Eco Factor: Concept architecture powered by renewable energy.
Like always, Michael Jantzen has used his skills and an eco-conscious mind to develop a structure that promises a self-sufficient future. The designer has shared his latest work with us, which he refers to as the Solar Winds Coffee House.
The design features a retail coffee house which will be entirely powered by the wind and sun, with an option for rainwater gathering and storage for use in and around the facility. The Solar Winds Coffee House will be constructed from sustainable materials appropriate for the region in which it is built.
A large vertical axis wind turbine will be mounted on the top of the structure, along with an array of photovoltaic cells, which will provide the structure the energy it needs.
For heating and cooling, the structure will rely on earth pipes and a solar-assisted heat pump. All the gray water produced will be recycled. Toilets in this coffee house will either be a composing type or water saving type, which will then use the captured gray water.
The cylindrical portion of the Solar Winds Coffee House will contain a central counter and serving area, with tables and seating around the perimeter. A large skylight and natural ventilation system will be located above the central service area to reduce the energy load on the solar panels and the wind turbine.
Additional tables and seating will be located on a large north facing deck on the outside of the structure, and on an even larger south facing a shaded deck area. This south facing deck area will be shaded by a large undulating roof, which is made up of seven large ribbon-like canopies.
The aesthetics of the Solar Winds Coffee House were inspired by a symbolic representation of the solar winds blowing over the structure to activate the wind turbine, and then materializing into the form of the undulating shade roof.
Thanks: [Michael Jantzen]
