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Until now I’ve covered different themes mainly through texts. Today, I want to share part of my personal VIDEO library with you. Below you can find seven must-see TED Talks which can be used as an inspiration or source of wisdom. When we are brainstorming about the new directions of the Aproplan journey, we often look into what the other worldwide thinkers do and predict.
If you are wondering what TED is, here is a small intro:

TEDTalks is a daily video podcast of the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world’s leading thinkers and doers give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes. TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design, and TED Talks cover these topics as well as science, business, development and the arts.

Without further ado, here they are:

7. Jessica Green: We’re Covered in Germs, Let’s Design for That

Our bodies and homes are covered in microbes — some good for us, some bad for us, and some just along for the ride. As we learn more about the germs and microbes who share our living spaces, TED Fellow Jessica Green asks: Can we design buildings that encourage happy, healthy microbial environments?

6. Skylar Tibbits: Can We Make Things That Make Themselves?

MIT researcher Skylar Tibbits works on self-assembly — the idea that instead of building something (a chair, a skyscraper), we can create materials that build themselves, much the way a strand of DNA zips itself together. It’s a big concept at early stages; Tibbits shows us three in-the-lab projects that hint at what a self-assembling future might look like.

5. Rogier van der Heide: Why Light Needs Darkness

Lighting architect Rogier van der Heide offers a beautiful new way to look at the world — by paying attention to light (and to darkness). Examples from classic buildings illustrate a deeply thought-out vision of the play of light around us.

4. Iwan Baan: Ingenious Homes in Unexpected Places

In the center of Caracas, Venezuela, stands the 45-story “Tower of David,” an unfinished, abandoned skyscraper. But about eight years ago, people started moving in. Photographer Iwan Baan shows how people build homes in unlikely places, touring us through the family apartments of Torre David, a city on the water in Nigeria, and an underground village in China. Glorious images celebrate humanity’s ability to survive and make a home — anywhere.

3. Tim Brown: Designers – Think Big

Tim Brown says the design profession is preoccupied with creating nifty, fashionable objects — even as pressing questions like clean water access show it has a bigger role to play. He calls for a shift to local, collaborative, participatory “design thinking.”

2. Alastair Parvin: Architecture for the People by the People

Architect Alastair Parvin presents a simple but provocative idea: what if, instead of architects creating buildings for those who can afford to commission them, regular citizens could design and build their own houses? The concept is at the heart of Wikihouse, an open source construction kit that means just about anyone can build a house, anywhere.

1. Carolyn Steel: How Food Shapes Our Cities

Every day, in a city the size of London, 30 million meals are served. But where does all the food come from? Architect Carolyn Steel discusses the daily miracle of feeding a city, and shows how ancient food routes shaped the modern world.

Do you feel inspired? What was your favorite?

Now, to turn this boost of motivation and inspiration into practice, take a tour of APROPLAN. You can even try it for free. We are ready to help you enhance the quality of your everyday project workflow and inspire your colleagues/employees to do better work. See you there!