September 2010

AECOM & Squint/Opera
Christopher Choa, Maged Hanna, Daniel Elsea, Rachael Pengilley, Margot Orr, Shafee Jones-Wilson, Hardik Pandit (AECOM); Jules Coke, Nick Taylor, Amelia Roberts (Squint/Opera); and Michael Bonnington
Designed for Site #2 in Abu Dhabi, between Saadiyat Island and Yas Island.

Design Submission for the 2010 Land Art Generator Initiative Design Competition

Artist’s descriptive text:
TRANSPIRE v. [to emerge, to be made public]

TRANSPIRATION n. [a natural process similar to evaporation. The expression of water from the aerial parts of plants as part of their energy cycle]

TRANSPIRE makes the invisible visible.

On a long narrow site bounded by a canal and a highway, one hundred iconic stainless-steel spires sway like barasti reeds and produce a soft shape-shifting cloud that clearly marks the site from a great distance.

We drew influence from many sources — including large-scale contemporary artists such as Robert Smithson, Jenny Holzer and the French street artist JR. Artists such as these have been exploring new frontiers in using surrounding built, natural and social environments as their canvas. We were also deeply influenced by local context: the harsh climate of the area and traditional forms found in architecture that provide shade.

Transpire is a net producer of energy. Elegant in its simplicity, the installation celebrates the alchemy of natural elements essential for human survival; sunlight and seawater transform into abundant electrical power, freshwater, and salt. Transpire is a net producer of energy, a net zero-carbon solution, and emits zero pollutants.

Against the backdrop of a flourishing acacia grove set in a moat of multi-hued crystallized salt, the spires and the floating cloud combine to create a meaningful and symbolic gateway to Abu Dhabi.

Transpire creates a unique public intervention in an unexpected place. It is also a dynamic art venue: imagery, films and text created by invited artists or the public can be projected onto the cloud bank at night. During the day, under certain atmospheric conditions, a rainbow will form, visible all the way from Abu Dhabi.

Stretching over 1.6 kilometers along the Saadiyat/Shahama expressway, the Transpire installation consists of five inter-related parts:

FIELD
Solar rays, focused within 300,000sm of 9-meter wide parabolic troughs, heat synthetic oil to very high temperatures. This heat is transferred directly to a steam turbine cycle, or to reservoirs of molten salt to be used for power production both day and night. The extended area under the solar troughs is shaded from the sun – an extraordinary landscape that can be used as a public park.

POWER
Heat exchange infrastructure, including underground molten salt reservoirs, turbine generators, and the desalination system, is contained within a 1 Ha secure perimeter. Stored thermal energy powers steam turbines to generate up to 12Mw electrical power during the day, or 6Mw at night. Seawater heated in an independent loop as a by-product of the power generation cycle produces low-pressure steam and potable water. Guided tours will allow the public to observe the technical processes at close range.

SPIRES
One hundred spires line the expressway and vent condensing fresh-water steam to seed the cloud bank. Each spire is 30 meters in overall height, and consists of a 27-meter ballasted lightweight top portion superimposed over a 3-meter anchored base. An internal pivot point within the central flange of the base allows the top of the spire to react freely to external wind movements. Low-pressure steam is fed into the spires via a flexible hose led through the base’s central flange, ultimately venting through nozzles along the spire’s edges.

GROVE
A grove of one thousand acacias in sealed planter beds is irrigated by 300,000 liters/day of potable water produced entirely on-site by the desalinization cycle.

MOAT
A by-product of the desalinization cycle, concentrated brine cascades down terraces and creates and creates a surreal multi-hued crystalline field around sealed acacia planters. No waste brine is discharged into the canal.

low-res version PDF of submitted boards

Alex Bogusat and Rebecca Henricksen
Designed for Site #2 in Abu Dhabi, between Saadiyat Island and Yas Island.

Design Submission for the 2010 Land Art Generator Initiative Design Competition

Artist’s descriptive text:
Concept and Energy
To us Site 3 represents a place of connections and relations to its surroundings, as it is enclosed by highways linking the airport, Masdar city, Abu Dhabi and the surrounding countryside. Our intention is to pay tribute to the link between the country’s regions: dessert, mountain and sea. We explored these regions, inspiring all aspects of our design, including its orientation, form and mosaic screen.

The artwork is in the form of a triangle, with each branch reaching out towards a different aspect of the Emirate connection to life. One branch rests on the ground and forms upward into a sand-dune like organic shape. The North-West branch begins below the surface of the earth where it will collect rainwater and form a reflection pond. This arm curls up in a wave-form (representing the sea) and unites with the dune branch to form a mountainous look-out view point, accessible to visitors by a path along the edge. From this vantage point, (11m high), visitors will be able to see the three connecting regions of the country, as well as have a 360’ view of the Masdar City sky-line.

The sand-dune and mountainous elements of the artwork will be covered with energy photovoltaic cells (0.25m x 0.25m) that are allowed to blow fluidly in the wind, creating reflection patterns that mimic the sand dunes, and allowing the PV cells to capture the sun at many different angles on a continuous basis. The wind will allow for the PV cell shadows to dance and shift onto the ground below.

Environmental Impact Assessment
Basic mitigation strategy of our design initiative involves adhering to the principles laid out in the design brief, where our land art generator installation will be able to produce enough power to help alleviate the dependence of Abu Dhabi on fossil fuel generated power sources. The idea is to take the first step in alleviating population dependency on the burning of fossil fuels and in turn suggest alternative methods of sustainable energy production readily available to all. We want to address the issues of climate change and global warming and present this information in an understandable and educational way to site visitors everyday.

Our site strategy begins with the physical placement of our art installation. We wanted to adhere to a small footprint, and keep as much of the site untouched as possible. The artwork is placed in the South-West corner of the site in order to reduce its environmental impact, while creating a visible point of interest from the highway. The height is kept at a reasonable proportion in order to be visible to passing motorists both through and over the thin tree layer, yet it maintains its human scale as visitors are able to climb, touch, and feel before getting a great view of the nearby Masdar City skyline.

Solar Energy will be collected and stored underground where it will be linked to the energy grid of Masdar City. We are aware that there are production costs associated with the production of Photo-Voltaic Panels, including the high energy costs associated with silica production; however further consideration indicates that the benefits of the solar panel system will far outweigh the costs over little time. With the United Arab Emirates containing vast amounts of sand, this resource is considered a renewable commodity.

Structure
The Land Art Sculpture will be supported with arched steel columns approximately 0.5m wide. Steel is needed in order to support the organic shape of the form, and to enable the artwork to both connect with the land, and soar to heights of approximately 11m.

low-res version PDF of submitted boards

Studio for the Production of Reality:
M. Gunnison Collins (Lead Designer & Producer)
Aparna Sundaram (Clean Tech Analyst)
Scott Reinthaler (Architectural Illustrator)
With assistance from:
Jon Morris, Interactive Performance Artist, The Windmill Factory
Frank Barbour, Landscape Architect, The Windmill Factory
Matt Welsh, Graphic Designer, KillDiscoDesign
Jason Grimes, Illustrator
Designed for Site #2 in Abu Dhabi, between Saadiyat Island and Yas Island.

Design Submission for the 2010 Land Art Generator Initiative Design Competition

Artist’s descriptive text:
AP-REP challenges our psycho-social assumptions regarding the creeping ubiquity of the “Big Box,” as a symbol of dehumanized contemporary life, by subverting that form’s use for direct civic good and public enrichment. Such an industrial scale structure may at first appear as overwhelming as Big Industry, itself. But it is only within that context that any potentially successful movement toward sustainable human existence must be made. Sustainability is not anathema to the future of a successful U.A.E., as some in the west might postulate. Rather, any vision that ignores its continued success is not a sustainable vision at all. AP-REP proposes a narrative by which this premise might not only appear realistic, but appealing and desirable.

In the wake of the 20th Century, it is clear to us that any attempt to reconcile the seemingly disparate constructs of nature and artifice through the use of visual analogy or conceptual art is desperate, futile, and a legitimate expression of trauma, at best. The struggle to find harmony between the two by approaching them through the decorative arts offers some relief. When mankind proceeds under the illusion that humanity and nature are somehow fundamentally at odds, rather than seeing them as microcosmic echoes of each other, we unwittingly maintain a general denial of human nature.

It is human to seek shelter in familiar things – all familiar things being essentially man-made, even Nature, itself. It is human to fend off destitution and loneliness with fanciful hopes of redemption and the comfort of intimate sentiments shared under shelter. In more temperate climes, nature is something we approach as the Other for comfort. Any vision that claims we can live symbiotically in peace with nature has a utopian flair that offends common sense or may seem ridiculously idealistic, when viewed from within the conventional polar dichotomy. There is no imperative reason to see things in such a fractured way. For through acculturation and time all forms lose the teeth of their original intent and gain an organic trajectory within passing society. All things return to nature.

Despite the feelings of personal detachment and the individual’s sense of alienation that often accompany contemporary corporatized social forms (embodied by the Big Box structure), we can take some personal, if morbid, comfort in the knowledge that humanity’s legacy will be biological. All of the institutions which fence us in will deteriorate in the sands of time, leaving only ruins, remnants, and habits. Of this we can be certain. For this reason, man-made things ought look man-made without concern, for by that quality they glorify humanity and nature.

And so in response, AP-REP’s seemingly violent imposition on the landscape is designed to accommodate both graceful deterioration and conservation by way of re-use and adaptability. It is a place that, from Abu Dhabi, appears monolithic and brutal, not unlike the desert itself, yet upon approach becomes transparent and alive. The super-structure is a dynamic shade regulating device that enables a multiplicity of social institutions as a civic oasis. At its functional core, here is an armature for the scientific exploration of solar technologies. The peripheral functions are manifold and complimentary to that end.

The Park’s expression recalls an earlier era in the Islamic world when royal benefactors endowed public monumental destinations for the enrichment of their citizenry, such as the Great Mosques, Hamam, Caravansaries, Hospitals, Madrassas, Türbe & Mausoleums, “Lunatic Asylums,” (literally refuges for the mentally impaired), Parks & Avenues, Bazaars and Imperial Colonies. It harkens back, in its tectonic imagery to the world’s first era of Industrialization, when new technologies found expression in the monuments of the day, such as the Eiffel Tower, London’s Crystal Palace, Paris’s Biblioteque Nationale, and New York’s old Penn Station. The complexity of program is in keeping with recent aesthetic developments in Islamic Culture, making concession to entertainment and leisure complexes throughout the region. Through establishing itself in the alternative energy industry and by voluntarily giving renewable resources a vibrant role within the local social fabric, the U.A.E. can ensure the longevity of its ascent in a more sustainable world. That is the modest aspiration of this proposal.

The super-structure is divided into five 160mx160m square sections. Each section is an open platform for a different type of solar energy collection device, each able to be retrofitted with new technologies as they emerge. A retractable crane on a rail track, located along the south side of the structure, provides the means for these transitions. Towers enabling the capture of the sun’s energy rise out of the structure, reminding us of power plants and lighthouses. The heliotropic motion of all but one of the solar-collection systems gives expression to the sun’s movement and offer dynamic shade as protection from the elements. Foil faced roman-shades at the perimeter are held in position by taught catenaries and are raised or lowered for maximum comfort and to regulate solar exposure in the area beneath the permeable solar-collecting roof. They billow and ripple in the wind as a soft façade.

The AP-REP super-structure has been designed to be a platform for five existing solar technologies, all of which are commercially available and in use today, but are not yet cost-competitive. Innovation is still required mainstream these commercial technologies. Re-positioning these and other technologies, such that they become ubiquitous and inarguably modern features in the landscape is AP-REP’s goal. This is a vision of a near future: modernity that aspires to harmony between nature and human nature is its core thesis. The initial cost of this facility is estimated to be between US$1b and US$2b.

The sun’s energy is captured on the rooftop of the great hall through photovoltaic, concentrated photovoltaic, solar thermal and solar convection technologies. Photovoltaic energy is used in two sections, employing different technologies: tandem junction amorphous silicon (a-Si) and copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS), both of which attempt to solve the issue of cost in different ways. A-Si can be produced in extremely large panels, highlighting that its solution to the cost problem is scale. CIGS can be produced in flexible strips of extremely small sizes, highlighting that its solution is volume. Both technologies can be used in building-integrated photovoltaic [BIPV] products, emphasizing that their goal is not simply energy generation, but also efficiency. BIPV enables distributed generation, giving people the benefit of powering their homes, vehicles, equipment, and appliances independently. Both a-Si and CIGS have the potential to displace a portion of revenues in the construction industry that go towards inefficient or single-use materials. Capture of just 0.05% of the world construction market will reap benefits of close to $2 billion dollars a year.

Concentrated photovoltaic (CPV) and concentrated solar thermal are used in two other separate sections. These technologies seek to solve energy and cost problems through massive scale and centralized designs. They are appropriate where cheap land is available and solar resources are abundant – such as desert lands. CPV uses mirrors to reflect radiant energy from the sun, concentrating it onto a single photovoltaic collector. The collector converts the solar energy to electricity in the same way as a-Si and CIGS – by passing the radiant energy through a semiconductor material which draws out electrons and creates the current that is electricity. Solar thermal reflects radiant energy from the sun to a collector which contains water. Water temporarily stores heat energy, which can be used directly or converted into power to be stored long term. Both of these technologies have the potential to displace large-scale fossil fuel facilities. Just a 0.05% redirection of global energy revenues will earn over $1 billion dollars in a year.

The last technology used on the AP-REP roof is a solar chimney. This is the lowest cost solar technology, but also the least efficient. Radiant energy from the sun heats air below the glass roof of a low, flat enclosure. As the heated air rises, the stack in the center of the structure channels the air upwards. A turbine within the tower uses the resulting updraft to create electricity. Simply put, convection created by confined radiant energy generates power.

These five technologies highlight the possibilities for harnessing solar energy: electricity, heat, and convection are but a few. The Innovation Center housed within the labs in the low, western-most bay invites scientists and product developers to collaborate on refining existing methods and creating new ones in order to solve critical issues of the 21st century in a practical and sustainable way. The hall itself and the structure above provide the opportunity for these innovations to be showcased to the citizens of and the visitors to the U.A.E. A solar technology innovation that captures just 4% global solar market share would earn $1.4 billion a year.

low-res version PDF of submitted boards

EMERGENT
Tom Wiscombe, Bin Lu, Ryan Lamb, and Dave Dantz
Designed for Site #2 in Abu Dhabi, between Saadiyat Island and Yas Island.

Design Submission for the 2010 Land Art Generator Initiative Design Competition

Artist’s descriptive text:
Inspired by seductive and mysterious imagery of Martian deserts gathered by NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, this proposal produces an alien landscape on earth. The design consists of a field of artificial sand dunes made with pneumatic membrane bubbles covered with layers of sand accumulated from desert winds over time. The bubbles act as scaffolds for shaping sand at a massive scale. Extreme wind-formed and under-cut morphologies drive the design, reminiscent of Martian dunes, which are built up in layers of frozen carbon dioxide and sand. The windward sides of the dunes are aerodynamic and embedded in the ground, while their leeward sides are crystalline and cantilevered.

The bubbles are made of fitted, welded polyethylene membrane- similar to clothing patterns- so they take specific shapes when inflated. High-pressure air-beams sewn into the bubbles give additional overall support and help articulate crease and fold lines in the bubbles. Depending on whether or not the installation will need to be moved, the bubbles can either be kept under constant pressure or permanently hardened using carbon-fiber pre-preg technology. Bubbles will be tied down to the ground with a tension net embedded with a vascular hydronic system. The ground is a simple foundation of sand, hardened through a microbially-induced chemical reaction. No heavy foundations or superstructures are needed. Everything required for construction can be folded, rolled, or otherwise compacted for delivery to the site, similar to the way large structures in outer space are deployed. For the amount of volume constructed, the embodied energy required is extremely low.

Like Robert Smithson’s Spiral Jetty and other land art projects from the 1970’s, this is a project where scale matters, and the scale is tremendous. It is Google Earth scale. Nevertheless, underneath the flying dunes are deep shaded areas and lush grottos at the human scale, making the piece visitor friendly. Water inlets, which feed these grottos and provide evaporative cooling, also supply water to the vascular nets. Moreover, by breaking the hard edge of the site boundary, these inlets will allow for aquatic ecologies to develop on the site over time.

Thin-film solar cells appear and disappear in striking patterns across the dunes. Their pattern simultaneously responds to the path of the sun but also to painterly concerns. The image is therefore not one of technological efficiency, but of something vibrating between geology, technology, and synthetic ornament.

The energy output is nonetheless significant– in the range of 1.45 megawatts– which is enough to supply over 500 houses with power. This method of generating electricity reduces carbon dioxide emissions by 1,500 tons a year. In arid conditions, it is critical that the thin-film solar system is cooled and also kept clean in order to maintain its performance. During the day, the vascular nets act as heat-exchange systems, sucking heat away from solar surfaces, while at night, directional valves on the nets are opened, releasing water mist to clean away dust and sand.

low-res version PDF of submitted boards

Tony Leung
Designed for Site #2 in Abu Dhabi, between Saadiyat Island and Yas Island.

Design Submission for the 2010 Land Art Generator Initiative Design Competition

Artist’s descriptive text:
Concept
These inflatable ‘beach balls’ not only serve as containers for PV films but also an installation interacting with wind, topography and visitors.

Photovoltaic
When inflated, the ball is temporarily stabilized by the counterweighted bottom cap. The PV films that weaved into a stretched membrane is tilted at 25 degrees from the horizon within the stabilized section, which provides better efficiency according to the latitude angle of Dubai (25° N).

When deflated, the tile angle of PV films will be zero.

Output
Each film contains 3㎡ of PV cells film which gives a maximum output of 200W approximately.

Material
Each clear latex ‘beach ball’ measures 2m in diameter. Alternatively, ETFE foil that allows better light penetration could be tested.

Base cap
The base cap contains LED lighting, air valve and silicon cable connectors which provides flexible cable movement. Each unit is color coded to match the color cap of ‘base station’ and should be carefully weighted to offset the weight of PV films above.

Night view
At night, these ‘beach balls’ will be illuminated by LED lighting installed on each base cap, producing a moving lightscape along the highway.

Base Station
Each base station is equipped with air pump, inverter and battery.

These stainless steel units are buried 1m underground to provide anchors for five to six ‘beach balls’ and to convert electricity from DC to AC for storage or transmission to electric grid.

A 8m cable containing air and electric conduits is connected to each beach ball.

Site impact
Consider the sandy and loose soil condition, the proposal is easy to install, remove and highly expandable.

low-res version PDF of submitted boards

Jose Carlos de Silva and Leonardo de Silva
Designed for Site #1 in Dubai, near Ras al Khor Wildlife Sanctuary.

Design Submission for the 2010 Land Art Generator Initiative Design Competition

Artist’s descriptive text:
SUNFLOWER Concept
Flowers, as plants in general, capture sunlight during the day, they transform the sunlight energy into chemical energy and by consuming carbon dioxide and water, they generate biomass and oxygen. Many flowers also follow the sun in order to maximize their exposure to the light that sustains their life. In an attempt to mimic nature, we present a system that, like plants and flowers, transforms sunlight into another form of energy that is more suitable for our needs. A giant ‘flower’ stretches up to the sky with an intelligent body that adapts during the day in order to directly expose its petals to the solar rays. With its petals, consisting of tens of solar collectors, it transforms light into electrical energy. Part of this energy is given away to the electricity grid, while another part is stored in the form of hydrogen inside balloons that will inflate and, when hydrogen is consumed in order to produce electricity, deflate, giving the SUNFLOWER an ever-changing shape, like it was breathing. The mix of different kinds of ‘petals’ will give every SUNFLOWER a unique shape.

These SUNFLOWERS are placed within a network of paths (branches) that extend through the site, creating a park where visitors can safely come and enjoy the view, and the comfort given by the shadow projected by the SUNFLOWER. There will be no more noise than the air running through the landscape on the site.

How it works
The SUNFLOWER is a solar photovoltaic electric generator. It is composed by a series of solar balloons with a concave reflective surface that captures and concentrates light 400 fold and directing it to a photovoltaic panel. The group of spheres that compose the SUNFLOWER follow the sun by bending the ‘stem’ or supporting structure. The electricity generated is then partially sent to the grid and partially used to generate Hydrogen using fuel cells, devices that can transform hydrogen and oxygen into water and electricity in an efficient, silent and reliable way to be stored and later used to generate electricity at night or during peak hours.

3- How much it generates:
The SUNFLOWERS in SITE 1 can generate up to 1 MW of continuous electricity 24 hours a day. This can be adapted depending on need; it could generate less Hydrogen for the night and send more electricity to the grid during the day.

Harvesting, Storing
The SUNFLOWER generates the electricity during the sun hours. Part of the electricity is sent to the grid and part is used to produce Hydrogen by water electrolysis which is then stored in low pressure hydrogen balloons. When in need of electricity between sun hours, for example at night, hydrogen is combined with the oxygen in the air to produce electricity and water using fuel cells. The water generated by the fuel cell is stored for future hydrogen production in a closed loop to avoid waste. In the process, oxygen is constantly being taken from and released into the atmosphere. Hydrogen can be stored for any period of time without any losses as opposed to expensive and complex batteries.

The SUNFLOWER has two types of petals
1. The solar panel: inflated, balloon-shaped concentrators. Each 8-foot-diameter concentrator is made of plastic film—the same kind of plastic film used to bag potato chips, pretzels, and so on—with a transparent upper hemisphere and a reflective lower hemisphere. When inflated with air, the concentrator naturally forms a shape that focuses or concentrates sunlight onto a PV cell placed at the focal point. This means we need fewer cells to produce a lot more electricity. In fact, a single cell in our concentrator generates about 300 to 400 times the electricity of a cell without a concentrator (text via: Cool Earth Solar).

The inflated structure is naturally strong—strong enough to support a person’s weight—and aerodynamically stable, able to withstand winds of 125 miles per hour. Finally, the transparent upper surface protects the PV cell and mirrored surface from the environment, including rain and snow, as well as insects and dirt.
Each concentrator has additional structural components: a small steel strut and a harness. The steel strut, tethered in place, holds the cell at the focal point inside the concentrator and provides a conduit for a small water loop that cools the cell. A lightweight, flexible steel band forms a harness around the circumference of the concentrator and is used to hold and point the concentrator (text via: Cool Earth Solar).

2. The Hydrogen Balloons: Made of plastic materials in order for them to deflate and inflate as the pressure changes inside them. The pressure is kept low (under 10 bar) in order to make the balloons cheaper to manufacture and to save energy by storing hydrogen at the same pressure it is generated within the electrolysers. The balloons will be deflated in the morning when the Hydrogen stock has been depleted by the electricity consumption during the night and will re-inflate during the day as the sun provides the energy to produce new hydrogen. This inflation and deflation will give the SUNFLOWER an infinite shape change just like flowers that open for the sun in the morning and close at night.

The stem
The SUNFLOWER stem consists of a central flexible structure surrounded by cables that run up and down giving it stability. These cables will then control the SUNFLOWER orientation by pulling and letting go according to need, which will give the SUNFLOWER an infinite range of movement and allow it to follow the sun without the need of any other complex multilink system. The movement will be slow and silent, just like in a sunflower, without affecting the wildlife, site visitors or anything.

The base
The SUNFLOWER base is a concrete underground machine room that works as foundation. In this room we find the SUNFLOWER movement control equipment, the hydrogen generators and fuel cells, the electrical connection to the grid and a water tank for storing the water generated at night that will be used to produce hydrogen during the day. The water tank will empty and fill depending of the amount of hydrogen available in the SUNFLOWER.

Scalability of the design
Since the idea is made of beautiful, independent, fully functional elements (SUNFLOWER s), the scalability is infinite, it can be put all over the grid, on top of buildings in the middle of parks in fuel stations, along the road. It is entirely safe, very light and with no exposed moving parts.

Environmental Footprint

Construction: It requires the transportation of the steel cables and structure (prepared in a factory), the deflated balloons, some water and all to be assembled in place with no heavy equipment.

Life and maintenance: The SUNFLOWER will require minimal maintenance, the whole process is contained either in sealed balloons or in the machine room in the basement with no exposed moving parts, and there is minimal need of cleaning. The solar panels and hydrogen balloons are easily replaced whenever needed. The flexible stem can flex all the way to the floor level to allow maintenance to be done with just some ladders or small equipment to reach the upper parts of the SUNFLOWER. The balloons concentrate the light received into the photovoltaic cell; therefore no reflection of light will be emitted to the atmosphere distracting birds and airplanes.

End of life cycle recycling: All parts are made of entirely recyclable materials, steels and plastics. They could be restored or recycled to create new generators in a cradle-to- cradle fashion.

Safe: In case of a catastrophic event, the hydrogen stored in low pressure balloons will disperse immediately in the atmosphere (zero pollution or explosivity). In the extreme case of a SUNFLOWER falling down the solar balloons are so light that they will create minimal damage absorbing most of the impact and the electric generation will stop the moment the panels stop receiving sunlight.

low-res version PDF of submitted boards

Matthew Johnson and Jason Logan
Designed for Site #2 in Abu Dhabi, between Saadiyat Island and Yas Island.

Design Submission for the 2010 Land Art Generator Initiative Design Competition

Artist’s descriptive text:
The Prism Cloud hovers over the desert, alternately casting shadows and spectral light on its surface. It attempts to render the invisible visible, calling attention to atmospheric elements that might otherwise go unnoticed. Within the empty context of a desert, the Prism Cloud creates an experiential fullness. Light is made visible by splitting prismatically into its various colors. Wind is made visible and audible as the canopy ripples and moves. The sky and the sand are framed in experiential oases made from concrete, which act as focal points and structure for the canopy. The canopy also harnesses solar energy through its array of photovoltaic cells. The project finds beauty in the extreme nature of the landscape, amplifying its effects. The elemental qualities of the site become focused at the point where the desert meets the water under a vast sky.

Mirage: Bent Light
From the New Khalifa Highway, the Prism Cloud appears as a mirage, an optical trick. Its reflective upper surface shimmers, seeming to bend the light. This effect acts as a kind of beacon, drawing visitors to the site.

Canopy: Shaded Light
The cable net canopy forms a tensile structure. As wind moves over the cable net, it flexes, creating moving shadows and prismatic light. The northwest wind is drawn through the structures of the photovoltaic cells, cooling the shaded space even further. Because the primary structure is a cable net suspended above the desert, the fragile ecology is preserved and allowed to shift and evolve.

Prism: Diffracted Light
The canopy of the Prism Cloud is constructed from a steel cable net attached to concrete piers (oases.) Embedded within the cable net are alternating glass prisms and photovoltaic cells. The prisms split the sunlight into spectral colors, which are refracted onto the surface of the desert below. These create pools of multicolored light through which visitors can wander. Photovoltaic cells are pyramidal structures that absorb solar energy on their south sides, and act as wind-scoops on their north sides.

Oasis: Framed Light
The unordered field of the prism canopy is punctuated by five concrete oases. As visitors wander from under the canopy into each oasis, they are made aware of the elemental condition of the desert. The sky is vast and framed by the upper edge of the oasis. Sunlight fills the space, while the ground is either pure sand or water, creating a plane of a singular material. Sky, sand, and the meridian in between.

Environmental Impact Statement
The Prism Cloud is minimally invasive to its environment and the surrounding desert ecology, since the only point at which it touches the ground is at the concrete piers, which can be spaced far apart. The primary structure is a cable net that never touches the ground.

low-res version PDF of submitted boards

Rebar
Rebar Group is John Bela, Rachael Yu, Matthew Passmore, Blaine Merker,
Teresa Aquilera, and Masha Slavnova
Additional support from Geoff Sharples, Ric O’Connell, Grant Ballard, and Sahar Qawasmi
Designed for Site #1 in Dubai, adjacent to Ras Al Khor Wildlife Sanctuary.

Design Submission for the 2010 Land Art Generator Initiative Design Competition

Artist’s descriptive text:

CONCEPT OVERVIEW
Artocos are folded shell structures that capture and combine solar energy and wind to generate power, create space to inhabit and contemplate the surrounding ecosystem, and make visible and audible environmental processes that shape our lives. Each piece is composed of a double layer wall oriented to the path of the sun. Internal walls are clad with dark-colored thin film photovoltaic modules. Air enters through grated air intake vents facing the predominant wind direction. Sunlight heats the air in the chamber between the walls generating a convection air current while activating the photovoltaic cells. The double-layer wall curves and folds to enclose a wind turbine and three flue organ pipes. Air moving through the double wall rises and accelerates to power the wind turbine and activate flue organ pipes that generate musical tones.

Artocos is inspired by and derived from one of the lesser-known inhabitants of the Ras Al Khor wetland adjacent to the site. The Socotra Cormorant, Phalacrocorax nigrogularis, is a cormorant that is endemic to the Persian Gulf and the south-east coast of the Arabian Peninsula. Its color is almost entirely black. In breeding condition, its forecrown has a purplish gloss and its upperparts have a slaty-green tinge, there are a few white plumes around the eye and neck and a few white streaks at the rump.

The birds are highly gregarious, with roosting flocks of 250,000 having been reported, and flocks of up to 25,000 at sea. Since 2000, this species has been listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, on the grounds of its small range. Its number are suspected to be undergoing a continuous and rapid decline because of human development near its nesting colonies; a recent estimate of the world population put it at about half a million.

SITE ENVIRONMENTAL CHARACTER
The form and orientation of the piece is generated by a direct response to the site environmental conditions. Site One features excellent solar access and substantial wind from the northeast. Facing south, the thin film solar module clad double wall is oriented to maximize exposure to the suns rays. The body cavity and air intake valves are oriented to the northeast, facing the predominant wind movement.

POWER PRODUCTION
Artocos feature a double-layer wall that capture and combine solar energy and wind to generate power. Air enters via the grated intake valves and passes into the chamber between the double wall. The interior skin is clad with ~ 65 square meters of thin film solar modules that absorb heat while generating electricity. ~65 square meters of thin film solar modules produce a steady 3 kW for 7 to 8 hours in the summer and an average of 1.5 kW for 4 to 5 hours in the winter.

Air in the chamber heats and rises through the walls and is directed to an enclosed wind turbine. The turbine is based on the Airbreeze model by Southwest Windpower, Inc. Operating at 20% efficiency, the 400 Watt, 46” diameter Airbreeze generates 700kWh per year. Air exiting the chamber turns the turbine and passes through the flue organ pipes, generating power and music.

SITE
Site One, located between the Ras Al Khor wildlife sanctuary and the proposed Lagoons development, is an opportune setting for a project that introduces a new aesthetic of ecological function combined with energy generation, engages current and future urban residents in the complex dynamics of urban ecosystems, and explores the critical role of decentralized power production through the medium of public art.

To the west of the site, the Ras Al Khor Wildlife Sanctuary represents an enclave of relative wilderness amidst swirling traffic and sprawling urban infrastructure. Located just as the name in Arabic suggests – at the Cape of the Creek, it is among the few urban protected areas of the world. The mangroves, mudflats, lagoons, sabkhas, reedbeds and shrubs form a wonderful wetland coastscape that supports both nature and local people. Recognition of its global importance has promoted its ecological, educational, cultural and aesthetic values.

Formerly a wide, muddy intertidal area, dredging operations in the ‘70s and ’80s changed habitat. Large areas of mudflats associated with the tidal inlet, were reclaimed with dredge spoil. Only pockets of natural habitat survived and these were protected. Large scale mangrove plantations in the conservation area followed. According to data from numerous sources, water quality at the site is a serious challenge. With the proposed major development around the site, it is anticipated the volume of treated sewage water entering the wetland will soon increased considerably.

To the east of the site is the proposed Lagoons development. If constructed, the Lagoons development will cover an area of 70 million square feet (6.5 million square meters). Seven artificial islands will be linked to each other, consisting of residential apartments, shopping malls, office buildings, five-star hotels, resorts, a museum, marinas, and Dubai’s first opera house. At present the project is suspended; however, a leading regional property developer has announced that the Dubai Lagoon substation has been completed and is ready to be commissioned. Built to ensure uninterrupted electricity supply for the massive community project, the substation is part of the developer’s effort to complete the site infrastructure.

It is in this context that we propose our art piece and intervention to demonstrate the elegance and beauty of renewable power production integrated in a dense urban and ecologically rich setting.

VISITOR EXPERIENCE
From the shaded interior of the shell, visitors can operate the mechanical levers that change the pitch of the flue pipe wind organ, enabling a collaboration to generate harmonic tones filling the landscape with gentle music.

In our concept, power generated from Artocos is connected to the city grid to offset power used to improve water quality of the Dubai Creek watershed through biological and engineering measures.

When Artocos are activated by the sun and wind, they generate harmonic tones that create an audible cue that renewable energy is being produced and directed to improve the health of the sensitive ecology of the site.

low-res version PDF of submitted boards