Tag Materials

Sustainable

USB flash drive made from eco-friendly materials will become your time capsule

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A lot of people are so attached to their smartphones because of all the memories associated with it. They keep them around, sometimes when they’re not even working anymore. There are also those who change their mobile devices pretty often. Both these kinds of people are contributing in one way or another to electronic trash that are not always that easy to dispose of or to recycle. The past years we’ve seen a lot of projects and products that aim to solve this growing problem of electronic waste.

Designer: Eunsu Lee

The Memory Capsule is a concept created for a design challenge with Samsung. On the surface, it looks like just your regular USB flash drive. But if you look deeper into how it is made and the reasoning behind the concept, then you’ll understand why it is not that typical and why it’s called that. First of all, it is made from eco-friendly materials and most of it comes from old electronic devices. The packaging itself uses recycled pulp while the body of the flash drive comes from metals and plastics recycled from actual smartphones. The cap of the thumb drive is made from recycled polycarbonate that comes from fishing nets that are thrown away.


It even has an LED display that will mark the date of the data that you are saving from the discarded smartphone. You will be able to get the Memory Capsule from a kiosk where you will also surrender your old smartphone and save the “memories” that are from that device. Once you’ve backed up all your files from the smartphone onto the kiosk, then you’ll be presented with the flash drive that contains all of it. It’s unsure if the data will be saved in the kiosk itself but hopefully they’ll take into consideration data protection.

It’s something pretty simple but the campaign behind it is the more important part of the device. This is to encourage people to get rid of their old devices in a more upcyclable and recyclable way while also retaining the precious memories from the device. And of course, the fact that it will be made from eco-friendly maerials is a big consideration.

Architecture

Nescafé Opens Its First 3D Printed Store Built Using Biodegradable Materials In Brazil

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Nowadays almost everything is being 3D printed, so why should architecture be an exception? Many architectural firms have adopted 3D printing as their preferred technique for building structures. And 3D-printed architecture has truly gained a lot of popularity and momentum. It has paved a path for itself in modern architecture. And I mean, no wonder, it has a ton of benefits! It’s a simple, efficient, and innovative technique that lowers the risks of errors, and also manages to save time. 3D printing eradicates a lot of tedious steps during the construction process and simplifies it. And Nescafé has also jumped onto the 3D printing bandwagon with its first 3D-printed pop-up store!

Designer: Estudio Guto Requena

Brazilian architecture studio Estudio Guto Requena designed an innovative 3D-printed pop-up store for Nescafé. Called the Dolce Gusto Neo store, and located in São Paulo, the store was built using algorithmic 3D printing. The sustainable store was built using a combination of biodegradable materials and recycled plastic, which are an excellent alternative to traditional construction materials such as steel and concrete, both of which lead to carbon emissions and resource depletion. The concept and structure of the store were inspired by the five petals of the coffee flower. The store is groundbreaking, since it is a commendable effort towards regenerative architecture, and offers a conscious and innovative method to create prefabricated retail stores.

“The design for the Dolce Gusto Neo Flagship unites innovation, sustainability, and architecture,” said Estudio Guto Requena. “The building architecture invites us to reflect on potential futures that we could design, especially given the climate emergency we are facing.”

The Dolce Gusto Neo is built using a mix of glued laminated timber (GLT), from reforested pine trees, which serves as an eco-friendly source. It has a dome-shaped design supported by fixed axes, which accommodate five glassed archways that provide lovely views of the surrounding green space. A timber decking covers the store as well. The innovative and unique pop-up store is the first of its kind in Latin America and is truly paving the way for 3D-printed structures built using biodegradable materials.