If you thought installing tiles was a huge job, think again! Refin has come up with a new concept, appearing at Cersaie 2009 – an innovative thin porcelain tile designed by Michele De Lucchi that makes updating your kitchen and bathroom a breeze. Measuring just 4.5mm thick, the new Skin tiles are so thin they can be installed directly over your existing tile without affecting the floor height, cutting a complicated three-day job into an easy afternoon project. These ultra-thin stoneware tiles have the same durability and quality of standard-thickness porcelain stoneware tiles, and they don’t fall short on style either. Available in large and modern sizes like 30 by 60 cm, 60 by 60 cm and 60 by 120 cm in five different color choices, this floor and wall tile will revolutionize the renovation process. Check out the new Skin tile collection at Refin.

Who says walls have to be boring? Put some flair into your home with this designer wall paneling by Lamellux. An elegant composition of wood and resin blend organic style with ultra-contemporary elements for a look that’s unique and appeals to the lover of all things modern. This designer wall paneling encompasses a variety of colors, shapes and lighting effects, all incorporated into the German ecoresin called “Design Panel Acrysign.” Customize the style of your home with unlimited combinations of colors and finishes, resulting in a look that’s as individual as you are. Call it “interactive art” – this designer wall paneling is something to be admired every day, in every room. Check out this cool collection at Lamellux.

via Trendir

The Nysan aerofoil (fin) louvers deflect thermal gain from incident sun, integrating light control into the building envelope. Not only they deliver outstanding functionality, but will also help architects create a distinctive look for the building surface. Well-designed louver configurations can be as striking as they are effective, shading the facade against low or high sun angles while making an aesthetic statement. As with any system, design considerations such as louver size and composition can affect performance.

Well designed louver configurations can be as striking as they are effective, shading the facade against low or high sun angles while making an aesthetic statement. As with any system, design considerations such as louver size and composition can affect performance.

Key Features

- Single piece extruded Nysan aerofoil louvers from 4″ (100 mm) to 24″ (600 mm) tip to tip.
- Extruded louvers are more durable, while fabricated designs can include perforation to modify their performance.
- Louver shapes, composition, and finish also can be used to create specific daylighting effects as well as establishing a different aesthetic.
- Fabricated Nysan louvers can be created at nearly any size.
- Aerofoil composition is typically metal (aluminum or steel), but many other options exist, including glass and wood.
- Nysan metal louvers typically have an anodized aluminum finish to ensure long product life and minimal maintenance. Other finishes include polyester powder coating and fluorpolymer painting. All resist damage to sun or weather.

System Description

Aerofoil louver systems can be fixed or adjustable, allowing the angle of the louvers to be changed to provide increased levels of solar control. This type of system is more appropriate for east / south-east or west / south-west facing elevations where the sun angle is lower as compared to a southern facing one and as a result, a projecting louver system is not sufficiently effective.

via ArchDaily

With normal solar cells, you need direct sunlight for them to generate power, and if the panels are at all shaded the efficiency drops significantly. A new type of solar cell, being developed in Jerusalem, is making huge waves because it can generate power from diffuse light using a specialized colored panel. They look a bit like colored plexi-glass but are actually panes made with fluorescent dyes and nanoparticle metals, and could possibly eclipse traditional solar panels in terms of price.

The smarter panel is being developed by GreenSun Energy, a Tel Aviv-based energy start-up. The new solar panels also use 80% less silicon than traditional solar cells. As the direct or indirect sunlight hits the panels, it diffuses across and the nanoparticles of metal direct and concentrate the sunlight to the edges where the silicon is.

So far, GreenSun has achieved a 12% efficiency rate with their panels and can produce them for $2.10/W compared to around $4.54/W for a conventional panel. They can achieve such lower costs because they use so much less silicon. Also in normal cells, there is some efficiency loss due to heat, which cannot be converted into energy. With GreenSun’s panels, the sunlight is diffused over the whole panel and the nanoparticles deliver light at the right energy to the edges where it can be converted, which means less efficiency loss due to heat.

GreenSun is still working hard on making their panels more efficient – 12% is good, but it’s not great compared to the world’s most efficient solar cell at 43%. They hope to achieve an efficiency of 20% and reduce the cost even further to $0.94/W. For those with aesthetic interests in the look of solar cells, these might be right up your alley. Imagine all the amazing designs that could be created from colored panels on the sides and tops of buildings.

via

Designed especially for architects and interior designers, these unusual glass tiles by Levitiles are made to inspire! The 3 new printed tile collections are made using a high-resolution (1200×1200 dpi) jet ink printing process to add patterns to clear glass tiles. The “Metals” collection brings luxury to your modern bathroom with its reflective surfaces reminiscent of gold, silver and copper. These unusual tiles are especially suited to large, modern spaces. The “Precious Stones” collection dazzles with rich, monochrome jewel tones and textured surfaces. A range on colors and sizes make this a versatile collection to work within virtually any space. The “Reliefs” collection is the ultimate in touchable tile. Glass reflects light in its textured surfaces. In addition to being gorgeous, these Italian printed tiles are tough, made to be UV-resistant, bend- and warp-resistant, and moisture-resistant. Visit Levitiles for more info.

Buildings account for thirty-eight percent of the CO2 emissions in the U.S., according to the U.S. Green Building Council, and demand for carbon neutral and/or zero footprint buildings is at an all-time high. Now there is a new building material that is not just carbon neutral, but is actually carbon negative. Developed by U.K.-based Lhoist Group, Tradical® Hemcrete® is a concrete substitute made from hemp, lime and water. What makes it carbon negative? There is more CO2 locked-up in the process of growing and harvesting of the hemp than is released in the production of the lime binder. Of course the equation is more complicated than that, but Hemcrete® is still an amazing new technology that could change the building industry.

Good looking, environmentally friendly and 100% recyclable, Hemcrete® is as versatile as it is sustainable. It can be used in a mind-boggling array of applications from roof insulation to wall construction to flooring. It is seven times stronger than concrete, weighs half as much, and is less prone to cracking. Hemcrete® is also waterproof, fireproof, insulates well, does not rot and is completely recyclable. In fact, the manufacturers say that demolished Hemcrete® walls can actually be used as fertilizer!

Available for years in the U.K., Hemcrete® is only now finding its way into North America. The species of hemp used to manufacture Hemcrete® is illegal to grow in the U.S., making Hemcrete® an expensive option for U.S. builders for now. As pressure for more sustainable building materials grows, lawmakers are certain to revisit this and other similarly restrictive statutes, particularly if there is money to be made. And judging from the success of Hemcrete® in Europe and elsewhere, there is plenty to be made; it is so profitable overseas that Hemp Technologies, one of the biggest manufacturers of hemp products in the UK, is actively recruiting as many new growers as it can.

seen on Inhabitat