1 . Four of the Most Comfortable Hotels in Boston

Across the Charles River in Cambridge, this brownstone has generous rooms at generous prices. Check-in is done via your phone, which then becomes the room key for your stay. All rooms are private, including the bathrooms. No hotel staff are on site before 8 am or after 6 pm, and there’s no breakfast. Rooms: From $55.

Need a room for less than 100 bucks? The Farrington Inn, located in the student-favored area of Allston, will see you through. The bathrooms are shared, but for your money you get all you need, such as a double bed, TV, dresser, hairdryer, towels and free Wifi. Check-in is done at the reception desk. If you stay longer than five days, you’ll get a room with a small kitchen too (or access to the shared kitchen). Rooms: From $65.

Hidden in plain sight opposite the city’s lush Public Garden, this grand hotel brings warmth and tranquility (安宁) to every space, all dark wood and leather sofas. The beloved hotel has served a who’s who of guests over the last century, from the Duke and Duchess of Windsor to author Tennessee Williams, who wrote part of A Streetcar Named Desire while living at the hotel. Rooms: From $490.

Housed in Boston’s former Federal Reserve Bank, the hotel was injected an element of fun and colour, most noticeably through the hotel’s art collection, which pays respects to the building’s heritage. Visitors will find more than 300 pieces on display and rotated (轮换) every four months to keep things fresh. Rooms: From $405.

2 . Libraries. They have that reassuring smell of well-read pages, are peaceful, have free Internet and, of course, abundant books.

But guess what? There’s a new kind of library sweeping the nation — a tool library — and it’s just as cool, but in all sorts of different ways.

It’s often said that the average electric drill is only used for 11 minutes in its entire lifetime. Granted, it doesn’t take that long to drill a hole, but still — that’s crazy. Yet the majority of households have one, even though DIY is actually a really infrequent activity for most people.

What if you could just borrow tools when you need them, and drop them back so that they can be used by someone else all the time you’re not DIY-ing? Well, in some parts of Scotland, you now can. Membership-based tool sharing services are popping up in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Stirling, Linlithgow and Cumbernauld. They work just like a normal library but instead of books, you can borrow a massive range of tools and equipment when you need them, then drop them back when you’re done.

Zero Waste Scotland’s Andrew Pankhurst recently renovated (翻新) his house using the Stirling Tool Library. He said, “It’s amazing. It had all the tools I was looking for, and some I didn’t even realize I needed.”

And that’s the beauty of a tool library. Borrow a tool, use it for one afternoon at a small amount of cost of buying it and instead of it cluttering up your house gathering dust, it’s back off to a busy life all across town, week in and week out.

The tools available to borrow are mainly received as donations. The tool library will then repair them if needed and PAT test for safety ready to be borrowed and saved from going to landfill.

So next time you have a job to do around the house, why not borrow rather than buy?

3 . Universities are working harder than ever to attract prospective students to their campuses. One of their main strategies is to upgrade on-campus accommodations and attract students with the promise of resort-style living.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology-Simmons Hall

MIT is home to Simmons Hall, the beloved freshman dorm that offers beautiful views of Cambridge, a two-story movie theater, and a ball pit designed to provide stress relief. Common areas are equipped with TVs and gaming systems, and the in-house dining hall and late night café come in handy for students pulling those occasional all-nighters. 62% of Simmons residents live in single rooms, so students can enjoy their privacy while still staying connected to the spirited Simmons community.

University of Cincinnati-Morgens Hall

The University of Cincinnati’s recently restored Morgens Hall boasts floor-to-ceiling views and luxury apartment-style living. These 2-person, 3-person, and 8-person rooms feature full kitchens, huge closets, and plenty of storage space. The entire building is full of neat tricks, from windows that darken with the touch of a button to eco-friendly heating and cooling technology.

Pomona College-Dialynas & Sontag Hall

Small liberal arts school Pomona College has not one but two of the best college dorms. Dialynas Hall and Sontag Hall, both constructed in 2011, gained national praise for their energy efficient design and are beloved by students for their modern look. Students live in suite-style rooms in arrangements of three to six bedrooms. There’s a drop-down movie screen, a rooftop garden and playing field for pick-up games. Students can learn more about their dorm’s sustainable design by spending time in the in-house eco-classrooms.

4 . Switzerland is set to become home to the world’s tallest wooden residential (住宅的) building.

The project, named Rocket & Tigerli, will consist of four buildings including one that takes pride in a 100-meter-tall (328-foot) tower.

The design will offer modern, high-quality housing with a maximum inflow of daylight, according to its designers, the Danish firm Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects (SHL). It will also seek to create an active neighborhood that will be “rooted in the area’s historical context,” according to a press release from the firm. The surface, for example, will be covered in dark red and yellow bricks combined with dusty green-colored details — in keeping with the red roofs and yellow bricks of the older buildings in the surrounding area.

“It is a big project that will have a significant influence on the community, socially as well as aesthetically. Because of the strong special knowledge Switzerland has, when it comes to building in wood, we are particularly proud to be working on this ground-breaking project.”

The four buildings will consist of housing facilities as well as spaces for shopping, a sky bar and a hotel. It is expected to be completed and ready for residents to move into by 2026. The striking architecture projects set to shape the world in 2022.

SHL competed with eight other architecture companies around the world to design the building. Earlier this year, its design proposal was chosen as the winner — in part because of its open block structure.

The jury (评审团) said in its assessment: “By dissolving the original block structure and integrating (整合) the separate buildings a larger surface area is achieved and thus more daylight, as well as a stronger connection to the surrounding environment.”

6 . People like to celebrate when they move into a new home. Maybe it’ s the first flat someone has owned, a couple’ s first home since getting married or maybe a growing family has moved to a bigger house. For whatever reason, the home is new. It represents a change and an exciting new beginning, with walls to paint, rooms to decorate and neighbors to meet. And what better way to meet people than to throw a party?

Parties to celebrate moving into a new home are called “house-warming” or “flat-warming” parties. If you think about it, they are appropriate names because an empty house with no people or furniture in it is a cold shell of a place. A house full of people, on the other hand, often requires some open windows or air conditioning to keep from getting too hot.

So what are house-warming parties like? Usually, the hosts invite their new neighbors as well as their friends. They usually provide some food and drinks and guests usually bring house-warming gifts. The gift might be something for the house，like a plant, or something for the guests to share, like a bottle of wine. There may be a dress code or theme. For example, if it is a “Hat Party”, people will wear unusual or funny hats. This helps break the ice by making people laugh. This makes it easier to meet new people and creates a fun and cheerful atmosphere.

There’ s an old saying that home is where the heart is. When people throw a house-warming party,they’ re opening their hearts as well as their homes to the people around them. So if you’ re ever invited by new neighbors to a house-warming, go! Then invite them to your home another time. Your home might already be warm, but new friends are the surest way to warm your heart.

7 . These days, green buildings are becoming more and more popular. To understand it, we have to look at three different areas.

Efficient(高效的) Use of Natural Resources

People need to be very careful about the materials they use. It is better to choose renewable materials instead of materials that take many years to come back. And alternative energy sources need to be used whenever possible, like solar power.    1    .

Meeting the Needs of Users

Planners must also consider the needs and comfort of those who will spend time in green buildings.     2     For example, a little heat from the sun or a cool, light wind is more pleasant than central heating or air conditioning. In fact, many people who live or work in green buildings report feeling happier and healthier.

Environmental Influence

Green architects must think about the effect the building will have on the environment around it.     3     They also have to think about the way it is built: reducing waste and pollution while the building work is going on.

    4     But green architects argue that, although the early costs of a green building are higher, the final costs will be lower. Through green architecture, a building’s energy costs, for example, can easily be 30 percent lower than those of a traditional building    5    So, although green buildings are more expensive to build, they are less expensive to operate.

10 . Four homes built using everyday objects

Can newspapers and bottles be used as building materials? After touring these four homes built using these objects, you might just believe the answer is yes.

One man’s trash is another man’s treasure. Truer words could not describe Robert Bezeau’s project which began in 2012. After collecting tens of thousands of bottles, Bezeau recruited a team of locals to construct a building using the unwanted materials.

The Bottle Houses on Prince Edward Island, Canada, are the creation of Edouard T. Arsenault and his daughter Rejeanne. The father and daughter began construction in 1980. Over the months, they collected empty bottles, and by 1981 they opened the house to the public. Since then, the building has remained open to visitors, with sunny days being the best time to visit.

Michael Reynolds built his first Earthship when he was 23 years old. Starting out with nothing more than empty bottles, Reynolds set out to create a home that was not only sustainable, but also easy enough for someone without a construction background to build. Earthship Biotecture offers nightly stays. Self-guided tours are also available.

When Elis F. Stenman built his summer home in 1922, he turned to paper for materials. The design has proven to be quite durable, as it’s still standing nearly 100 years later. The home has been open to visitors since the 1930s, and only began charging 10 cents per person in 1942 when it became a museum. Today visitors can experience the Paper House for themselves for $2 for adults and $1 for children.