NEWSMAKERS: ========= Creating Light in the Darkness: Reflective mirrors could light up a Norwegian town that spends most of the winter in the dark! "Five months out of the year — starting in September and ending in March — the Norwegian town of Rjukan remains cast in the shadow of surrounding mountains. But officials are erecting a new installation, one that will permanently shed light on the small valley town during the dark winter months. As part of the The Mirror Project, engineers have begun installing three enormous rectangular mirrors on the face of the mountains that hem Rjukan in on either side. The mirrors will reflect sunlight down into the town square and become a sunny meeting place. The 328-square foot mirrors are heliostatic mirrors, which are normally found on solar farms, and are controlled by a central computer. A solar-powered sensor will track the sun and allow the mirrors to tilt so that the most optimal amount of sunlight is reflected." >>>>>> Floating Pingtan Art Museum By MAD Architects: The largest private museum in Asia, the Pingtan Art Museum, designed by MAD Architects, has just begun its construction preparation phase. Upon its completion, this ambitious private project will display over a thousand pieces of national treasures within its debut exhibition. In 2010, the “Comprehensive Experimental Zone” project in Pingtan, the largest island in the Fujian province, was launched and the island has been decided to become the primary location for trade and cultural communication between Taiwan and the mainland. The island, currently a military base and a fisheries paradise will quickly be transformed into a large urban development zone. However, the museum itself acts like a small island on the island, and is connected to land only by an undulating pier, bridging the gap between artificial and natural, city and culture, tradition and future. The building of the museum is an icon and represents a long-lasting earthscape in water. In the words of the author, the island is firstly a public space, turned into a museum. All the components of its magnificent natural landscape interconnect with each other, forming a harmonious space, with the mountains in the distance. The building of this island museum is constructed in concrete, blended with the local sea shells. The interior space, formed around the movements of its visitors, resembles the ancient caves. As the museum will be build in a landscape setting of an urban city, after its completion, it will generate new urban space for the inhabitants of Pingtan, further inspiring them to constantly be aware of the impact made by time and nature. >>>>>> Super Fast Bike: This bike can reach speeds up to 102 mph (164 kph) -- on human power alone! No motors, no rockets. British bike enthusiasts used a 104-tooth chainring, some engineering principles and a little elbow grease to test the limits of human-powered bicycles. The end result is pretty amazing. >>>>>> by Science Channel
Posted on: Mon, 29 Jul 2013 14:28:47 +0000
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