Power Tower – hybrid of power plant and skyscraper
Team
Name: Natalie Burkhart
Nationality: German
Institution / Company: Technical University Vienna, Austria
-EDITORIAL PICK of Powerless City Competition
Since the sun is a perfect energy source we can produce more power due more sunny days per year.
A solar chimney is a way of improving the natural ventilation of buildings by using convection of air heated by passive solar energy and producing power simultaneously. Fresh air is heated up below a transparent collector and moves upwards through a vertical chimney. A turbine produces power using the upward stream. To make sure the collector is not covered by shadow, the actual building is elevated through a transparent structure with minimal shading on the collector. All rooms — a research center, library, spa-area and rooftop bar — are ventilated through the vertical air stream. As the air beneath the panel roof is quite hot, the temperature in the ground floor is rather stable and comparable to a greenhouse with exotic plants. The conical structure is exposed, the double facade with the movable panels seems rather delicate and feels like a bird’s coat with its thermal function.
The fact, that the visionary landmark is actual a power plant but in the end just creates hot air changes the perception of aesthecial potential of green energy.
#Solar Power #Visual Impacts of energy infrastructure #Power Plant #Megastructure #Fiction
