The Inspirations Collection.
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Welcome to designbivouac’s inspiration collection.
Exploring design and innovation.
Over 30 years of collaboration, designbivouac has uncovered lasting insights. Inspirations is a curated collection of inspirational objects and ideas shaping a continuous journey of creative exploration.
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Lessons from Superfest
Never heard of the brand Superfest? If you venture into a pub in the territory of what was once East Germany under the Soviet Union, chances are you’ll enjoy your favorite beer using one.
Never heard of the brand Superfest? If you venture into a pub in the territory of what was once East Germany under the Soviet Union, chances are you’ll enjoy your favorite beer using one. Like the space program, the history of this nearly unbreakable glass is a testament to what can be accomplished in the name of international competition. But, unlike the successful Apollo program, like Velcro, Superfest’s lack of market success raises some cautionary and uncomfortable questions about the power of market forces.
The origin of Superfest hardened glassware can be traced back to a pivotal moment in the world of glassmaking—the invention of tempered glass. Tempered glass, born out of a quest for durability and safety, revolutionized the industry with its enhanced strength and resistance to breakage. However, tempering glass and a later innovation involving laminating plastics between layers of glass to strengthen it are expensive processes that can cloud glass clarity.
As a result, the government of East Germany, highly motivated to prove the value and innovation capacity of Eastern Bloc countries, set out to develop a nearly unbreakable glass that was inexpensive to produce. Through relentless research and development, chemists experimented with ion-exchanging, a process that involves heating ordinary glass and immersing it in a Potassium Nitrate solution, which alters its chemical structure. Gaps at a molecular level that make glass prone to cracking are filled by Potassium Ions, making the glass far more resistant to breaking.
When released in 1977, it was 15 times more durable than standard glassware. Despite its superiority, Superfest, German for “super firm,” never became a commercial success. In part, this was due to the remarkable nature of the product. Once most restaurants and pubs in the Eastern Bloc had purchased Superfest glassware, the need to replace their inventory dropped dramatically. What was once an annual business expense for many companies has been eliminated. Additionally, many companies that one would think would be very interested in it, such as Coca-Cola, actually made money by selling their glass bottles. So, despite offering a far more robust and seemingly more sustainable product, companies preferred an inferior product that helped their bottom line.
Decades later, in response to a request from Steve Jobs, Corning introduced a similar chemically hardened glass for the iPhone. While expensive, it met the need for a thin and robust display for electronic devices. Today, the product is called Gorilla Glass and is featured on billions of best-selling consumer electronic devices.
Overall, the Superfest story prompts you to wonder, as Fern so eloquently asks in the linked video, how many of today's products are worse than they should be? Take a closer look at this fantastic story on Fern. It may challenge some of your views on market forces and how they operate today.
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Revisiting 3D Printed Homes
We previously posted about Matt Rissinger from The Build Show visiting Lennar and ICON’s 3D-printed neighborhood in Texas.
We previously posted about Matt Risinger from The Build Show visiting Lennar and ICON’s 3D-printed neighborhood in Texas.Matt returns to the Lennar/ICON community to check out more features of homes in the build process and view finished homes. Benefits of 3-D printed homes include increased strength over wood framed homes, increased efficiency for heating and cooling, lower cost, shorter construction time, increased resistance to insects, increased resistance to mold, increased fire resistance, and a longer lifecycle of the material and the structure.
Lennar and ICON have made a significant mark in the Texas housing market with their innovative 3D-printed homes. Leveraging cutting-edge technology, these industry leaders are revolutionizing the construction industry in Texas. Lennar, a renowned real estate company, has partnered with ICON, a 3D printing construction technology pioneer, to create sustainable and cost-effective housing solutions. Their collaboration has produced stunning, energy-efficient homes that reduce construction waste and offer a faster and more affordable housing option. These 3D-printed homes in Texas are a prime example of how technology is transforming the real estate landscape, offering environmentally friendly and economically accessible housing options to residents in the state.
Cleaning Up Our Oceans
Our oceans, once a symbol of vastness and purity, face an alarming crisis due to plastic pollution. As our planet grapples with the adverse effects of human activity on the environment, initiatives like "The Ocean Cleanup Project" offer a glimmer of hope in tackling this urgent problem.
Our oceans, once a symbol of vastness and purity, face an alarming crisis due to plastic pollution. As our planet grapples with the adverse effects of human activity on the environment, initiatives like "The Ocean Cleanup Project" offer a glimmer of hope in tackling this urgent problem. This effort, spearheaded by young entrepreneur Boyan Slat, aims to make a tangible difference in the war against ocean plastic.
In 2011, a then-18-year-old Boyan Slat was scuba diving in Greece and noticed that there were more plastic bags than fish in the water. This disheartening encounter fueled his determination to find a solution to the ocean's plastic epidemic. Two years later, Slat unveiled his ambitious idea in a TEDx Talk: an ingenious system to clean up the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, a vast accumulation of plastic debris in the North Pacific Ocean. The core of The Ocean Cleanup Project is its innovative passive cleanup system, aptly named "System 001" or "Wilson." This system consists of a series of floating barriers, known as "booms," which form a giant U-shaped structure. Beneath these booms hangs a non-permeable skirt that extends several meters below the surface, effectively capturing plastic waste.
The system is designed to autonomously concentrate and collect plastic debris into a central collection point by employing the ocean's natural currents, winds, and waves. Once gathered, a specialized vessel comes in to scoop up the accumulated plastic, which is then transported to land for recycling. The project's technology represents a breakthrough in the fight against plastic pollution, as it enables the efficient and large-scale removal of plastic without harming marine life. The cleanup process is non-disruptive to marine ecosystems, reducing the potential for bycatch or harm to aquatic species. While the project holds significant promise, it has not been without challenges. During initial testing, engineers encountered issues with plastic escaping from the system. However, the team's resilience and iterative approach allowed them to overcome these obstacles through continuous improvements and refinements.
Recognizing that prevention is equally crucial in curbing plastic pollution, The Ocean Cleanup Project has expanded its mission to address the root causes of plastic waste. They actively engage in educational campaigns to raise awareness about plastic pollution and promote responsible plastic use and waste management practices. Since its inception, The Ocean Cleanup Project has made commendable strides. Multiple iterations of the cleanup system have been deployed, each more effective than the last. While the ultimate goal is to clean up 90% of ocean plastic by 2040, the project has made significant progress and brought heightened awareness to the global plastic crisis.
The Ocean Cleanup Project stands as a beacon of hope in the fight against plastic pollution. Through innovation, dedication, and perseverance, Boyan Slat and his team have demonstrated that we can take meaningful steps to heal our oceans. As individuals, we must support such initiatives and collectively work towards reducing our plastic footprint. With continued efforts and a united global front, we can restore the ocean's splendor and safeguard the future of our planet for generations to come.
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What Lies Beneath
Often, when the details of how structures are made can be seen, they become more impressive. Such is the case with large windmills anchored to solid ground.
Many products surround us in our day-to-day lives that require deep engineering excellence to come to fruition. Often, when the details of how structures are made can be seen, they become more impressive. Such is the case with large windmills anchored to solid ground. When you look beneath the surface, it is impressive to see how the Peikko Group provides deep anchoring for these mammoth structures.
Peikko Group's Rock Foundation system for onshore wind turbines is a revolutionary and sustainable solution that addresses the challenges of wind turbine foundation construction. The Rock Foundation system primarily consists of precast concrete elements that can be assembled on-site with ease. It takes advantage of Peikko's proprietary technology, which enables using local materials, significantly reducing transportation costs and emissions. This approach enhances the sustainability of wind energy projects by minimizing the carbon impact associated with the foundation's construction process. One of the key benefits of Peikko's Rock Foundation system is its adaptability to a wide range of soil conditions. By offering a versatile solution for various geological settings, it streamlines the installation process, reducing the need for extensive ground preparation and site-specific engineering. Peikko Group's Rock Foundation technology not only accelerates the installation of wind turbines but also contributes to a more sustainable and cost-effective approach in the renewable energy industry.
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