Consider the forlorn phone booth. About 8,000 of London’s famous red telephone boxes sit unused in warehouses, orphans of the digital age. But obsolescence is often the mother of adaptive reuse. In October, a startup called Solarbox London, founded by London School of Economics graduates Harold Craston and Kirstey Kenney (in photo), opened its first Solarbox. The converted phone booth is now a charging station for mobile devices—tablets, cameras, and, yes, smartphones. Who says irony is dead?
The green-painted Solarbox is powered by a 150-watt solar panel on its roof. Inside the box are mini/micro USB and iPhone chargers that can produce a 20% battery boost in 10 minutes. The company is experimenting with supercapacitors that would speed up the charging process.
Charging is free to the public. In its first few days, the Solarbox averaged more than 85 customers a day. The station can handle 100 charges a day. Solarbox London is covering its costs with in-kiosk advertising. The company won a £5,000-prize from London Mayor Boris Johnson’s 2014 Low Carbon Entrepreneur competition, with additional funding from Siemens and UnLtd, a foundation that supports social entrepreneurs.
The plan is to open a second Solarbox in January.
Read about more innovations from BD+C's 2014 Great Solutions Report.
Related Stories
Cultural Facilities | Mar 27, 2024
Kansas City’s new Sobela Ocean Aquarium home to nearly 8,000 animals in 34 habitats
Kansas City’s new Sobela Ocean Aquarium is a world-class facility home to nearly 8,000 animals in 34 habitats ranging from small tanks to a giant 400,000-gallon shark tank.
Market Data | Mar 26, 2024
Architecture firm billings see modest easing in February
Architecture firm billings continued to decline in February, with an AIA/Deltek Architecture Billings Index (ABI) score of 49.5 for the month. However, February’s score marks the most modest easing in billings since July 2023 and suggests that the recent slowdown may be receding.
Cultural Facilities | Mar 26, 2024
Renovation restores century-old Brooklyn Paramount Theater to its original use
The renovation of the iconic Brooklyn Paramount Theater restored the building to its original purpose as a movie theater and music performance venue. Long Island University had acquired the venue in the 1960s and repurposed it as the school’s basketball court.
Adaptive Reuse | Mar 26, 2024
Adaptive Reuse Scorecard released to help developers assess project viability
Lamar Johnson Collaborative announced the debut of the firm’s Adaptive Reuse Scorecard, a proprietary methodology to quickly analyze the viability of converting buildings to other uses.
Security and Life Safety | Mar 26, 2024
Safeguarding our schools: Strategies to protect students and keep campuses safe
HMC Architects' PreK-12 Principal in Charge, Sherry Sajadpour, shares insights from school security experts and advisors on PreK-12 design strategies.
Green | Mar 25, 2024
Zero-carbon multifamily development designed for transactive energy
Living EmPower House, which is set to be the first zero-carbon, replicable, and equitable multifamily development designed for transactive energy, recently was awarded a $9 million Next EPIC Grant Construction Loan from the State of California.
Museums | Mar 25, 2024
Chrysler Museum of Art’s newly expanded Perry Glass Studio will display the art of glassmaking
In Norfolk, Va., the Chrysler Museum of Art’s Perry Glass Studio, an educational facility for glassmaking, will open a new addition in May. That will be followed by a renovation of the existing building scheduled for completion in December.
Sustainability | Mar 21, 2024
World’s first TRUE-certified building project completed in California
GENESIS Marina, an expansive laboratory and office campus in Brisbane, Calif., is the world’s first Total Resource Use and Efficiency (TRUE)-certified construction endeavor. The certification recognizes projects that achieve outstanding levels of resource efficiency through waste reduction, reuse, and recycling practices.
Office Buildings | Mar 21, 2024
Corporate carbon reduction pledges will have big impact on office market
Corporate carbon reduction commitments will have a significant impact on office leasing over the next few years. Businesses that have pledged to reduce their organization’s impact on climate change must ensure their next lease allows them to show material progress on their goals, according to a report by JLL.
