This jagged building is the Musée des Confluences, built on a man-made peninsula in Lyon, France, at the point where the Rhône and Saône rivers converge. “The ground water is very high,” says Wolf Prix, principal architect of Austrian firm COOP HIMMELB(L)AU. “We had to drill about 500 piles into solid ground so it would be safe to build on.”

Source: A look inside the Musée des Confluences in Lyon, France | WIRED UK

Futurists have long dreamed of flying cars — and Slovakian startup AeroMobil has finally built one fit for purpose.

Source: The Slovakian startup building a flying car | WIRED UK

Earth experienced its hottest year on record in 2014, according to the National Climatic Data Center in the US, with extreme weather hitting indiscriminately — from an Arctic winter in Chicago to a year-round drought in Los Angeles. The problem? Rising temperatures caused by global warming mean the atmosphere holds more vapour, resulting in more rain.

Source: High-impact climate events increasingly impact our cities

YouTube is home to many beauty vloggers, but Michelle Phan is undoubtedly its queen. More than seven million subscribers tune in to the 27-year-old’s video makeup tutorials, which have been viewed over one billion times. And, in the process, Phan has turned her face — and the things she puts on it — into a multi-million-dollar brand.

Source: Building a business on video selfies | WIRED UK

The Philharmonie concert hall in Paris opened in January — even though it was unfinished. In the days before its debut, Marshall Day, the company leading the hall’s acoustic design, couldn’t gain access because the gunmen responsible for the Charlie Hebdo attacks had fled to the surrounding area. But rather than suspend the opening, the tragedy created an act of solidarity.

Source: How the City of Lights’ newest concert hall rode out a storm

Urban areas are getting smarter, with city projects such as solar-powered bike paths in Krommenie, the Netherlands, to cardless ATMs in Chicago already under way.

Source: The connected streetscape is here — and it’s smarter than you think

Most people’s origami talents don’t stretch further than a paper plane; Ilan Garibi, however, uses it to build sculptures.

Source: Artist hand-folds metal and wood on a grand scale | WIRED UK

Rather like a contemporary Doctor Frankenstein, Peter Holden makes disembodied limbs dance on his command. The Leipzig-based British artist attaches body parts to a mechanical frame and programs their movements using a computer, to turn his sculptures into animations.

Source: Artist makes mechanical limbs dance on command | WIRED UK

This is the Urban Observatory, an interactive exhibit bursting with geographic data pulled from more than 60 cities around the world, from Abu Dhabi to Yakima, and translated into a common language and scale. Its aim: to help improve the design of future cities.

Source: The Urban Observatory compares world cities for planners | WIRED UK

Amsterdam is about to be encircled by a giant letter G — a park planted with specially modified honeysuckle that has been designed to capture air pollution.

Source: Plant power is cleaning up Amsterdam’s air | WIRED UK