If necessity is the mother of invention, then opportunity is the father. And thankfully, there are still some people who view problems less as obstacles and more as opportunities.
Take a problem like the lack of lodging for outdoor events, for example. Such open-air events, like music festivals, which are typically held in large, open fields, end up looking like a 1960s commune as tents, teepees, and other makeshift living arrangements pepper the venue. And if it rains, well, everyone there better be prepared to get wet and muddy. Unless, of course, the festival planners had the foresight to provide Snoozebox’s portable hotel rooms, designed with mobility and ephemerality in mind.
These portable hotel rooms are just one of novel ideas featured in our annual Great Solutions report. Others include pop-up farms designed to provide communities with a sustainable food supply, a new anti-bacterial paint perfect for hospitals, schools, and nursing homes, and digitally fabricated concrete formwork that pushes the bounds of what can be cost-effectively constructed in concrete.
Go to our Great Solutions landing page to read about these 13 innovations (also, see the table of contents below).
Great Solutions Table of Contents
Bacteria-killing paint, IdeaPaint PULL magnet paint
Automated vehicle medical supply delivery
Physical therapy healing garden
Porcelanosa’s retractable ceiling
Double-angle precast concrete anchor
WWII watchtower turned guesthouse
Emergency department behavioral health unit
Digitally fabricated concrete formwork
Dual-purpose fire sprinkler systems
BubbleDeck voided biaxial slab
Or view all the Great Solutions on one page.
Related Stories
Great Solutions | Oct 3, 2019
REEF Technology wants to turn parking facilities into urban mobility hubs
The company currently operates 4,500 parking lots in 25 markets across North America.
Great Solutions | Aug 30, 2019
An ‘Internet of Beings’? Kinetic flooring promises more than just energy generation
Pavegen says its technology delivers a new level of human engagement in sustainability initiatives.
Great Solutions | Aug 7, 2019
Earthquake response system takes the guesswork out of seismic safety
The platform provides real-time monitoring to help avoid unnecessary evacuations and improve emergency response.
Great Solutions | Jul 12, 2019
Smart sensor maintains privacy, enhances safety in sensitive spaces
The HALO IOT sensor is designed for use in places where cameras are not welcome.
Great Solutions | Apr 9, 2019
Raising the roof is cool again
Upbrella allows for floor-by-floor building construction that is, reportedly, safer and more productive than traditional methods.
Great Solutions | Mar 12, 2019
When is wood not really wood?
Inspired by the look and cellular nature of wood, researchers create 3D-printed “digital wood” and “metallic wood” that is as strong as titanium, with the density of water.
Sustainability | Feb 20, 2019
Studio NAB’s Superfarm project creates an entire ecosystem in an urban environment
The Superfarm will go beyond what vertical farms typically produce.
Great Solutions | Feb 7, 2019
An apiary for the sanctuary
A Seattle events venue, The Sanctuary, has a roof that is literally a hive of sustainability.
Great Solutions | Jan 2, 2019
Net zero construction trailer brings health and wellness to the jobsite
As AEC firms scramble to upgrade their offices to maximize occupant wellness and productivity, Pepper Construction asks, What about the jobsite office?
Great Solutions | Dec 12, 2018
A modular, scalable mobile hospital can quickly respond to natural disasters and crises
CallisonRTKL’s design combines artificial intelligence, electric vehicle technology, and the latest in medical equipment.
