Oscillating Platforms

Oscillating Platforms
Submission to the 2014 Land Art Generator Initiative Copenhagen design competition

Artist Team: Felix Cheong
Artist Location: Toronto, Canada
Energy Technologies: wind sails, oscillating water column, Wells turbine

Oscillating Platforms invites the surrounding waterway to enter the site, creating a flooded area within the Sønder Hoved Pier into which a series of freeform, floating platforms are anchored. These platforms, reminiscent of inverse ship hauls, have masts and sails integrated into the design, allowing them to catch the prevailing winds coming from the west. In addition, they are meant to be habitable surfaces that visitors can use as viewing platforms out onto the water.

The platforms act as oscillating water columns that convert both wind and tidal energy into electricity. The design utilizes a modified version of an oscillating water column. The device consists of a pressurized air chamber, which is partially submerged in the water. The energy of the waves and the motion of the platform (resulting from the force of the wind harnessed by the sails, as well as the activity and weight of the occupants) forces captured air through a Wells turbine at the top of the water column. As the water level relative to the platform descends, it draws in air from the exposed top of the water column, also powering the turbine, which rotates in one direction regardless of the direction of airflow.