Emily Pilloton’s new book showcases 100 of the world’s most ingenious design creations that will improve the quality of life in both developed and undeveloped nations. Pushing the point that the way forward is to create tools that will help to change the world, the former Inhabitat editor and founder of Project H, a socially-conscious design firm, challengers designers to think of themselves as design activists and not just creators of “stuff”. Creations range from all-terrain wheelchairs to more efficient water transport systems. It’s a very interesting book that provides some much needed optimism for the future. You can re-order from Amazon.
Written by Ruth Slavid, “Extreme Architecture: Building for Challenging Environments” is as impressive as the title suggests. A journey through the elements, the book covers the major environmental factors—hot, cold, high, wet and space—categorized into five chapters and led by a brief summary explaining the difficulties of each climate.
The range of impressive architectural feats includes a tropical summer home, a Swiss chairlift station, a floating sauna, a lunar hotel, African school buildings and an underground global seed vault, to name a few. With the photographs just as inspiring as their subjects, the book makes not only for a great reference point but also a work of art.
