Of the 20 artists invited to participate in the design competition of the solar park by the university of Buffalo in collaboration with the New York Power Authority (NYPA), the design proposal by the New York-based landscape and urban designer Balmori Associates, has been chosen in the top three list of finalists.
The university’s solar project, set up on one of the largest campuses in the US, required the installation of 5,000 solar panels. The project calls for an electricity generation program for the use of the resident students.
The design provided by the Balmori Associates was selected as it married technology and natural components together. The proposed “Public Power Park“ by the landscape designers created a new and unusual design in the solar power usage genre, allowing the generation and supply of electricity, while maintaining the aesthetic needs of the landscape.
Their design has been created on the basis of the ‘lake effect’ – a team work between the various elements of nature such as air, temperature, topography, moist content in the air etc.
A pot-luck of these elements results in phenomenal weather conditions.
The proposal creates a solar grid depending on the population that surrounds it and the flow of wind. The solar panels are placed at different heights in order to capture maximum energy even during the variations of the position of the sun. Acting as catalysts in this set up are mirrors which reflect the light produced by the celestial bodies (the sun and the moon). The water produced with the collaborative effect is collected in the meadows. The system is also installed with snow cones to keep track of the snow.
The gross external area of this experimental project was 24281.00 square meters.
Via: Architizer
