Dornob | Design Ideas Daily

Dornob | Design Ideas Daily

Just Add Water: Concrete Buildings Built With Air + H2O

Posted: 05 Jun 2013 10:00 AM PDT

An inflatable concrete building sounds a bit ludicrous – until you see the seemingly-magical construction of a Concrete Canvas shelter. Concrete Canvas, a UK company, has created shelters that combine a less durable material – canvas – with one of the most durable materials of all – concrete.

The canvas is impregnated with concrete but remains flexible as the shelter is deployed to its location. Once there, the shelter is unfolded and inflated with a fan. The fully-inflated building is sprayed with water to activate and harden the concrete hiding within the fibers of the canvas.

Within 12 to 24 hours, the structure is cured and ready to use. After the concrete hardens, it is resistant to fire, water and the elements. In a dangerous location, such as a war zone, the structure can be surrounded and covered with dirt to further protect it and its inhabitants from harm. With or without extra fortification, the buildings can be expected to last for around ten years.

Although the obvious application for a rapidly-deployable, super-tough structure like this would be for military operations, there are hundreds of other cases in which a Concrete Canvas building could be incredibly useful. Disaster relief operations could quickly create temporary homes for displaced families after a disaster with little more than delivery equipment, a fan and a water hose.

According to the manufacturer, Concrete Canvas shelters can be thought of as “inflatable concrete buildings.” A typical building can be built by two people in under an hour without any specialized training – something that most other emergency shelters couldn’t even begin to compare with. The shelters aren’t yet available for consumer use, but just imagine the possibilities of buying your own piece of land, throwing up a concrete structure and living in one of these surprisingly roomy, civilized-looking buildings.

    

Bottomless Drinks: Social Glassware Can’t Be Set Down Full

Posted: 04 Jun 2013 04:00 PM PDT

In order to get the party started fast, these beverage containers cannot be placed upright on a surface – you have to finish your drink before you set them down.

Some might call it impractical, and perhaps it is, but it also provides an entertaining way to get your guests talking – and forcing them to interact if they need to put down their glass before it is dry.

This set of mouth-blown champagne, wine and martini glasses, dubbed Baccic by their designer Joe Doucet (images by Kendall Mills), were part of the PLAY exhibit for New York Design Week, “which tackles the relationship between design and "play" through a series of concepts that re-imagine our interaction with the digital world, re-invent our perspectives on furniture and space, revamp some old-school modes of play and realize the potential of playing with some friends.”

    

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