The design of Urban Beehive is modern, appealing, and respect the natural behavior of the bees. There are 2 parts: the entry passage and flower pot outside, and the glass vessel containing an array of honeycomb frames inside. The glass shell filters light to let through the orange wavelength which bees use for sight. The bees can build their wax cells from the frames that provide a honeycomb texture. In order to calm the bees before you can open this beehive, smoke can be released into it.

You should know that global bee colonies are declining slowly, Urban Beehive design will contribute to the preservation of these beautiful species, encourage the return of the urban bee. Bees produce honey and propolis, once people understand the health benefits of honey and propolis, we’re sure, this Urban Beehive can have an important role in the home apothecary.

Designer : Philips Design
Via Tuvie

Food delivery containers are usually made of paper, plastic or foam. They’re quick to make, cheap to produce and provide very little incentive to reuse. The Eco Bowls are designed to quick assemble down into separate components to be easier for disposal. They also happen to look good enough to keep and reuse so my question is, why wouldn’t you?

Designer : Jongduck Park
Via: Yanko Design

Du.Static, the silver winner of Sparks Awards 2011, is the combination of dust and static and its main objective is to rid your room of dust particles. A magic wand kinda stick attracts all dust to it using static electricity and deposits it into the holding trash when the charge is out. The main unit doubles up as an air purifier and indicates the air-quality via the LED indicator.

WOW Water Sterilizer is an electronic cleaner for fruits and vegetables that uses the power of electrolysis to get rid of bacteria and dirt without the need of using soap, or other special food detergents. The Water Sterilizer, designed by Korean tech company Kyowon, can also be used to clean kitchen utensils and baby toys.

www.kyowonlnc.com

Ugly recycling bins and trash receptacles in parks and streets are difficult to avoid. Bryant Park in New York City puts an end to this by creating some beautiful receptacles designed to be part of the landscape. The bins come in three variations one for paper, bottles and cans, each one in a different color for easy recognition.

www.bryantpark.org

From the designer Dave Hakkens:

“Dustball is a robot vacuum cleaner concept designed for public spaces. There are a lot of robot vacuum cleaners on the market but all designed for households. However they are fragile and not made to go over any cables, thresholds etc. This one had to be strong, industrial and flexible. However I did not want to give it an industrial/robot appearance.

Inspired by a hamsterball I came up with dustball. Usually there is no interaction with a robot vacuum. I created a little friend just rolling around and which you could push or kick in a direction to clean. It’s has no trouble with cables or anything like that, it’s strong, and when it rolls before your feet you just kick it out of the way.”

www.davehakkens.nl

Designed by Li Qiong, Qin Duyin, and Peng Junjie, “Home of the Firefly” is a lamp for outdoor use that brings new meaning to the relationship between humans and nature. Created as an habitat for fireflies, the lamp use the insect´s natural bioluminescence as an intelligent and eco-friendly alternative to traditional lighting.

The Tree Bench by designer Marko Vuckovic was inspired by the connection between people and nature. Built in white Corian material, the bench has five holes, one for a tree and four for grass. The bench is designed to be easily installed in streets, beaches, parks, buildings, etc and is perfect for relaxation and meditation.

www.behance.net/vuckovicdesign

Solaris is a pure blessing for claustrophobic souls who would bargain anything for fresh open air. The magic sun shade fitted with solar panels harnesses the sun’s energy to keep your entire gadgetry juiced to the full anywhere anytime. The designer has planned the shade mindful of a highly connected information age that thrives on free internet services.

So all you need would be an energy point, wireless connection and of course the sun shade so that you can function leisurely from even outside the office premises. What amuses one most is the fact that you can do away with all the long traveling distances besides contributing to a greener planet with fewer CO2 emissions and fuel consumption.

A design contribution toward sustainable and a more socially inclusive city landscape, the tastefully designed Solaris has been chosen as one of the finalists in the International Design Competition “Feel the Planet Earth.”

Via The Design Blog

Tana Water Bars are advanced water appliances, using a sophisticated filtration system and digital controls. Subtly refined over two generations, the crisp design evokes the silhouette of a vase-a vessel of pure water with understated advanced technology nested within. Tana´s water appliances e a break-out success, effectively changing the culture of water consumption.

www.newdealdesign.com