Future Stories

Each month on Future Stories, we bring you a little closer to the future of everyday life.

Episode two: The House Of The Future.

We visit the Cob House in Sligo, a family home built out of mud and straw by architect Féile Butler and carpenter Colin Ritchie.

Plus we hear from a UK company who can 'print' your walls, ceilings, windows (and kitchen sink), and slot the whole house together on site.

Solar panelling, energy ratings and insulation are all common real estate buzzwords these days, particularly here in Ireland.

But with high energy efficiency now a standard across the board, what's next for the house you live in? Is there a sustainable way to build - and to live in - your home that gives you more than just reduced energy bills?

Join us as we look ahead to the house of the future.

Brought to you by TheJournal.ie in partnership with Volkswagen.

Narrator: Paula Lyne

Producer: Brian from Headstuff

Theme Music: Glenn Malone

Graphic Design: Orla Finn

Contributors (in order):

Féile Butler, Mud And Wood

Colin Ritchie, Mud And Wood

Dr Shane Colclough, University of Ulster

Rhys Denbigh, Facit Homes

Podcast image: Mud And Wood

Can you make a dessert sweeter by serving it on a different plate? Does wine taste more flavoursome when you're listening to classical music? And is it really possible to trick your brain into thinking stale crisps are fresh?

We dive into what's next for taste, heading to Dublin's Hang Dai Chinese, where music and lighting play as much of a part in the dining experience as the food does.

Plus, we speak to Professor Barry Smith, the founding director of the Centre for the Study of the Senses at the University of London and one of Europe's leading voices on the science of taste.

Brought to you by TheJournal.ie in partnership with Volkswagen.

Narrator: Paula Lyne

Producer: Brian from Headstuff

Theme Music: Glenn Malone

Graphic Design: Orla Finn

Contributors (in order):

Will Dempsey, Hang Dai

Karl Whelan, Hang Dai

Professor Barry Smith, University of London

Gillian Boyle, Hang Dai

Other music credits:

1. Spring Movement 3 Allegro Pastorale, Antonio Vivaldi. Performed by John Harrison with the Wichita State University Chamber Players (freemusicarchive.org)

2. Aurea Carmina, Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

3. Ether Disco, Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

All music licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/