“The walls between art & engineering exist only in the mind”. This is what I remember architect Theo Jansen saying. It seems more & more engineers are breaching that wall with each passing day. While that number might still be only a handful, it is not a fact that is too surprising when taken note of. It is not often that one comes across men who have the capability to think beyond the realms of normal & create a piece of work that not only has great practical value & but also is soothing on the eyes. Brilliance has no confinement, imagination has no boundaries & art has no set pattern.
A look on the inside:
In another instance of such architectural wonder, Michael Jantzen has created a shelter that has a very unique look to it & has immense practical application. While harnessing wind energy has its limitations & most of them are attributed to the lack of consistent wind, this new innovation might have just solved that problem. Jantzen calls it Wind Shade Roof & very appropriately so. (It is nice to see that the inventor of a technology did not get all fancy & start giving fancy names. The name is simple & conveys what it is supposed)
Jantzen’s discovery I believe is an extremely useful device in conditions such as a desert. It is a huge dome that seems to have hundreds of turbines fixed to it all round. The dome looks as fashionable as any. The pictures here are that of a prototype, that holds a giant swimming pool in it. The turbines on top of the dome produce energy for the entire functioning of the dome. I think this can be of great use in deserts for 2 simple reasons. It harnesses wind energy & it provides shade. Now I do understand that one should never meddle with great minds, but may I just go on to suggest that if we are placing this roof in very hot conditions, then why not cover the huge empty lower half of the dome with solar panels?
Don’t be upset Michael, it’s just an idea. Maybe of little help (but mostly all my ideas only push things downhill). Anyway, it still is a fabulous invention & hope it makes its way out commercially too.
The walls of the dome:
A distant shot:
The best possible view:
