The Farm of the Future: Green Sky Growers

The farm of the future is growing today in an unlikely place– on the roof of a retail building in a sleepy suburb near Orlando, Florida.  Green Sky Growers is a true technical marvel, a state of the art farm which is one part laboratory and one part organic garden.  It raises thousands of pounds of fish and vegetables every year using a mutually-beneficial farming technique called aquaponics.  Green Sky Growers raises everything from tilapia to perch, herbs to tomatoes, delivering them fresh to the public and a hungry group of local restaurateurs.  If you enjoy a dish of striped bass and leafy greens at the restaurant below, you may have no idea that the ingredients were sourced from 50 feet above.

What makes Green Sky Growers different from your average farm is their focus on state-of-the-art technology.  Their two combined greenhouses are managed by custom software that measures environmental conditions and adjusts the conditions inside.  On breezy, warm mornings, the greenhouse software will open the wall shutters to allow breezes through and to keep the inside temperature in a healthy range.  Once the mid-day sun heats the greenhouse toward suboptimal temperatures, the software opens a shade system which covers the glass roof above.  If temperatures rise above manageable levels, chillers will lower the water temperature to keep the fish healthy.  Everything is automated– the software system has a temperature goal and will automatically adjust a range of variables to maintain that temperature indoors.

The fish are everywhere at Green Sky Growers.  There are five main tanks which house hundreds of fish per tank.  During our visit, there were three tanks of tilapia, one tank of striped bass and a fifth tank in preparation for the arrival of perch fingerlings.  The tanks are massive, and the fish within them are happy.  An automated feeder drops feed into each tank at regular intervals.  While the fish do congregate near the windows during feedings, they have space to roam and they are free from predators throughout their growth cycle.

Toblerone House by Studio mk27

Built among lush vegetation in Sao Paulo, Brazil the Toblerone House by Studio mk27 stands with strong elegance. This elongated two story home is divided into two distinct sectors. The ground floor is the social living space with massive glass windows allowing stellar views of the outdoors. The second floor is more secluded as it is closed off by retractable wooden panels allowing more privacy and shade from the Brazilian sun. Openings are created for natural greenery to grow right through the house and cantilevered roofs create a geometric and contemporary style of design.  [via designboom]

Exterior Lighting

LED Floating Pool Illuminations

Modern Landscaping

Modern Exterior Landscape Design Ideas

Zombie Proof House!

Polands Zombie Proof House

Somehow, ritual drunk-conversation concerning team captains for the apocalypse has become a major part of the lives of 20-somethings. Having been matured in the Grandaddy-crowned masterpiece film (put “A.M. 180” on and forget that you have a job) 28 Days Later and the best-selling Zombie Survival Guide, we’re all a little too ready to deal with the 2012 of our dreams.

“The Safe House,” designed by KWK Promes, starts to get eerily close to something I could work with, if say 200 bludgeoned members of the undead army came over to eat their way into borrowing some sugar.

“The most essential item for our clients was acquiring the feeling of maximum security,” begins the designers’ website in the summary of the structure. Who wouldn’t feel safe in a concrete rectangle that folds in upon itself to become completely sealed? Even the windows are covered with a slab of concrete when the structure is on nap time. The house, with its movable walls, has only one entrance, which is located on the second floor after crossing a drawbridge. Seems like the perfect opportunity to use a flamethrower and defend the life of your family, while stylishly nesting in a piece of architectural elitism.

German Engineering

2013 BMW M5 Twin-Turbo V8 Revealed

Practically every automaker has an R or a GT or a V or an S or a Spec-Something-or-Other sexing up its catalog. But nobody commits to the job with the fervor of BMW’s M division GmbH. Granted, the gulf between track and street that opened up years ago means that BMW’s speed shop no longer puts motorsport specials on the road with detuned race engines. But that doesn’t mean new M’s are nothing more than Big Macs with barbecue sauce. Okay, maybe the 1-series M sort of is. But take the example of the new 560-hp “M TwinPower Turbo” M5—Bimmer-nerd code: F10—that goes on sale in the U.S. late next summer as a 2013 model.

Shopping Tools Advertisement INSTRUMENTED TESTarrow VIEW PHOTOS (32) | COMMENTS (316) 2013 BMW M5 With its new top sedan, the M division continues to tip its own sacred cows. NOVEMBER 2011 BY AARON ROBINSON Building factory hot rods must be a good business. Practically every automaker has an R or a GT or a V or an S or a Spec-Something-or-Other sexing up its catalog. But nobody commits to the job with the fervor of BMW’s M division GmbH. Granted, the gulf between track and street that opened up years ago means that BMW’s speed shop no longer puts motorsport specials on the road with detuned race engines.

 But that doesn’t mean new M’s are nothing more than Big Macs with barbecue sauce. Okay, maybe the 1-series M sort of is. But take the example of the new 560-hp “M TwinPower Turbo” M5—Bimmer-nerd code: F10—that goes on sale in the U.S. late next summer as a 2013 model. In the F10 M5, you get: a unique engine [see sidebar]; a unique, reinforced and re-ratio’d, seven-speed dual-clutch transmission; and a unique, electronic limited-slip differential with a unique aluminum horse-collar mount for added rigidity. 

There’s a unique suspension with forged aluminum components and nary a part number shared with any other BMW; a unique variable-ratio steering gear with hydraulic instead of electric boost as in other 5s; unique, iron-and-aluminum brake rotors clamped by unique radial-mount, monoblock front calipers housing six asymmetrically sized pistons per wheel; and a unique front crossmember, stiffened and attached by two additional bolts because somebody thought that was important.

 A unique rear-suspension cradle is rigidly mounted to the unibody to eliminate the weight and flex of rubber bushings, unique stiffening rods and shear plates underneath serve as extra bracing, and the car runs enough special software to land it on an asteroid. You may scoff upon learning the M5’s price, expected to fall near $92,000. 

To that prodigious sum we say: How can BMW possibly sell a couple thousand copies per year so cheaply? What does the dedicated tooling cost, anyway? How much is it to change 10 things about an engine, including the induction system and compression ratio, and then recertify it? It’s a lot of Big Macs. Maybe not as many Big Macs as creating a bespoke V-10, as in the previous E60, but a lot. The new M5 will assuredly be profitable. But whether it is spectacular or merely great—many people would put a 4300-pound luxury sedan that hits 60 mph in 3.7 seconds firmly in the former category—it’s definitely no parts-bin badge job.

Sea Cave

Sea Cave Restaurant in Southern Italy Tucked away in a cavernous sea grotto in Southern Italy is one of the Grotta Palazzese Hotel’s fine cuisine restaurants. Open only during the summer months, this romantic and exclusive restaurant is illuminated by dim glowing lights and the glimmer of light reflecting off the waters of Polignano a Mare. Wood floors and simple furnishings balance well with the natural limestone texture of the cave. Seaside dining tables overlook the breathtaking views of the ocean while a small railing is the only barrier between the expansive sea below and the ancient rock within. [via inhabitat]