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Seagrass regeneration backed by science
CategoriesSustainable News

Seagrass regeneration backed by science

By Zarkon Group,

Spotted: Seagrass is the only flowering plant that grows in marine environments, living in shallow, sheltered coastal areas and forming dense, underwater meadows. These meadows support thousands of marine species, provide vital sources of food for human communities, store carbon, prevent land erosion, and help keep coastal waters clean.

But seagrass is also under significant threat — almost 20 per cent of seagrass meadows have been lost since the late 19th century. Working to turn this around is non-profit Project Seagrass. Founded in 2013 by four scientists, the non-profit works to protect seagrass around the globe through research, conservation action, education, and collaboration with local communities and stakeholders.

The organisation recently worked with the WWF in the UK’s first substantial seagrass restoration project, alongside Swansea University, North Wales Wildlife Trust, and Pen Llyn. Up to 92 per cent of UK seagrass has been lost, and the Seagrass Ocean Rescue Upscaling Project (SORUP) in Wales involved trialling various techniques to restore seagrass meadows at scale. These include the use of a robot developed by San Francisco-based Reefgen called Shack, that helped plant seagrass seeds on site. Shack can hold up to 20,000 seeds mixed with mud, which it injects into sediment within the seabed.

The results of the trials will inform SORUP and others on how to improve the cost and time efficiency of seagrass restoration, including whether it is more effective to plant new meadows by hand or using robots like Shack. The aim is to create a restoration blueprint that can be applied to other countries.

Project Seagrass and SORUP are not the only ones working to restore ocean plants. Springwise has also spotted seagrass grain being used for sustainable feed production and the use of AI-powered robots to farm seaweed more efficiently.

Written By: Lisa Magloff

Reference

Boosting science research with day-to-day spending
CategoriesSustainable News

Boosting science research with day-to-day spending

By Zarkon Group,

Spotted: As the world continues to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic, spending on the sciences is again a hot topic as governments work to decide which areas of research to fund and with how much money. In the UK, the government has announced almost £3.5 billion for use in developing supercomputing capabilities, regional innovation accelerators, and workforce skills for the next generation of jobs.

For citizens interested in science, a new bank card offers a way to get involved in the latest research. Called the Science Card, the current account and Mastercard debit card allows members to round-up everyday expenditure to support research projects.

There are two levels of membership available. The Standard account is free, while the premium ‘Fusion’ account costs £19.90 per month. The company is currently working on a new perk for Fusion account holders – the ability to become partial owners of the intellectual property (IP) of a new project. Depending on the commercial success of a project, IP owners could earn passive income for an extended period of time.

Cardholders use the app to explore available research projects and choose which ones to support, either with a direct payment or via micro-grants from rounding up common expenses. The company itself dedicates 10 per cent of its profits to scientific research. Cardholders also receive more conventional benefits such as immersive spending data, and the company plans to offer cashback on certain sales, including books, coffee, and software.

Other positive impact cards spotted by Springwise include a card that provides cashback on environmentally friendly products, a debit card that lets users fund tree-planting as they spend, and a card that powers the circular economy.

Written By: Keely Khoury

Reference

On models London trainer store on “shoppable science museum”
CategoriesInterior Design

On models London trainer store on “shoppable science museum”

By Zarkon Group,

Swiss brand On has opened its first UK shop on London’s Regent Street, complete with steel fixtures and a robotic arm.

For its debut outpost in the United Kingdom, On aimed to showcase the science and technology behind its running shoes and clothing.

Sportswear shop on London's Regents Street
On has opened a trainer store on London’s Regent Street

“Our concept was a shoppable science museum in the sense that one of the main things we want to share is that what we do is science-based,” said On’s head of brand environments Nicholas Martin.

It is performance-run culture that is infused into everything we do.”

The store’s ground floor is defined by three circular steel tables, used to display the brand’s latest products.

Stainless steel table in On's trainer store
The store contains three circular steel tables

Each of the tables, which can be raised and lowered, is surrounded by a curved steel wall that can be rotated to create a variety of layouts within the store.

The table at the store’s entrance also holds a robotic arm that mimics the action of running to showcase On’s running shoes.

Stainless steel shoe cabinets are located on the upper floor
The upper floor houses steel shoe cabinets

“The first thing you actually see is our robotic arm,” Martin told Dezeen. “We want people to touch and explore. So you kind of get to see the movement.”

“And then we also try to add different layers of storytelling,” he continued. “So you can compare the different shoes.”

Steel trainer cabinet known as the magic wall
On describes the cabinets as a “magic wall”

The first floor is defined by a pair of steel cabinets, described by On as a “magic wall” that runs the length of the store.

It contains all of On’s products in all available sizes so that customers can instantly try on trainers.

“Our goal was to revolutionise the way shoe try-ons happen,” said Martin. “At our stores, we let the product speak for itself. Our technology is something you feel once you put a product on.”

Contrasting the steel fixtures, the store’s walls were finished in natural clay sourced from Cornwall, which was applied by hand.

On the ground floor and in the basement-level event space, the walls are painted in a muted shade of grey while on the upper floors, they are finished in green.

On shoes in metal cabinets
The cabinets contain all sizes of On’s shoes

“Swiss engineering means for us loving technology and the natural world,” said Martin. “Technology makes the store look sleek, nature helps us to give the store a more imperfect and warmer look.”

“The store green is a nod to the legendary British racing green – a colour culturally saturated in movement, speed and engineering,” he continued.

On's store on Regents Street
The store is On’s first in the UK

Founded in 2010, On is known for its lightweight running shoes and is reportedly the fastest-growing running brand worldwide. Its stores form part of On’s wider efforts to build its brand internationally.

“They offer a space for our fans, community and new customers to explore and get to know the brand,” said Martin. “We see the store as a media channel that connects our fans with the brand.”

On previously created a reflective mountain cabin in the Swiss Alps to mark the launch of its first hiking shoe.

All photography courtesy of On.

Reference

How Mega Project Iconsiam Pushes the Boundaries of Material Science
CategoriesArchitecture

How Mega Project Iconsiam Pushes the Boundaries of Material Science

By Zarkon Group,

Mega projects inherently push limits. As the largest design efforts to shape the built environment in a given age, they naturally drive innovation simply due to the sheer scale of their undertaking. But while their development tends to bring about novel approaches to design and construction when considered in whole, the innovations they realize in the application of individual architectural materials is often overlooked.

Mega projects need mega materials, which is why cutting-edge technical porcelain stoneware from FMG Fabbrica Marmi e Graniti was a perfect fit for the larger-than-life Iconsiam development in Bangkok, Thailand. A massive, mixed-use complex featuring two residential skyscrapers, various cultural attractions and two malls, FMG’s high-performance MaxFine White Calacatta surfaces were used on the interior floors and exterior façade of Iconsiam’s malls.

The malls themselves, named Iconsiam and Iconluxe to differentiate each other’s brand offerings, are a maximalist fusion of all things Thai. Aspects of Thailand’s culture including art, food, and works from traditional and contemporary artisans are all synthesized under one roof in ways never before attempted. Designed to accommodate 150,000 daily visitors, Iconsiam and Iconluxe needed equally pioneering flooring and façade materials to perform well under extremely taxing conditions.

Designed to be utilized in large public spaces, Iconsiam’s floors are covered in FMG’s MaxFine White Calacatta surfaces, in both matte and glossy finishes depending on their location. MaxFine White Calacatta Active Surfaces® slabs, featuring antimicrobial and air purifying properties, wrap a majority of the building’s exterior. Together they employ the latest technological innovations to achieve superlative scales of application, long-term durability, ease of maintenance, and environmental health.

Size is the defining feature of most mega projects, and that is certainly true for Iconsiam, with 5.6 million square feet of retail between its two malls. As a result, FMG’s MaxFine White Calacatta surfaces cover over 118,000 square feet of floor space, while White Calacatta Active Surfaces® slabs clad more than 10,000 square feet of exterior façade.

At that scale, floor and wall panels need to cover a massive area without adding too much weight to the building’s structure or appearing unnatural. In this case, FMG’s MaxFine White Calacatta surfaces were picked for their lightness and dimensions, with thicknesses between just one quarter and one half of an inch, and slab dimensions of up to five feet by ten feet.

The natural wear and tear that such a large area of wall and floor surfaces are subject to is substantial, requiring them to both perform well and appear fresh after years of foot traffic and environmental exposure. FMG’s MaxFine White Calacatta slabs inherently resist wear over time by combining the good looks of stone with the durability of porcelain stoneware. As a result, they are fully waterproof, and resistant to chemicals, scratching, heat, fire, scaling, moisture, staining, and scuffing.

Maintenance and upkeep are likewise major concerns for a project with vast material quantities. FMG’s MaxFine White Calacatta slabs on the floors of Iconsiam are non-absorbent, allowing them to be cleaned with minimal effort before drying quickly. Outside, the mall’s wall surfaces feature FMG’s Active Surfaces®, with antibacterial and antiviral (including anti Covid-19), anti-pollution, anti-odour and self-cleaning properties. Thanks to their self-cleaning properties, when subject to light and humidity these surfaces are able to mitigate the buildup of dirt on the slabs and allow for the natural action of rain to accomplish a majority of their needed cleaning.

Available for almost any application, FMG’s Active Surfaces® slabs on Iconsiam’s façade greatly contribute to outdoor air quality. In fact, under the action of light and humidity, FMG’s Active Surfaces® are able to convert polluting molecules like nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds into harmless substances, improving the well-being of an entire neighborhood. Beneficial to both Iconsiam’s visitors and its neighbors.

Iconsiam’s Active Surfaces® also have an antibacterial and antiviral action. Using the photocatalytic properties of titanium dioxide combined with silver, when exposed to light these materials neutralize up to 99% of bacteria and viruses. A recent study by the University of Milan further confirmed that these surfaces eliminate up to 94% of SARS-CoV-2 (the virus responsible of Covid-19) after 4 hours of light exposure. Moreover, thanks to the presence of silver, these properties remain effective even in the dark.

To see how FMG’s MaxFine White Calacatta surfaces can bring innovative solutions to your project, check out their website.

All images courtesy Fabbrica Marmi e Graniti

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