Dornob | Design Ideas Daily

Breeze-Shaped Building: Wind Rotates Floors, Makes Power

Posted: 03 Dec 2012 10:00 AM PST

Michael Jantzen is known for sustainable designs that range from down-to-earth realities to pie-in-the-sky concepts that pose solutions but, equally powerfully, ask questions about the nature and direction of nature-based design.

One such challenging project is this wind-shaped pavilion -depicted here as a rural construct, it would be compelling in urban environments (where its density would also make the most sense).

So how does it work? “The Wind Shaped Pavilion is a design proposal for a large fabric structure that can be used as a public or private pavilion. As a lightweight fabric structure, the wind slowly and randomly rotates each of the six segments around a central open support frame. This continually alters the shape of the pavilion, while at the same time generating electrical power for its nighttime illumination.”

And how would it play out in practice? “The shape of the structure starts out as a relatively symmetrical form. Then the wind begins to alter that shape randomly, with only a slim chance of ever returning to its original symmetry. If the structure’s scale and the materials were to change, it could become an apartment complex, and or some other commercial building. In this case, the occupants could take control and rotate the segments to adjust to changing desires or needs, such as weather conditions, best views, etc.”