Urban Gardens

Throughout much of history, art and science have co-existed in a symbiotic and synergistic relationship. Inquiry, experimentation, and observation lead to creative works in both the studio and the laboratory. A modern-day example of this melding of the … Read More...

Milan design studio Lab Fabrici describes their work as a synergistic mix of science, nature, and design. With their Aeris + Altrove planter and air purification duo, they got that right.

Aeris
Aeris boosts the air purifying properties of the … Read More...

When judges of the House 2020 Competition challenged Ontario, Canada architecture, engineering, and environmental science students to come up with an innovative idea for the house of the future, they asked the question: what does ”smart” mean now?

Competition winner, … Read More...

You know about farm-to-table dining and perhaps garden-to-glass cocktails. Now there’s Field-to-Vase–where the dining table’s flowers were freshly picked at the flower farm only a few feet from where you are seated.

The Field to Vase Dinner Tour is … Read More...

When my kids were little, they enjoyed a family hydroponic gardening project conducted on the kitchen counter. You may have done the same experiment with your kids. We put a few plant clippings into a clear glass of water so … Read More...

Pushpin birdhouse design spotted on MakerBot’s Thingiverse.

I’ve been seriously wowed lately by many of the inventive 3D printed objects I have found, like concrete planter bricks, a mini planter system with drip irrigation, and a modular vertical garden perfect … Read More...

LED GrowLight Pendant Lamp, $1250 via Lightopia.

Need a mood and financial boost? There’s an app for that. Or a plant. While browsing today through Frank Mertens’s site Expression That Inspires, I stumbled upon Nursery & Garden Industry Australia’s unusual … Read More...

The city of Seattle incorporates artists into the planning phases of every public works project, including the (seemingly) unsavory issue of waste disposal. This admirable philosophy often results in surprising collaborations between architects, engineers, and creatives.

At the Brightwater Wastewater … Read More...

Remember the old science class project making clocks operated by potatoes? You can do the same thing with mud–either from scratch, from a kit, or with a ready-made clock.

Essentially, the potatoes and the mud work like a battery. A … Read More...

The Greenhouse on the roof of Public School 333 in Manhattan. Photo: Ari Burling

A 1400-square-foot smart and sustainable hydroponic urban farm sits on the third-floor rooftop of a New York City public school. It’s home to The Greenhouse Project, … Read More...