6 In houses built before 1970, it is common to find medicine cabinets with a disposal slot for razorblades. The slot leads to the inside of the bathroom walls, where the blades would collect on the bottom-plate stud. At the time, this was thought to be a safer way to get rid of blades. 

Of all the things that might be hiding inside the walls of a house, razorblades are probably the last thing one would think of. But in houses built before 1970, this is likely to be true.

At the time, it was common for houses to have a built-in medicine cabinet that had a slot to collect used blades. This opening typically led inside the bathroom wall, where the razorblades would pile up on the bottom-plate stud. 

Introduced in 1903, these “safety razors” were meant to counter the risk of using straight-edged blades. However, the lack of a safe disposal method or a proper garbage collection system meant that people were simply burying them in their backyards.

Experts then decided that hiding away used blades inside bathroom walls would be a safer option. But instead, today, they have become another thing to look out for in old buildings. (1, 2)

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7 Mexico City introduced a campaign that allowed dog owners to trade bags of dog poop for free Wi-Fi. Specially designed bins were installed in many parks where owners could deposit poop. The bins also had a scale to weigh the poop, allowing people to get more minutes of Wi-Fi by depositing more poop.

In 2012, Mexican Internet provider Terra teamed up with an ad agency, DDB, to offer free Wi-Fi in public parks. However, there was a small catch to this campaign. 

To avail of the Wi-Fi, dog owners had to collect their pet’s poop and deposit it in specialized bins placed throughout parks in Mexico City. They were then rewarded with free Wi-Fi broadcast through doggy bones-shaped routers. 

The bins used for this campaign were equipped with a scale that measured the amount of poop deposited. The more poop (in weight) that a dog owner put in the bins, the more minutes of Wi-Fi they would get. Terra also placed some people in the parks to oversee the process and ensure no foul play was involved.

Although the campaign was initially meant for dog poop, the companies later clarified the bins could be used to deposit other trash as well. (1, 2)

8 The Banff Wildlife Crossing has some unusual bridges that run over the Trans-Canada Highway for wild animals to walk across. These overpasses resemble a hilly forested area, complete with trees, grasses, and flowers. The crossing has reduced collisions with animals by 80%. 

The Trans-Canada Highway is a commercial road that passes through the Banff National Park in Alberta. In 1978, Public Works Canada proposed splitting some sections of the highway to deal with the overwhelming traffic. Besides this, they also suggested building wildlife crossings and fences to reduce the number of vehicular collisions with animals.

Several underpasses were then built across the road in the 1980s. But the first two overpasses were completed only in 1996 at $1.5 million each. Today, the highway has seven overpasses and 41 underpasses running across it.

From the road, the overpasses look like simple concrete tunnels. However, these second “highways” actually resemble a hilly forest area dotted with trees, grass, and flowers to encourage wild animals to use them.

Since their construction, scientists have observed numerous animals using the crossings, including deer and elk. Studies have also shown that these crossings have reduced collisions with wild animals by 80%. (1, 2)

9 One Rincon Hill, San Francisco contains a 50,000-gallon water tank on its top to counteract the effects of strong winds. In such instances, the water inside is designed to move in the opposite direction of the wind, offsetting its pressure. 

One Rincon Hill in San Francisco is a 697-feet tall tower, which stretches up 64 stories above the street. Although it appears like any other building, this structure is home to an innovative technology known as a “tuned liquid damper.” In this unique design, a simple 50,000-gallon water tank, is placed at the building’s very top.

Since San Francisco is often subjected to strong winds, the building’s engineers wanted to ensure that its movement in the wind could be controlled. But in particular, they were concerned that a rare southeasterly wind off San Francisco Bay could cause people inside the building to experience motion sickness. 

To counteract this, the water inside the tank is made to move in the opposite direction of the winds, offsetting its pressure. The tank also contains screens that will aid in this motion.

Today, such dampers have become more common. But in 2007, One Rincon Hill was credited as the first building on the West Coast to use this design. (1, 2)

10 Wind turbine walls are a type of “kinetic wall” that contain individual rotary blades. When these blades spin, they power a generator that provides electricity to buildings. They also come in various sizes and shapes to add artistic value to the surrounding structures. 

Clean forms of energy, like wind and solar, are the talk of the town today. However, they often need large land areas to be properly installed and may not always add aesthetic value to their surroundings. But a New York-based designer, Joe Doucet, has come up with a unique idea that could help tackle this issue – a wind turbine wall.

Doucet’s prototype is an eight feet tall and 25 feet wide wall with individual rotary blades that spin in the wind. The wall is connected to a mini-generator that produces electricity and even has a battery that can store energy for future use. 

But what’s more striking is that these walls are a perfect blend of utility and beauty. For one, the rotary blades come in numerous shapes, sizes, and colors, allowing the walls to look like an art installation. At the same time, they also generate enough electricity to power a home (around 10,000 kilowatt-hours per year) making them a wonderful innovation. (1, 2)