Natural rubber made from dandelions
Spotted: More than 99 per cent of the world’s natural rubber is made from latex derived from rubber trees – almost all of which grow in southeast Asia. The tyre industry uses around 70 per cent of this rubber – and demand is growing all the time, raising several issues related to sustainability, governance, social, and economic practices. One major purchaser of natural rubber is The Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company. Goodyear has previously committed to sourcing the rubber sustainably, and now the company is partnering with the US Department of Defense (DoD), BioMADE, the Air Force Research Lab (AFRL), and Farmed Materials to develop a domestic source of natural rubber.
The programme will focus on developing Taraxacum kok-saghyz—a species of dandelion also known as TK—as an alternative to natural rubber trees. Farmed Materials, which develops agriculturally derived and sustainable high-performance polymers, has shown good results from pilot programmes using TK. Now, with funding from the DoD, Farmed Materials will speed up development of TK-based rubber – beginning with the planting and harvesting of TK seeds in Ohio.
While it takes rubber trees around seven years of growth before the latex can be harvested, the TK dandelions can be harvested every six months. They can also be grown in a more temperate climate than rubber trees. The natural rubber produced from the programme will be used to produce military aircraft tyres. These will then undergo rigorous testing by the AFRL to ensure they are fit for use.
“This partnership highlights how BioMADE brings together companies of different sizes to solve critical problems,” said Melanie Tomczak, Chief Technology Officer at BioMADE. “We’re excited about this project, which holds a lot of promise for domestic rubber production and shows how bioindustrial manufacturing can help secure the domestic supply chain.”
Goodyear are not the only company working on a more sustainable alternative to traditional tyres. Last year, we covered a tyre made by Continental using a TK-based rubber, along with silicate from the ash of rice husks, and vegetable oils and resins. Previously, we took a look at a concept tyre that uses a liquid tread to repair itself and a recyclable rubber.
Written By: Lisa Magloff
14th April 2022
Website: corporate.goodyear.com
Contact: corporate.goodyear.com/us/en/about/contact-goodyear-corporate
“What can we do? What can we create that will last and assist future life?
“Mitoshi Church is located on the hills of Mount Agora, close to the Sagano bamboo forest. In Japanese, Mitoshi means outlook. An Outlook over the Agora heights. The structure is comprised of two local materials, bamboo and rope. Because of this, it is considered a live member of nature in Agora forests.
“2050. After years of violent conflicts and natural cataclysms, the Earth is in short supply. The population has abandoned the destroyed cities and has returned to being nomads and to wander the Earth in communities. In this image, one of these communities is moving. A post-apocalyptic walking city inspired by the work of Archigram, but that also looks at literature, as the book “Mortal Engines”, and cinematography with “Mad Max”.
“The project called “Welcome all Aliens” is inspired by the 2015 migration crisis in Europe.
“The days are spent longboarding down the steep mountain roads of Lesotho. All that can be heard is the rushing of the wind and the sound of skates over the tarred road. For them, it’s a moving meditation of pure muscle memory and physical freedom. After the sun sets, they return to their dwellings. A simple but beautiful stone wall home. The timber roofs create a warm acoustic quality for them to listen to their music and to sit back and relax. They are winding down and settling in for the night as the sun sets on the Lesotho hills. It’s a simple life… But it is so fulfilling.”
“Entrada is in the heart of what is commonly referred to as “Silicon Beach”. This influx of influential companies is no surprise as Southern California boasts a lifestyle that can’t be duplicated anywhere else in the country. This image attempts to capture the mood and atmosphere which is very sacred to the evening time dwellers of the area.
“Art Oculus is an NFT gallery created for the bold creatives in the crypto space. It holds pieces from several artists, both from the physical and the metaworld. All art pieces are carefully curated by our creative team and selected upon the requisite of building for a purpose much greater than themselves.
“Kilograph worked with some of the best in class architects – Gensler, SOM, and RIOS – to bring the design for new LA sound stages to life and show the magic of movies at the same time. Complete with futuristic and wildly imaginative elements of science fiction and technology, the architecture here was to be secondary to the invisible activity within. Given the landscape, there was no way our team would miss out on the chance to work up a sci-fi theme with giant robots.
“Often we are guided by rules, but sometimes when we focus and go deep we perhaps find new paths. It may create so doubts, it’s risky, but the the unexpected result it can be gold. The image portrays a SUV speeding into the snow opening a new path to the MED center.”
“In all countries, paddies are worked by family labor alone and by the same methods that were used 2,000 years ago. We brought the tradition and honored it with a contemporary museum that represents all the families that spend their lives in the fields.”
“When walking in the cold snow, one craves nothing more than a hot and juicy burger. To help customer navigate in the stormy days, McDonald has built its flagship store in Siberia with a huge landmark logo. Somehow in this way the American symbolic consumerism brand adapts to Soviet Union’s brutalism style. It is hard to tell who converted who.”
“The Crystal Palace in London, at an undefined time. The former glory of the World’s Fair or a dystopian future? Light breaks the scene and guides the eye through the vegetation and out of the architecture. The character represents each and every one of us, a human being in search for a place in the world. It is up to the observer to imagine what might lie outside, salvation or perdition?”
“What will happened if humans stopped existing? What will happen to our planet, to our cities, to our industries and to nature if humans disappeared? I think we all know the answers. Nature will always prevail. Earth heals herself and nurtures renewed life forms, no matter the calamity caused by humans.”
“A structure located in the forest, invisible as possible and always lets the landscape speak at its maximum,
“In portraying new flamboyant buildings we usually choose a particular standpoint, trying to twist the reality.
“We created a reality when humans and nature live in union. Without the illusion of separation, we are in fact One. Humans live interwoven with natural surroundings, structures built around the living trees, connected with bridges, working within the environment rather than at its expense. In this place, human action is rooted in a responsible, sustainable existence, each person holding themselves accountable for their own actions. Without waste, without the unnecessary, this is pure, minimalist living. This is not architecture alone, but a way of life.”
“The inspiration for the image is to capture the synergy of existing and new architecture. To give the image a unique quality portraying an exploration of light and tones while capturing the ambiance and atmosphere of the journey.”
“The idea for this image was to create a unique perspective from a best friend’s vantage point. Visual storytelling enhanced and supported by drama and atmosphere.”
“KOLLAGE is a multi-function, multi-disciplinary building. It is part office, part retail, part condo, and part apartment-hotel. The building is designed so that each section speaks about its function. The top section is a large rentable auditorium/meeting/hall room, whereas on the left, the projection is offices. The yellow section is an apartment-hotel, the blue ones are condominiums, and black and bottom are retail.
“The intention to imagine this space coincides with the first quarantine I was subjected to due to Covid, and let’s just say that being confined for weeks in a confined space with a newly purchased computer leaves room for imagination. The idea of designing a light show was always an unrealized dream, but one of those afternoons I came across a painting of St. Peter’s Basilica and realized how much fun I could have.
“This space depicts freedom.
“Human nature tends to associate spatial architectural elements as; walls with rigidity and boundaries in order to define their spatial territory. Mirror of similarity is an installation that attempts to communicate active presence and in so little words some compassion through apartheid walls. Made by stripping individuals from their racial ideology and pre-defined prejudices, mirroring forms and shapes on the wall, done through utilizing motion detection in order to move the adjacent segments and thereby illustrating the actions of the person on the other side of the partied wall.”
“In light of enduring issues we are facing globally, such as a climate and ecological emergency, schools of architecture must nurture a culture of collaboration in architectural education to meaningfully address them. Therefore the drawing speculates on the third iteration of The Bartlett School of Architecture. In contrast to the building’s previous 2 iterations, Wates House (1975) and The Bartlett (2016), this next instalment of the school will be constructed over the course of a 1000 years by the students and tutors themselves.
“War-ravaged by political upheaval and rendered nearly uninhabitable by natural disasters, the earth shuddered, and her refugees became ubiquitous.
“The image captures late afternoon vibes during the peak hours – a laneway with busy restaurants and shops, people catching up after work or going for a lazy stroll downtown. The image strives to create a vibrant yet peaceful feeling of what it would be like to be in a place like that during this exact time.”
Späckhuggaren / House for a drummer by Bornstein Lyckefors Arkitekter, Kärna, Sweden
Tower on the Ting by Wingårdh Arkitektkontor AB, Örnsköldsvik, Sweden
Moderna Museet Malmö by Tham & Videgård Arkitekter, Malmö, Sweden
Fire House by Ulf Mejergren Architects (UMA), Stockholm, Sweden
““Color is a power which directly influences the soul.” — Wassily Kandinsky
“Puerto Baquerizo Moreno is an urban settlement located on San Cristobal Island in Galapagos. Since 1959, any horizontal expansion of the urban areas is not allowed to protect the environment, nowadays is facing serious economic issues.
“This piece is more of a political statement to depict how the built environment can affect nature. The columns represent tall leafless trees in the forest. The concrete floors are dried out soil. The lack of colour represents most architecture today which is very monochromatic and dull without paying homage to the nature around it. The architecture industry needs to embrace nature more by incorporating living walls, green roofs, natural light and colour.”
“”It was a longer winter than usual and time to leave the cabin, snowstorm, and mountains behind. The travel guidebooks were read end-to-end and accommodations booked early, the duffel packed full and ready. Then breaking news…”
“Architecture is in drag when it imitates architecture. It is a performance identifying and innovating upon the architect’s unknown knowns. This is one such performance. Architecture, known as stable, secure and structured is imitated as fluid. Similarly, this dress, or perhaps this building, is a ball house; an imitation of the architectural house. The latter is a place of comfort and shelter but not for all.
“”She has everything she needs inside the duplex cabin. A living area full of light and warm wood, a cozy cave-like bedroom and a bathroom overlooking the mountains. She spends all day outside, taking pictures and enjoying the landscape, happy to come back here for a warm shower and a quiet night.”
“In architecture, we often tend to only depict the beautiful and flawless parts while forgetting that it is the patina of a certain material or the irregularity in a structure that brings out the real beauty of a scene. Therefore, “Nature Takes Over Again” depicts an urban dystopia where nature is slowly but surely taking back what it once lost to humankind.
“I remember the anger when the noise came…where was my forest???
“”Geometric proportions turn into shivers, stone into tears, rituals into revelations, light into grace, space into contemplation, and time into divine presence.” – Julio Bermudez
“This piece was inspired by Villa-Giulia in Rome, a building historically located at the emergence of the Baroque style. Its most interesting feature is the layered garden. Two levels underground is the most sacred area, the “Nymphaeum”, where the residents could rest, dine or meet with guests. A fountain and multiple marble statues enrich this place and create an idyllic atmosphere.
“This piece was inspired by the 20th century photographer Berenice Abbott and her collection about the New-York-City street life. I was fascinated by her dramatic yet melancolic imagery and tried to adapt elements like the strong light-shafts which pierce through the narrow streets and highlight a small, specific area. The surreal coloration of the material and the sometimes weird form language are supposed to strengthen the melancolic and almost dreamlike mood.”
“A powerful and evocative gesture, a reinterpretation of the monument in a modern key.
“A fantastical recreation of the Golden Gallery at Schloss Charlottenburg, a mesmerizing interior space of splendid decoration rich with sculpture, textiles, and mirrors.”
“Mirage, is an illustration for an exhibition space based on a dream I once had, in a time not so distant from ours. Illustrating a post-apocalyptic future, situated in a transitory exhibition space, presenting visitors to the notions of both individuality and conformity. While the focus is primarily on the people who are shaping the architectural outlook according to thier present reality, feelings of fascination and longing for freedom and peace, during uncertain times are also expressed through their disconnect from the brutal nature of thier surroundings.”
“Generally, we tend to admire the most impressive, popular and most commonly knows as “beautiful” buildings and sites in the world. I sometimes try to shift my attention to a different kinds of sites and places. From time to time I find myself falling in love with those dark, shady and almost transparent places on one hand, but at the same time, places that are full of details, mystery, unique textures and life. In my opinion we need to pay attention to those places. Appreciate them, take a closer look at them. I’m positive that we’ll find something new each and every time we do.”
“// The sound of the ocean,
“Set in a post-apocalyptic, dystopian context where people are challenged to ‘Inhabit the Uninhabitable’, this project explores themes of discovery, new beginnings, and a sense of place. Located in the heart of the Patagonian Forest in South America, the project’s landscaping takes inspiration from the 100,000 hectares of land that fosters biological diversity.
“The Japanese hold Mount Fuji in a special place in their hearts respecting the mystical qualities of the cone-shaped mountain for many generations. A long time ago in Japan a belief arose that spirits of the dead climbed up mountains and became gods (kami) at the peak. From al mountains Mount Fuji is sacred in particular. Japanese Buddhists revere the mountain is a gateway to another world.
“Sitting in a big boat, sailing slowly in the river, watching the local fisherman standing with his cormorants on the traditional bamboo raft with lanterns near a small village hiding behind the morning fog and large mountains, and only small ships with candles flutter in the water, luring fish that one of the cormorants is ready to catch right now and bring to his master whose not just smiled, it was as if he was blooming leisurely, surprised himself that he was smiling and blooming…
“The climate and ecological crisis are no longer fringe concerns. From stratospheric ozone depletion, air and water quality degradation to deforestation, they are URGENT EXISTENTIAL THREATS to the human race. We must act to reset our relationship with nature. Rewilding our city restores the area to its centuries-long practice of HUMAN SUPREMACY to ECOLOGICALLY CONSCIOUS CONSUMERISM. Our capitalist culture requires this constant consumption and disposal.
“It’s late afternoon, the sun is setting and the last vestiges of light are streaming through the Tamarack trees. It’s winter and the icy cold river is just starting to thaw at the bank as hope for Spring abounds. The warm glow of the cabins glow against the cool blue landscape as campfire smoke drifts through the larches.”
“Look at the sky; remind yourself of the cosmos. Seek vastness at every opportunity in order to remind yourself that you are a small cog in an enormous machine.
“An ode to minimalism and graphics. We play with shapes and elements of nature. Experimenting with the horse figures, wintery landscape, and minimalist structures gave us what we needed: a balance of sharpness and sinuosity.
“Situated in the middle of Utopia Planitia, a broad plain in the northeast of Mars, Colony III was settled in 2040 and opened to intrepid visitors a few years later. It sits on top of a vast underground ice reserve which contains as much water as the entire Great Lakes system combined. Each structure of the Colony III resort that houses you during your stay is covered by state-of-the-art ceramic-graphene shields to provide the utmost safety from gamma rays while making your stay as comfortable as possible.
“Rainy evening in downtown New York. Wet asphalt, night city lights, and the never-sleeping life in the Big Apple.”