Tag Archives: White

How the world’s whitest paint can keep buildings cool while also saving the planet

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White is the new black, at least in terms of being the cool color, especially when it comes to minimalist product designs. That said, it can apparently also be literally cool, at least in one form that could also save the world if adopted as a global standard. Pure white isn’t a color you often paint on houses and buildings, but you might actually be tempted to coat your dwelling with the world’s whitest paint for its “extra features” and not because of its aesthetic value (depending on your tastes). Apparently, this ultra-white material is so white that it actually reflects sunlight and the heat that it brings, allowing the surface and, consequently, the building to keep naturally cool, reducing the use of air conditioning machines and electricity, and saving the planet in more ways than one.

Designers: Xiulin Ruan, Purdue University Engineers

Although psychology can play an important role in the choice of colors, so can physics, especially when considering how certain colors and materials can have an effect on the light that touches and bounces off it. Black is black because it absorbs light and doesn’t reflect it back to our eyes, while white is the opposite, reflecting all the colors of the spectrum. When it comes to sunlight, however, it isn’t just light that is reflected but also heat that is sent back to the atmosphere.

This is the kind of effect that Purdue University researchers were aiming for in order to create a more sustainable way to keep surfaces, roofs, and buildings cool without having to use electrical or chemical methods. In this case, the paint’s ability to reflect sunlight is so good, up to 98.1%, that it can effectively cool down the surface it’s on by as much as 18°F (-7.8°C). This means that a building is less likely to absorb heat from sunlight, which effectively translates to savings in energy and money by reducing the need for cooling machines inside.

The whitest paint on Earth also has a second effect that could help save our planet. Because it reflects the heat coming from the sun, it can effectively offset the greenhouse effect that heats up the planet. Best of all, that waste heat doesn’t just get moved to the surface of the atmosphere but goes outside the planet and into outer space.

Purdue University researchers have created a new formula for the world’s whitest paint, making it thinner and lighter. The previous iteration (left) required a layer 0.4 millimeters thick to achieve sub-ambient radiant cooling. The new formulation can achieve similar cooling with a layer just 0.15 millimeters thick. This is thin and light enough for its radiant cooling effects to be applied to vehicles like cars, trains and airplanes. (Purdue University photo/Andrea Felicelli)

This seemingly magical super-reflective property of the world’s whitest paint is thanks to barium sulfate, the same chemical compound used in white photo paper and cosmetics. Because it scatters the light it reflects, it doesn’t blind anyone who wants to bear witness to its all-white beauty. There are still ways for the paint to be improved, especially when it comes to its quality and durability, but there seem to already be many manufacturers and industries interested in putting this innovative whitest paint that could save you money and the planet in the long run.

The post How the world’s whitest paint can keep buildings cool while also saving the planet first appeared on Yanko Design.

Minimal white home in Portugal is adorned with flower petal-inspired walls

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Created by Portuguese studio Sandra Micaela Casinha Atelier, the Casa Pátios de Pétalas is a clean white and minimal home with an organic shape that is inspired by flowers. The home is marked by curved white walls and was designed for a family with a young daughter. Nestled in the Gondomar neighborhood in the east of Porto, the home is informed by mother nature and utilizes a limited material palette.

Designer: Sandra Micaela Casinha Atelier

The organic form of the home is really quite interesting. It houses two storeys, with the glazed lower storey amped with timber slots that provide shading. The upper storey features fluid white rendered walls that bring to mind the image of petals. “The flower petals embrace the entire upper floor,” studio founder Sandra Casinha. “To reinforce their presence, we limit the use to three materials: white [concrete], which draws the petals, aluminum, and glass. Thus, the petals gain more expression.”

The interiors of the home feature curved walls, that create physical and visual links between the various living spaces. As you enter the home, you are welcomed by an open staircase with timber treads that run through the first floor, marking the center of the open-plan living space. The lower storey is segregated by two sinuous curved walls which split the open plan into thirds. The kitchen and dining room occupy one-third of the space, while the living room occupies the central section of the plan. The living room and a curving timber deck are subtly connected via sliding glazed doors. The deck overlooks the lovely garden.

The upper floor of the home houses three ensuite bedrooms. Each bedroom has its own patio, which creates a serene connection to the outdoors. The interiors of the Casa Pátios de Pétalas are also inspired by nature. Earthy tones and textiles dominate the living and sleeping sections, while the walls of the ensuite bathrooms have been clad in jewel-toned red tiles.”In the decoration, you can feel the palette of pastel and raw colors used,” Casinha explained. “[We use] furniture that enhances the tranquility of the place, casual comfort, natural materials, [and] simplicity.”

The post Minimal white home in Portugal is adorned with flower petal-inspired walls first appeared on Yanko Design.

OnePlus 10 Pro brings back a rarely used color and material

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It’s only just February, and we’ve already seen quite a number of new phones unveiled. Unsurprisingly, Samsung hogged most of the spotlight, though its gigantic tablet might actually be overshadowing its flagship smartphone. One of the earliest brands to reveal their hand this year, however, still hasn’t made its phone available outside of China. In the meantime, OnePlus has just announced a new color variant for that still MIA OnePlus 10 Pro, painting it with a combination of white and black that it has unabashedly associated with a panda.

White phones aren’t exactly new, but they have become rarer as the mobile industry moved towards glass back panels. There are a few exceptions, of course, like Apple and its propensity to paint everything white. Google also tried it with what became known as the “Panda” Pixel 2 XL back in 2017. Now OnePlus is borrowing the name and probably has a better reason to call this OnePlus 10 Pro variant “Panda White.”

The new phone color installs a layer of white ceramic on the back of the phone. The camera bump, which looks like a giant monocle for four eyes, is painted black, contrasting sharply yet nicely with the white surface around it. In the middle of that black mass, however, is a white circle that houses the LED flash with another black circle inside it, making it look like an eye. With this color combination, it’s not hard to imagine a one-eyed panda staring at you from the back of the phone.

As mentioned, a white and black colorway for a phone isn’t unheard of but uncommon these days. It’s not that manufacturers don’t want to make them, especially considering how some buyers do actually want this color. As OnePlus explains, it’s actually tricky and expensive to produce white glass panels for phones. Even the slightest imperfection or contamination in the process will have catastrophic effects on the production line.

OnePlus, however, upped the ante even more by using ceramic instead of glass, a material that’s far rarer than white phones. It’s a premium material that feels great in your hand, giving a warm feeling that isn’t affected by how hot the phone is running. It’s also more durable than glass but also more expensive and more difficult to work with. It took the company 100 tries before finally settling on a final design.

It’s no surprise, then, that OnePlus will be limiting this Panda White Ceramic finish to the “Extreme Edition” of the phone, and we expect it to be a lot more expensive than its other forms. Unfortunately, the OnePlus 10 Pro still has to make its way to other markets, including the US, probably by March or April. By then, however, the buzz might have already died out, presuming it even brings this Panda phone outside of China.

Designer: OnePlus

The post OnePlus 10 Pro brings back a rarely used color and material first appeared on Yanko Design.

All-White Tactile Surface Rubik’s Cube: Just as Hard as the Original

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When I read “All-White Rubik’s Cube” I thought, finally, a Rubik’s Cube I’ll actually be able to solve. Unfortunately, that’s not the case with the All-White Rubik’s Cube, because each side has a different tactile surface to differentiate it from the others. I already give up.

Available from the Japan Trends Shop for $43 or from Amazon Japan for ¥2,000, the cubes have six different materials on their pieces: synthetic leather, wallpaper, plastic, synthetic fur, silicone, and Velcro. Now I know what you’re thinking, but no, as tempting as it sounds you probably shouldn’t try to solve it with your tongue. Oh who am I kidding, I say go for it.

There are two kinds of people in the world: people who understand how to solve Rubik’s Cubes, and people like me. I’ve actually had the same Rubik’s Cube since I was six, and it’s spent its entire life outside of the packaging unsolved. Every once in a while I’ll pick it up and have a go at it, and every time I disappoint myself. A couple of months ago I tried following a guide to solve it, but even that was over my head. Threatening it with a hammer didn’t work either.

Artificial intelligence is on the brink of a ‘diversity disaster’

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The lack of diversity within artificial intelligence is pushing the field to a dangerous "tipping point," according to new research from the AI Now Institute. It says that due to an overwhelming proportion of white males in the field, the technology...