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Nothing can beat the freshness quotient of a hot-water bath! Better still, if this bath is situated in natural settings in form of a thermal spring. Located in the womb of dense forest cover of the Villarrica National Park (Chile) the Geometric Hot Springs is one green destination which every one would love to visit atleast once in their lifetime! German del Sol have designed the whole hot springs complex in a manner that the architecture bearing the 17 pools (over a stretch of 450 meters) can bring you as close to nature as that fantasized by you in your dreams! The Geometric Hot Springs project got completed in 2005. Since then it has been open to visitors who love to gel in the abundant greenery of the region.

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Tourists are free to pick up any pool they wish to take a dip in and leading them to their destination are the red wooden paths and a ramp without steps. Intelligent lighting system ensures a well-lit path, one that is heated by the thermal water. The latter flows under these paths before being collected in the pools.
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 Post bathing one can enjoy a gossip session at the Quincho or the meeting place. The Quincho’s serene look comes from the native assembled wood that was used in its construction. The distinguishing architectural design employs geometrical shapes in its structure to highlight the natural bounty of the area and provide a calm recluse far away from the maddening city life. The photographs (taken by Guy Wenborne) are enticing enough for me to plan a vacation out there. I’m sure they will affect your senses too!

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Some more pics..
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Via: Archdaily

The Sun is rising in political spheres! Valuing the sun as renewable source of clean solar power, the EU supergrid gets a crucial political backing from UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown and French President Nicolas Sarkozy. It is jointly decided now that the vast desert of Sahara would be the land where dozens of solar farms will be constructed as a part of the $71 Billion EU supergrid infrastructure. The latter is an initiative taken by the European Commission to meet the continent’s electricity demands in future. The clean power generated by this supergrid will be shared by all the EU countries.
It is projected that each farm of the supergrid will generate upto 200 Megawatts of power. This would then be transferred to EU states via high voltage DC transmission, which is a better option over AC lines. The energy loss incurred over long distances is much lesser when DC lines are used. The decision to build solar panels in Sahara originates from the simple fact that the desert receives intense sunlight throughout year which can be effectively harnessed.

 According to an estimate PhotoVoltaic panels installed in Sahara will be 3 times more energy efficient (in terms of electricity generation) than those fitted in the European countries.
The project’s success will effectively reconfirm that solar power will be the most potent among renewable energy sources which also include wind and geothermal powers.

Via: treehugger