Creative Hotel

The Udang Shrimp House room located at the Bambu Indah hotel which is in Bali is one of the mostunique hotel rooms in the world as it has a glass floor over a fresh shrimp pond. The Bali hotel was built in 2007 by John Hardy and his wife; they had previously transformed 11 antique bridal homes into eco-friendly rooms during 2005.

[Image Courtesy of Bambu Indah Hotel]

This hotel room is not one that you will soon forget as it offers a stunning view down into a blue pond that ripples, situated beneath the feet of guests, instead of the traditional wooden floor or tiled. The entire floor is made of glass timbered panels over the shrimp pond below. The suite is absolutely stunning, from the four poster bed with traditional mosquito net in the middle of the suite to the fishing net and rustic wooden boat paddle at the bottom of the bed.

[Image Courtesy of Bambu Indah Hotel]

The suite has its own private open air shower so that guests are able to bathe out in open and enjoy being as one with nature.

The pair transformed the homes that are over a century old into beautiful guest homes that offer inspiration from Indonesia and its history and is situated among stunning vegetation and swaying palm trees.

[Image Courtesy of Bambu Indah Hotel]

Guests reach the reception area, designed in traditional bamboo, across a stepping stone pathway. While the resort and suite has been designed to look like rustic classic homes in Bali, they do offer all the luxuries and services that you would find in any of the luxury boutique hotels in Bali.

[Image Courtesy of Bambu Indah Hotel]

Bambu Indah in Balinese means beautiful bamboo and the resort is situated very close to Ubud, which is situated amongst rice paddies and ravines that drop steeply into the foothills of Gianyar regency.

[Image Courtesy of Bambu Indah Hotel]

This intimate resort and unique hotel room fits right in with the beautiful surroundings and offers stunning views of the cascades of the Ayung River along with a Hindu temple and Mount Batu Kau, along with other volcanic ridges.

[Image Courtesy of Bambu Indah Hotel]

Guests have their own one room cottages which have been carved out of teak, all with reception areas that are designed in bamboo. At stay at this unique resort starts from $200 per night and goes up to $495 for the suites.

[Image Courtesy of Bambu Indah Hotel]

There is no better way to wake up in the morning than enjoying an intimate relaxing breakfast on the teak porch of the suites.

Source: http://interestingengineering.com/

Dream House and Technology

With an ever increasing world population and cities becoming denser people often find themselves living in small and cramped city apartments. It’s at times like these when people wish that Dr. Who’s Tardis was a reality – small on the outside but huge on the inside. Well, you may be happy to hear that MIT Media Lab’s Changing Places research group is currently on the case and although a Tardis is not likely in the near future, they’ve come up with a solution to make your small room into a large interactive living space.

[Image Courtesy of MIT]

They’ve been working on a project called CityHome and have just revealed the RoboWall, a fully interactive and robotic housing for all the apartments furniture that MIT says can make your 200-square-foot apartment feel three times as big. The armoire can reveal the required furniture using gesture, voice and touch control and can also move itself as an entirety a few feet either way. The block itself comes in at 182-square-foot which might leave you wondering how it could possibly make a 200-square-foot room feel bigger?

The idea is to cram in every aspect of an apartment into one block. This includes the bedroom, office space, dining room fit for 14 and also a kitchen; so with the flick of a wrist, the internal motors can reveal a bed, office desk or kitchen top at will. The RoboWall also houses a stove-top, a closet, and additional storage space.

[Image Courtesy of MIT]

Furthermore, when the block moves on its own axis, it can double the size of a bathroom or kitchen when need be. Once you’re done using the furniture, a simple gesture control can stow it all back up and move the block itself to expand the space you want to use.

[Image Courtesy of MIT]It’s also rammed with technology. Hue lighting adds to the futuristic feeling and apps can also be installed to control the apartments heating system and lighting. The internal furniture is also fully customisable and the RoboWall can be adapted for each apartment and personal requirements.

“This would work well in the 30 to 40 Innovation Cities where young people are priced out of the market,” lead researcher Kent Larson explains. “At $1,000 per square foot in Boston, the extra cost of technology is trivial compared to space saved for a furnished apartment.” The idea is simple, get a small apartment that meets your budget and make it feel like it’s bigger.

Larson also knocked off any doubts that this would just be a concept and is claiming that it is a viable product which he is looking to fund using either a startup or commercial sponsor.

Source:http://interestingengineering.com/

Iphone in our Indian Society

No other gadget is a bigger status symbol for us Indians than our mobile phones. And boy do we have a lot of mobile phones around us. However, the one phone that soars above the rest is of course the iPhone. And the moment you bring home an iPhone you start exhibiting certain traits that distinguish you from the rest of the mobile phone users.

Here are 10 things that Indian iPhone users do:

1. Although iPhone is the only Apple product they use, they give long lectures on how all Apple products are superior.

2. Treat other huge brands like Samsung and Nokia like they are fake Chinese brands.

3. Every time there’s a discussion on phones they parrot the line ‘If you don’t have an iPhone then you don’t have iPhone.’

4. Cover up the iPhone with such tacky looking covers that even Steve Jobs wouldn’t be able to recognize it.

5. They look down upon Android users as though they have some contractible disease.

6. They go on and on about the amazing productivity of an iPhone but in reality only use it play Candy Crush.

7. Even if the topic of conversation is ‘global warming’ or ‘terrorism’, they bring it back to how cool their iPhone is.

8. Their selfie-habit becomes even more out of control once they have an iPhone.

9.They automatically form a cosmic bond with fellow iPhone users around them.

10. Anytime a non-iPhone user asks if they have a normal phone charger, they respond with a condescending “Uh-hello. I have an iPhone”. 

 Souce: http://www.scoopwhoop.com

Art Nouveau Stairs

If you are looking to build a new home modern home today it might be worth looking back to 1890-1990 Art Nouveau architecture for inspiration!These Art Nouveau Stairs have been created by harnessing modern digital fabrication techniques to put a twist on popular 19th century Art Nouveau Design.Art Nouveau architecture took cures from the free flowing curvy lines found in nature.The sculptural qualities of these stairs allow endless light play on the stairs themselves and the walls they are against. Because of these beautiful flowing lines the stairs remain interesting from every angle.Architects working in the Art Nouveau style traditionally took a holistic approach to the design wanting the whole building to flow together. This holistic approach is what makes art nouveau architecture an impressive timeless design style.

Source:http://welldonestuff.com/

10 of the strangest places to visit (Nature + Human Creativity)

Have you decided where you are going for your holiday this year? Perhaps it’s the stunning Maldives or maybe the US. If you haven’t yet booked your holiday and you want to visit somewhere a little unusual, then why not considerone of the 10 strangest places to visit.

The Igloo Village in Greenland

[Image Courtesy of IglooVillage]

If you head over to Greenland there is a place called Ittoqqortoormiit (yeah we don’t know how to say it either) where you are able to live among the Inuit. You will be able to take in the wildlife, go dog sledding, and visit ice caves and villages that have long been deserted along with travelling to frozen fjords.

Karni Mata Temple in India

[Image Courtesy of Karni Mata Temple ]

The Karni Mata Temple in Rajasthan, India, gets thousands of visitors each year who pay homage to the 14th century mystic that is said to be an incarnation of Durga, the goddess. Here you can visit with around 20,000 rats, which locals think are sacred and in no way can they be harmed. One of the highlights of the visit is watching the rats surround bowls of milk and drinking from them along with seeing them crawl through tunnels that have been specially made.

The Seagaia Ocean Dome In Japan

[Image Courtesy of SeagaiaOceanDome]

This was the only indoor beach in the world and while it has now closed its doors, it is worth mentioning. It was open for 14 years in Miyazaki, Japan and saw around 1.25 million visitors walk through the doors each year. The Dome was home to a fake volcano, sand, fish and fauna and was kept at a balmy 86 degrees Fahrenheit. The man made beach was a huge 984 feet in length and the dome had a clear blue sky painted on it but was retractable. Sounds like the ideal place to be built in the UK.

Gnome countryside in Pennsylvania

[Image Courtesy of GnomeCountryside]

The Gnome countryside is located in Lancaster County in Pennsylvania USA and it is said to be a “breathtaking paradise and gnome biome nestled in the rolling hills of Amish farmland.” The founder was Rich Humphreys and here you can take walks, hike and learn about the gnomes, otherwise called the bearded little people.

Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve in Idaho

[Image Courtesy of CratersoftheMoon]

Over in central Idaho in the US there is a weird apocalyptic looking preserve and national monument that draws in visitors to the rugged landscape. The landscape has crusted lava that is said to be many thousands of years old along with lava tubes that have created underground caves, which visitors can explore. There are also back country hikes, but be aware that there isn’t a natural water source to be found on the Craters of the Moon.

Izu Islands in Japan

[Image Courtesy of IzuIslands]

If you visit the Izu Islands in Japan there is one thing that you must take with you, a gas mask. Yes you really have to as the islands rests right on the top of a volcanic chain that is active and which has been known to erupt, more than once. It releases gases that are harmful and which are very unpleasant; however there is lots of lush landscape, which does make it a destination for those with no sense of smell, and surprisingly it is visited by people from around the world.

The Island of the Dolls in Mexico City

[Image Courtesy of IslandoftheDolls]

Just outside of Mexico City is the Island of the Dolls. This happens to be not only one of the strangest places to visit but also the scariest. The island wasn’t meant to be an attraction that tourists would visit. The story goes that a child drowned here and the man who found here saw a doll floating on the canal and so he strung it up in a tree in her honour. It wasn’t long before hanging dolls from trees became something of an obsession on the island and now the whole island is littered with dolls hung from trees. It was said that the man who had come across the drowned girl also drowned himself in the same canal in 2001. His family are now running the island to attract tourists.

Great Pacific Garbage Patch in the Pacific Ocean

[Image Courtesy of GreatPacificGarbagePatch]

You can visit this patch of floating trash out in the Pacific Ocean, which is said to be around the same size as Texas. It will cost you $10,000 per person for the privilege and you will be asked to operate a trawl while you are there that will collect the smallest of plastic particles which threaten the wildlife.

The Alnwick Poison Garden in the UK

[Image Courtesy of AlnwickGardens]

The Alnwick Poison Garden in the UK was founded by the Duchess of Northumberland and it has a sign on the gates warning that the plants can kill you and this isn’t a lie. In fact if you pay the garden a visit you are warned not to even smell the plants, let alone touch them. There are around 100 plants that can kill in the garden. There is also a castle here that was used in several Harry Potter films as a stand in for Hogwarts.

The Intergratron in California

[Image Courtesy of Intergratron]

The Intergratron took 18 years to build by George Van Tassel after he claimed to have made contact with aliens on the site. The dome shaped building offers sonic healing sessions today as the site and structure is thought by many to be a mecca for spiritual and physical healing.

Via [Flavourwire]

Source:http://interestingengineering.com/

Modern Mahina House

The modern Mahina House has been designed in the shape of a crescent moon. It has been named for it’s interesting shape. Mahina in the Maori word for moon. It has not been built yet but it is under construction. It will be located in New Zealand on Kawau island. Kawau island is approximately 60kms north of Auckland. This glorious house was designed by Weber Consulting and has many luxurious features.

The stunning windows reach from floor to ceiling. There will be a swimming pool as well as a green house and a deck for regulating thermal mass. A glamorous place for entertaining or a wonderful vacation spot. The house provides 360 degree views in every direction.

Source:http://welldonestuff.com/