Architects Iranians invent building with rotating divisions

Tehran would be one of the last capitals where architectural innovation, we expected to see that that breaks barriers uncharted, but the truth is that the building Sharifi-Ha, in the Iranian capital, is very close to getting this done.

With five floors, the building has rotating rooms, creating new spaces and adapting to the seasons. According to the Studio of Iranian architecture Nextoffice, who developed the project, this mobile feature of the divisions is achieved with just a touch of a button â€" there are three rotating rooms: the breakfast room, the guest room and Office. The three corners can run looking for new spaces, views or light.

In fact, these divisions are nothing more than wooden boxes, views from the outside, with a rotating base. During the harsh winters of Tehran, they can close the building, keeping the House warm. In summer, however, they open to ventilate the House.

The House has two cellars, to the gym and other leisure facilities. On the ground floor is a garage, while the first and second floors is the space dedicated to conviviality: the main room. The two top floors House guest rooms, bathroom, Hall and a kitchen.

"The House adapts to functional needs of its occupants. The guest room can be reconfigured for different purposes ", explained a spokeswoman for Nextoffice. "With this innovation, it is possible to have different light scenarios and seasons".

The House is inspired, in fact, in traditional Iranian homes that have summer and winter rooms, depending on temperature differences of the time. Thus, these rotating divisions may be important to keep the House warm in winter and cool in summer, and not solely for marketing purposes and visibility.

The Sharifi-Ha was nominated for the World Architecture Festival, in 2014.

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Climate change: Taro village moved to the neighboring island

Little by little, thousands of people leave their home Islands for sheltered places of mean sea level rise. Last week, New Zealand announced to accept the refugee claim of a family of Tuvalu, a group of nine atolls that is being sunk by climate change.

Today, the Reuters news agency that a small town of Taro Island, Solomon Islands, plans to relocate its entire population to a nearby island. Taro Island is only two meters above sea level, and the Intergovernmental Panel on climate change predicts that the sea climb 90 centimetres by the end of the century, that site â€" a conservative estimate.

Thus, after consulting engineers, scientists and urban planners, the island decided to build a city from scratch, on a neighboring Island, changing its population-between 500 to 1,000 people â€" at various stages. The land cost €2,2 million and can accommodate about 5,000 inhabitants, as soon as it's complete.

Some of the essential infrastructure, such as hospitals and a high school, will be built over the next five years-all other basic constructions such as roads or Government buildings, will also have priority. Still, the only change will be complete within several decades.

"Is a city created out of nowhere," said Reuters Philip Haines, project manager of BMT WBM consultant, hired for this purpose. "We must be competent and build something that lasts for generations. The relocation is the only option available to ensure the safety of the community and allows for future growth and prosperity. "

In April, the cyclone caused several Ita filled in the Solomon Islands, killing 23 people and injuring 50, 000. "We've just seen how vulnerable is Taro to natural disasters", explained the Choiseul province politician responsible, Jackson Kiloe. In the neighboring Island, the scenario will be slightly better, but the specter of climate change, even though further away, will continue to hover over the head of the population.

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The South Korean's 20 years photographing the aurora borealis

One of the greatest desires of travelers is seeing something that stay forever in your memory. For the astrophotographer Chul Know, and given his profession, this desire has a whole other meaning, and he was firmly seated on the photographs that the South Korean picked up in Yellowknife in Northern Canada.

The site, known as one of the best in the world to see the "northern lights", did not disappoint Chul, who for 20 years travels the world to capture the magnificent phenomenon.

"The last time, when [my fellow tourists] began to dance, I realized that something extraordinary was about to happen. I put my machine in continuous mode and photographed. Was right. ", explained Chui to the press.

"The auroras were so bright that were easily visible. The tourists, many of them just stood by to view the Aurora, responded with joy, "he continued. The aurora borealis-or aurora australis, as known in the southern hemisphere â€" is a natural light show seen above all in regions of the Arctic and Antarctica, as in Norway or Northern Canada.

See some of the photos captured by the South Korean photographer, looking for magnificent phenomenon, already passed through Norway, Finland, Alaska (United States), Iceland, Scotland and Russia.

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American City appoints first Executive Director for resilience

The city of Oakland, in the United States, appointed his first CRO (Chief Resilience Office), what if you can translate, in Portuguese, as Executive Director of resilience. The position now occupied by Victoria Salinas, a Chilean-American resident in the city, aims to create a map for resilience or urban resistance.

"The strategy will be linked to subjects such as earthquakes and climate change, ageing of infrastructure or economic crisis. The city will receive technical support and other advice through participation of the Rockefeller Foundation, "explained the city said in a statement.

In fact, the philanthropic foundation created by billionaire American family will invest approximately €74,5 million in 100 Cities Resilient Challenge, which Oakland is part. In all, will be 32 cities intervention stock, from all points of the globe.

According to the city of Oakland, Salinas will have between six to nine months to create an urban and social emergency plan. The responsible risk management specialist, has worked in Latin America and the Caribbean, particularly in post-conflict civil war or natural disasters.

In Oakland, Salinas will have four fundamental objectives: develop an action plan for seismic phenomena, especially at the level of 24 thousand families living in dwellings that are not prepared for the violence of the phenomenon; sea level rise, extreme warming and rainfall accentuated; social vulnerability of many inhabitants of the city; and advanced age of many of the public infrastructure and dwellings.

In recent years, much of the innovation of cities has emerged of sustainability strategies and risk management. This appointment of Oakland, a city with 400 000 inhabitants, is proof that the future of cities is on social, economic and environmental coordination of all phenomena that surround it. And that must be managed in an integrated and integral.

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The tag that is taking the organic cotton to our homes (with video)

In 2004, when environmental concerns still weren't part of the radar of most large companies, the C&A acquired the first pieces of organic stock, at the time still mixed with conventional cotton. In less than a year, however, the company started the whole process of development of certified organic cotton and not mixed with the traditional cotton.

Today, organic cotton is 38% of the total sales of C&A cotton products, a percentage very interesting considering the very high number of annual sales of the brand. In 2013, these sales accounted for € 110 million already, according to Dominic Edwards, sales manager of the Iberian C&A.

Like many other multinational companies in the area, also the C&A sustainability objectives until 2020. "Our aim is that in 2020, 100% of our cotton is organic", explained the responsible.

The aim is ambitious and will not be easy to fulfill. In addition to the demand for organic cotton in the world, be growing, production is still low. "The organic cotton represents only 1% of the total market and cotton are in decline," advances Sunday Edwards.

To combat this shortage, the C&A launched an independent company that promotes the cultivation of organic cotton in the main production areas. Second Sundays Edwards, about 75% of the world's organic cotton has behind the projects C&A. only in India, are 60 thousand organic cotton farmers to cooperate with the Dutch multinational based in Belgium and Germany.

See the episode 280 of green economy and notice how the C&A is taking the lead to sustainable cotton industry.

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Unexpected diversity of plankton

At first glance, the plankton might not seem like anything more than small marine organisms which serve as food to the fish and whales. However, a marine scientist has been dedicated to counteract this tendency and to publicize the great diversity of these organisms.

Richard Kirby has dedicated the entire career studying and photographing the plankton, which exists in abundance in the ocean. In his book, "Ocean Drifters: the Secret World Beneath the Waves," the researcher puts the plankton under a microscope, showing the rest of the world its variety of shapes and colors.

Among the organisms are algae, bacteria, wandering animals and microorganisms that live in the sea or in fresh water. Microscopic algae and small animals that eat them float freely by sea, where support to the marine food chain.

The book includes high-resolution magnifications of plankton and explains how these organisms are being affected by global warming, which could have far-reaching implications for planetary ecology if the amount of available plankton in the oceans decrease, referred to the Daily Mail.

"Without the plankton, there would be no fish in the sea", indicating Richard Kirby, who is a professor at the University of Plymouth. The increasingly warm global temperatures are causing the warming of ocean waters and consequently altering the habitat of plankton and create changes in their abundance, distribution and seasonality ", indicates the expert.

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The art of rescuing elephants orphaned children in Kenya

The world day of the Elephant was this week and to mark the date the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, a Kenyan organization that is dedicated to the rescue of orphaned elephants, disclosed several photographs which show the backstage of the Organization and the efforts made by attendants and volunteers to give a new life to the Cubs.

About 35,000 African elephants are slaughtered every year divided the prey of ivory. As such, there are many small elephants that are orphans and who require care to survive.

Elephant populations suffer not only losses due to illegal hunting, but also due to habitat destruction and human conflicts. Thus, the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust travels all over Kenya to rescue little orphans.

The pictures, released by the organisation, and published by the Guardian, offer a unique vision of the efforts and difficulties that volunteers and attendants face to reach the animals and carry us to the crèches of elephants in their centers.

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