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This project explores the idea of capturing wind energy as observed in the movement of plants. Initially inspired by the lift wind energy created in birds or bird mimicking inventions like kites, it questions the idea of a turbine and searches for ways to hack into the natural oscillating mechanism of a plant for energy production. More than that, it looks into the idea of contributing to the production cycle that defines Valldaura by inverting the energy directly into the crops. Wind energy is harvested through a plant mimicking machine that gives the energy to growing plants. For this we have done a series of experiments that suggest a different perspective on the production and use of energy. We were interested an application of electricity outside the concept of human habitat.

The form and material evolved with a series of experiments done to optimize the energy generation and use of material.

The prototypes studied the ambiguous links between energy and society, through the fabrication of an energy production machine, aiming to activate new social spaces, strategic engagements and community making processes. The machines were deployed in Valldaura, transforming IAAC’s forest campus into a prototype testing field, proving that energy cycles are not only key factors in the current change in the urban paradigm, but that they can also be serious social catalysers.

Alvaro Ibañez and Josep Maria Pujol showed us the instalations that Technowind use to test their windmills, Technowind by Ficosa Renovables is a young company that offer energy solutions, specialized in hybrid systems composed by solar panel and windmills. The headquarters are located in in Rubí (Barcelona), where they design and fabricate vertical axis windmills .

In Sant Guim de Freixenet, the group has the i+D lab, where they test the new models of wind turbines and new prototypes with different solutions in design . The biggest windmill that is being tested in the wind lab is able to generate 5Kw without any kind of noise.

The visit ended under a horizontal axis wind turbine that allowed students to realize and understand one of the most important concepts of the introductory studio: energy scales.

Mid-term presentation for Introductory Studio: G02, IAAC ’13-’14

Akanksha Rathee, Chung Kai Hsieh, Mardet Gebreyesus, Sinem Samancı