Inhabitat's Week in Green: bubble dresses, LEDs galore and otherwordly stadiums

New York Design Week took Manhattan by storm this week and Inhabitat was on the scene at all the design shows to bring you up-to-the-minute coverage of this year's freshest new designs. We brought you the latest high-tech designs from NYU's ITP student show - including an otherworldly bubble dress that contains a built-in air purification system. We also uncovered a stellar array of next-gen lighting solutions, and we were excited to learn that Hulger's sculptural Plumen CFL bulbs are set to hit US store shelves next month. Speaking of energy-efficient illumination, this week Philips announced the world's first LED replacement for the 75-watt bulb, and registration for the Bright Ideas Lighting Design Competition closes tonight at midnight - which makes this your last chance to submit a green lamp for a shot at winning $1,000.

Energy-generating architecture got some buzz this week with the unveiling of a piezoelectric energy-generating sports stadium that just broke ground in India, a floating solar-powered stadium for Miami, and an algae-powered office building that just won Metropolis Magazine's Next Gen competition. Photovoltaic technology was a hot topic as well as MU researchers developed a new breed of nano-cells capable of capturing 95 percent of solar energy and Diffus unveiled a chic solar-powered bag that flaunts its solar panels instead of hiding them.

In transportation news, this week saw the electric vehicle industry pick up speed as the world's fastest electric race car hit the streets and a 1,610 hp electric superbike broke a drag racing world record while traveling 185,46 miles per hour. Electric vehicles also got major jolt as Energy Secretary Chu announced the installation of 1,800 charging stations and GM broke ground on the first major electric motor factory in the US. Finally, we couldn't help but share this insane VW bus that has been converted into a tractor-treaded tank car.