Lee Ji Sang, green design, transformable design, inflatable structures

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...

Bermuda, Bermuda roof, Bermuda ocean

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...

Bangladesh, Biosand Filter, Wood Mold OHorizons

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...

chernobyl reactor covered by largest moveable metal structure, giant metal arch covers chernobyl, chernobyl nuclear disaster, chernobyl, nuclear meltdown, radiation

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...

Elevating House, Elevating House by Larkfleet Group, Larkfleet Group, flood, floods, flooding, flood waters, rising house, house, home, experimental house

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...

Marie-Elsa Batteux Flahault, on the edge jacket, survival jacket, apocalyptic well being, prepping for the end of the world, apocalypse preparations, survival clothing, end of the world design

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...

earth home, earth house, rammed earth, bamboo, timber, natural architecture, passive design, daylighting, earth bricks, super adobe, affordable architecture

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, prefab home, modular home, hurricane-proof home, miami, florida, energy efficient home

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...

Hurricane, hurricane, superstorm, prepare for a hurricane. emergency preparedness

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,...

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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...

structural engineering,durable bridges, disaster proof design, optimal arch, wanda lewis, university of warwick, indestructible bridge, bridge biomimicry

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...

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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...

HuaShang Tengda, HuaShang Tengda home, 3D-printed home, 3D-printed house, 3D printing a building, earthquake resistant building, 3D-print disaster resistant building, 3D-printing technology, 3D-printing in China

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...

Nev House, Nev Hyman, Nev House by Nev Hyman, prefab, sustainable, recycled, plastic, wood, resilient design, natural disasters, architecture, design, Vanuatu, homes, houses

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...

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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...

Hamptons beach house, beach house, Hamptons, Aamodt/Plumb Architects, ocean, seaside, hurricanes, salt corrosion, concrete, disaster proof design, resilient design, disaster proof home

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,...

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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...

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