Hyperspeed train from LA to SF. Tesla Motor’s CEO Elon Musk recently revealed his plans for a new green vehicle, dubbed the “Hyperloop,” that would transport people from Los Angeles to San Francisco in 30 minutes flat.
Musk says the new transit system would be twice as fast as a plane, three to four times faster than a bullet train, and entirely powered by solar energy.
Via Inhabitat
Urban sprawl affects drought. The U.S. is currently experiencing its worst drought in over half a century, and suburban sprawl is only exacerbating the impact of the drought.
Large residential lots need significantly more water than neighborhoods built to a more walkable scale, contributing to water shortages. In addition, there is more pavement around watersheds that sends billions of gallons of rainwater into streams and rivers as polluted runoff, rather than into soil as groundwater. Sprawl and smart growth both need to be considered in how to move toward a more resilient future.
Via Sustainable Cities Collective
Gold Nugget Awards for Orange County firm. LPA of Irvine, California, won three Gold Nugget Awards – an award that honors creative achievements in architectural design and land use planning for residential, commercial and industrial projects.
The Student Recreation Center at Cal State Northridge received the Grand Award for Greenest Sustainable Commercial Project. The Multidisciplinary Building at Palomar College earned a Grand Award for Best Educational Project. The third Gold Nugget Award was for SoCal Campus for Southland Industries, a successful interior renovation of a 1970s warehouse into a thriving, collaborative office space for the company’s mechanical engineers and detailers.
Via LPA Inc. Blog
Preserving the Manhattan Project. What started as a small research project to develop an atomic weapon in advance of Germany grew to include thousands of scientists working around the clock and in laboratories across the country.
These laboratories retain architectural integrity and are eligible for National Register of Historic Places and National Historic Landmark designation. The Manhattan Project is part of the National Trust’s portfolio of National Treasures, and the National Trust for Historic Preservation seeks to designate these sites as the Manhattan Project National Historic Park.
Via National Trust for Historic Preservation Blog
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