The Knowledge to Decide

The construction material that could define the 21st century might just be wood. As part of the United Kingdom’s prestigious design festival at the Chelsea College of Art and Design, a construction made entirely of tulipwood is the most complex structure produced by cross-laminated timber (CLT). The installation known as ‘The Smile’, is a 34-meter-long, 3.5-meter-high tube which is rectangular with curves on both ends – similar to a Cheshire cat grin. Visitors can walk through the hollowed interior. This collaboration with the American Hardwood Export Council and Arup aims to highlight the potential of timber construction for architects and engineers. Furthermore, timber is a sustainable material that is less energy-intensive than concrete. Is timber construction the future of architecture? https://www.spireresearch.com/newsroom/spirethoughts/is-wood-stronger-than-concrete/

In what some have dubbed the Third Industrial Revolution, 3D printing is now allowing consumers to be masters of their own manufactured durable goods. But Asian countries will need to work a lot harder to avoid becoming laggards in this transformative new field. What is 3D printing? 3D printing refers to the process of making a three-dimensional solid object of virtually any shape from a digital model using powder, molten plastic or metals. It first slices a 3D computer model into layers, then builds the object one layer at a time using the 3D printer. The quality of the end-product is dependent on various factors, such as the base material, thinness of the layers, mechanics of the printer as well as the amount of preparation taken into consideration for the 3D computer model. Also known as additive manufacturing, 3D printing seeks to distinguish itself from “subtractive manufacturing”. The latter involves the cutting down and pairing-off materials to attach them together

Solar powered planes are now a reality. Initiated by Bertrand Piccard – a Swiss psychiatrist and balloonist – Solar Impulse 2 (Si2) is the first solar powered plane due for manufacture at a commercial level. It took 13 years to develop (on March 2015) by a team of approximately 140 people. Built at a cost of USD150 million, Si2 has a 72-meter wingspan and weighs just over two tons. Energy flows a cross four electric motors with over 17,000 solar cells spread across its wings. That is how Si2 covered a distance of 8,500km – nonstop between China to Hawaii – proving the potential of solar flights. The flight took off from China on 31 May 2015, which took approximately 6 days and 5 nights. Not only this, Si2 can fly day and night for weeks, and has unlimited endurance as its solar cells recharge 633 kilogram lithium batteries. Furthermore, if these planes were available on a larger scale, it may save up to 50% of the current global fossil energy consumption and brighten our