Urban windscapes: 21st century office tower
Description
As global energy consumption levels soar, people seek alternative production from the sun, wind, and water. Of these sustainable technologies, wind arguably proves most efficient in producing large quantities of usable energy. Historically, people harnessed the wind and controlled solar gain through architecture. While the urban application of renewable energy begins to appear in cities, it remains largely as production occurring on the periphery where the most space is available. Citing these fields of production necessitates expanding energy and infrastructure to produce energy where it is needed. What if energy production occurred at the site of consumption? What if production and consumption co-existed equally? What if wind harnessing technologies began to influence architecture? This thesis will study the feasibility and architectural potential for incorporating these renewable technologies into existing urban settings to reduce transmission loss. These buildings will not just be a traditional power plant, but will also teach users about consumption levels, turning the space into a dual-usage program. It is my intention to investigate how buildings can both produce energy and contribute to the public life of cities.