This new concept by Belatchew Arkitekter for onsite renewable energy generation in high rise architecture has caught our eye. Designed for the city of Stockholm (an extension of the south tower on Södermalm), the building would generate its own power through piezoelectric energy produced by the cilia-like protrusions on the surface of the building.
This is similar to the technology used in Windstalk (from the 2010 LAGI design competition) and Electric Meadow (from the 2012 LAGI design competition). Another article dedicated to the formal attributes of these designs can be read here.
When placed on a building surface as Belatchew has done, the effect will really be amazing. Imagine the UK Pavilion at the 2010 Shanghai Expo by Heatherwick Studio, with each of its follicles free to sway independently in the breeze. Maybe in the future our cities will be retrofitted to bring this urban wind harvesting to the majority of the buildings. We can see all of our Venturi corridors lined with energy cilia, perhaps collecting our pollution while lighting our nights.
via POPSCI
