Design
Designing Democracy Around a Ditch
How a ditch irrigation system in the arid Southwest became the backbone of local democracy.
May 14, 2012 |
By Sarah C. Rich
Rebuilding Rainwater Collection in India
From one conservationist's perspective, harvesting rainwater doesn't necessarily mean high-tech strategies—traditional techniques have been around for centuries
May 09, 2012 |
By Sarah C. Rich
Making Water Use Visible
Could the design of a Brita filter help us with controlling how much water we waste?
May 03, 2012 |
By Sarah C. Rich
The Monument to Electricity That Never Was
In 1922, Hugo Gernsback envisioned a 1,000-foot tall concrete monument that "would be a lasting tribute to our race, and to the progress that is exemplified by Electricity"
May 03, 2012 |
By Matt Novak
Winners Announced for National Mall Design Competition
The area between the Lincoln Memorial and the U.S. Capitol has seen better days, but architects are vying to improve the nation’s front lawn
May 03, 2012 |
By Megan Gambino
Groundwater, Gravity and Graphic Design
An important piece of science recently popped up in Times Square, in the form of a 19,000-square-foot interactive map by a Dutch information designer.
May 02, 2012 |
By Sarah C. Rich
What Are America’s Most Iconic Homes?
According to the National Building Museum, these houses, more than most, have impacted the way we live
April 27, 2012 |
By Megan Gambino
Futureproofing California Farmland
Design teams propose new models for farming and suburban development in California's water-scarce Central Valley
April 25, 2012 |
By Sarah C. Rich
Design for a Water-Scarce Future
Design strategies for arid regions go back centuries, but in the face of climate change, drylands design is a whole new ballgame
April 19, 2012 |
By Sarah C. Rich
From the Smithsonian Collections: Famous Footwear
Famous footwear of the Smithsonian collections, from Chinese foot-binding booties to Dorothy's ruby slippers
April 10, 2012 |
By Sarah C. Rich
The High-Tech Minimalist Sock-Shoe
Nike's latest innovation promises to improve runners' comfort, help the environment, and revolutionize shoe manufacturing
April 06, 2012 |
By Sarah C. Rich
The Portrait Gallery and American Art Get the Google Art Project Treatment
As part of the Google Art Project, you can now virtually wander the halls of the museums and see remarkably detailed reproductions of hundreds of works
April 05, 2012 |
By Joseph Stromberg
Better Feet Through Radiation: The Era of the Fluoroscope
In the 1940s and 50s, shoe stores were dangerous places. At the center of the shopping experience was the shoe-fitting fluoroscope—a pseudoscientific machine that became a token of mid-century marketing deception.
April 04, 2012 |
By Sarah C. Rich
How Futurist Art Inspired the Design of a BMW
The Italian art movement that celebrated modernity still moves us 100 years later
April 2012 |
By Abigail Tucker
How Ideas Become Shoes: Creativity in Process
Using shoe design to understand human creativity
March 30, 2012 |
By Sarah C. Rich
These Shoes are Made for Printing
In many ways, 3D printing could be a superior way to manufacture shoes. But comfort isn't one yet.
March 28, 2012 |
By Sarah C. Rich
Tomorrow’s Mobile Home
Moving is a lot easier if you live inside a giant ball
March 23, 2012 |
By Matt Novak
How To Be Taller
A modern Scottish elevator shoe designer runs a global business from his Bangkok outpost
March 23, 2012 |
By Sarah C. Rich
Such Great Heights: The Hidden Architecture of Elevator Shoes
How a shoe designed to address male inadequacy has become a symbol of female fashion sense
March 21, 2012 |
By Sarah C. Rich
The Shape of Fruits to Come
How our need for convenience is redesigning our food supply
March 16, 2012 |
By Sarah C. Rich
