With the architectural world seemingly leading the fight against climate change, here are two ingenious ideas of dealing with lowering our environmental impact.
The first is a simple and practical method of electricity generation, soon to be implemented in the Spinnaker Tower, Portsmouth, UK. The structure is 170m high and towers over the harbour offering stunning views of the Solent and out over the Isle of Wight from it’s observation deck. Obviously the Spinnaker has quite a few steps.
The idea is to harness the energy created from the footfall the building receives by placing small “heel-strike” generators under the stairs. If this proves successful, the scheme will be used in London’s Victoria Station, where the 34,000 people using the stairs every hour will maintain around 6,500 lightbulbs… Nice.
The second idea is purely a concept at this moment, but a brave look at the possible future of how we manage our living environments. This solution is a skin which covers the entire of a building and acts as a complete environmental solution. The skin, or membrane, is a mix of biochemistry and electronics that will harness the elements outside by absorbing air and moisture, purifying and distributing and transmitting light where needed, managing the internal environment and even recycling the air. Still only a concept, but a brilliant take on nature. Watch the video below to have it all explained.
Both concepts featured on the Mad Architect blog
