The Climate Tile is the winner of the American magazine Popular Science’s big innovation award ‘Best of What’s New’. The Climate Tile is selected among thousands of new products and innovations worldwide.
The Climate Tile is the ‘Grand Award’ winner in the ‘Engineering’ category. Every year, the recognised American magazine selects 100 products across 10 categories. To be named a winner, the product or innovation must represent an important step forward in its category. Popular Science Magazine has been the leading source of popular science news since 1872 and is published in 45 countries in over 30 languages.
“It’s exceptional that Popular Science itself has discovered the Climate Tile and seen its global potential. They have asked many serious questions about the solution and the fact that we now manage to get through the eye of the needle and take the top spot is a huge recognition”, says Flemming Rafn Thomsen, co-founder of THIRD NATURE.
Best of What’s New is a list of the 100 most impressive and innovative technologies and products from the past year. To select the winners, the editors vet thousands of candidates—ranging from feats of engineering to hyper-intelligent software—searching for objects and endeavours that not only promise to improve life on this planet (and beyond!), but also deliver.
“The Best of What’s New Awards allow us the chance to examine and honour the best innovations of the year,” says Popular Science Editor-in-Chief Joe Brown. “This collection shapes our future, helps us be more efficient, keeps us healthy and safe, and lets us have some fun along the way. From simple household items to massive space-exploration tools, we’re proud to bring you the Best of What’s New 2018.”
A brainwave for the global urban communities
The Climate Tile is a green rainwater and urban space solution that aims to scale Danish livability to the global market. The street is where the villagers spend most of their free time and at the same time where the costly floods occur. By handling the water from roofs and urban spaces in the tiles, climate adaptation can be spread very quickly and cheaply, avoiding floods. At the same time, the Climate Tile brings city nature, meeting places and a new resource perspective where the water is harvested and used for watering and operation in the city. Thus, the system solves several challenges in a simple way.
All cities are challenged by climate change and search for new solutions. Copenhagen has more than 700 kilometres and New York’s sidewalks make up 21,000 km. Thus, there are several million square meters in the cities where the Climate Tile can remedy the water problems and add new city qualities. The Climate Tile’s first pilot sidewalk was launched in September at Heimdalsgade in Copenhagen.
The solution is owned by THIRD NATURE and Climate Tile IVS and is developed in collaboration with IBF and ACO Nordic. Other partners are the City of Copenhagen, Malmos A/S, Technological Institute, Orbicon, Collision and Smith Innovation. Realdania and The Market Development Fund have supported the Climate Tile’s development process financially.
