First floor of the Eiffel Tower will be transformed into a sustainable space

The project to renovate the first floor of the best-known monument of Paris began in 2012 and is expected to be completed later this year. Borne by the atelier-Rivière, Moatti said draft renovation of the first floor of the Eiffel Tower intends to transform the space into a place of entertainment and learning. With a contemporary design, the transformation will contemplate the introduction of various sustainable systems.

The installation of several solar systems, hydraulic and wind will allow reuse natural resources and reduce the ecological footprint of the space. So, will be installed solar panels which will allow you to provide energy and lighting with LED lamps. Will also be installed four windmills with vertical axes that will feed a water turbine and will be used a drainage system to collect rainwater.

With a budget of €24,9 million, the project includes the demolition and rebuilding of parts of the first floor and the pavilions Ferrié, hosting the welcoming lobby, shops and a restaurant. After being completed, the main reception area in front of the elevators will also be renovated and enlarged, with the addition of conference rooms, a multipurpose amphitheater and open-air museum route referred to in Inhabitat.

The floor of the first floor will be in glass and will be installed so that the balconies to 57 feet off the ground can be easily overlooked when. Equally important as the renewal project are the new access facilities that will be implemented, which will allow people with mobility difficulties visit the first floor.

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Spider robots follow Lantern-shaped people to light my way

There are more and more robots for different purposes. Alvaro Cassinelli, an artist based in Tokyo, just to give you one more: robots transformed into lanterns â€" but a little scary.

The Toro-bots, as they called it, have the shape of a typical Japanese lantern, only mounted on top of a species of spider legs, which makes robots in bizarre objects. In addition to walking, the Toro-bots can still dance and emit flashes of light, as if from sirens.

The robots can be programmed to emit light at a fixed location or to follow certain person and illuminate the path, and the path is controlled via a tablet. Each Torus-bot has a "personality" of its own, since through infrared can "feel" the environment around you.

Additionally, the robots can be controlled collectively or individually. The Toro-bots were designed initially to illuminate an exhibition â€" Digital Shock â€" in the French Cultural Institute in Tokyo. The spider robots were built by an American company and each costs about €690.

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The Tasmanian Orchid that seems Duffy Duck

In Tasmania there is a native Orchid that resembles the famous cartoon of the Looney Tunes, the Duffy Duck. Famous for its similarities with the cartoon, this orchid is also known as the "Flying Duck".

This plant can also be found in Southern Australia and in Queensland. However, their small size â€" about 50 cm tall â€" makes difficult its identification in the wild. Usually, this Orchid blooms between September and January.

Already the Duffy Duck was introduced into the children's imagination in the 1930, to replace other cartoons that were more popular earlier in the Decade, such as Mickey Mouse and Popeye. Throughout the ages the image of the Duffy Duck was suffering some changes, but his voice remained the same feature.

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San Francisco bans bottled water indoors from October

The city of San Francisco, known for setting trends in the United States, unanimously approved a ban on the consumption of bottled water in events with more than 100 people located in public places-like concerts.

The prohibition shall enter into force on 1 October for enclosed spaces of public property and in 2016 for events in locations open. Sporting events that require a large consumption of water as the City Marathon, will be excluded from these restrictions, the same happening with major events such as Gay Pride Parade, which has until 2018 to fit.

Chamber meeting where the decision was made, Alderman David Chiu explained that the bottled water industry, which emerged only in the years 90, cause untold environmental damage.

According to him, one of the goals of legislation is to make people think about their waste. "Before 1990, and for centuries, people could stay hydrated without this industry", explained Chiu.

"We are all aware of the importance of combating climate change. San Francisco is taking a leadership role in the fight for the environment, "explained Chiu to the San Francisco Chronicle.

According to this Association and other critics of the measure, the ban will lead many people to decide to buy alcoholic beverages at concerts and other events.

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Paris: public transport free of charge three days to combat pollution

Have you ever considered the turnout that public transport from Lisbon or Porto have this weekend, if they were free? That's the reality that tourists and residents in Paris will be already from today, as a way of encouraging motorists to leave their vehicles at home.

The measure comes at a time when the French capital is suffering very high levels of pollution, explains the Less A Car, being that the air will remain exceptionally harmful to health until the weekend.

Jean-Paul Huchon, Chief of transport inspection agency in Paris and surrounding areas, said that transport will be free from today until Sunday night, due to "significant risks to the health of residents" posed by pollution.

The level of the index on the overall quality of the air in Paris, yesterday, was approximately the same as in Beijing, one of the most polluted cities in the world. In total, more than 30 French departments were the subject of alerts for maximum levels of pollution, leading the Minister of Ecology, Philippe Martin, to qualify the air quality as "an emergency and a priority for the Government".

The city of Caen, in the North, also decided to free public transport for three days, due to pollution. Reims in the Northeast, will do the same on Friday. The lack of wind, plus cold nights, followed by mild days, has contributed to the severe air pollution.

At night, the land cools, as the atmosphere warms up during the day, due to the Sun, which means the particulate pollutants emitted by automobiles or heated get stuck under a layer of hot air and cannot ascend or be dispersed.

As a result, monitoring centres reported particularly strong concentrations of particles with a diameter of less than 10 microns, PM10, particles in the air designated.

In neighboring Belgium, on the other hand, the pollution will also affect the day-to-day lives of citizens. The authorities have reduced the maximum permitted speed on the main routes, in order to try to reduce the heavy concentration of particulate pollutants in the atmosphere.

Foto: www.FranceHouseHunt.com/Creative Commons

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Notre-Dame Cathedral replaced conventional lighting by LED

Since it began to be built in 1163, the Cathedral of Notre-Dame has had several types of lighting: from the candles to light bulbs. The last type of lighting this Gothic Cathedral will receive are LED light bulbs â€" more than 400.

For fans of dark and characteristic architecture of the churches, the new lighting design includes areas of half-light, which allow you to save the contemplative lighting traditional. Additionally, the LEDs are adjustable through computer, which allows you to respond to the different needs of space lighting.

With this replacement, it will be possible to save around 80% in energy consumption, since the LED bulbs use only 30 kW, compared with the previously used 140 refers to Atlantic Cities.

Who says the monuments cannot adapt to the new realities sustainable? See the new lighting (Photo 1 to 9) and the old (Photo 10.

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Foam mattresses are harmful to the health of babies

What is that mattresses of cribs, changing tables and chairs have in common? Are used by babies and all have foam-and this is problematic. The foam used in mattresses and seats release volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into the environment. The VOCS come from several compounds used in the manufacture of these objects: resins, solvents, adhesives and catalysts that continue to vaporize long after the manufacturing process.

Chronic exposure to low levels of VOCS is related to allergies, asthma and lung infections in babies. However, a new investigation revealed an entirely different reality. A team of scientists at the University of Texas conducted a new study that quantified the current amount of VOCs are released to the environment where the baby is.

The team analyzed 20 crib mattresses, both new and used, manufactured with polyurethane foam or polyester. In a test Chamber, as the size similar to a baby's room, heated with a cylinder parra mimic the heat released by the child, which accelerates the release of VOCS, the researchers compared the values of VOCS in the room and on the child's breathing zone, approximately 1 to 2.5 cm above the surface of the mattress.

According to Treehugger, scientists have identified 30 different VOCS and some that are classified as environmental pollutants. On average, the researchers concluded, the new mattresses emit four times more VOCs older mattresses.

However, more alarmingly, the team found that the amount of VOCS was significantly higher in the breathing zone of the child than on the environment. gral Such indicator is alarming, since babies tend to sleep 12 to 2:0 pm per day.

However, there are alternatives to foam mattresses, like latex, the natural rubber, organic cotton, eucalyptus fiber, among others.

Foto: eperales/Creative Commons

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