PROJECT SUN RITE „GRAVITATION“ REAL LIFE place of communication = city of transformation
Contribution for the first international Land Art Generator Initiative (LAGI) design competition 2010, Abu Dhabi The project is an open-ended work, a WORK IN PROGRESS, that is driven by people’s conscious and understanding participation in the existing eco-system and sustainable economic development. The project constitutes a REAL LIFE TOPOGRAPHY, in which macro and micro life systems meet in order to be re-discovered and re-lived. TECHNOLOGY AND NATURE ACT IN CONJUNCTION, just as every natural form also has a (technical) function.
REAL LIFE TOPOGRAPHY:
The landscape – urban living space as a social and cultural process. The landscape as rhythm and ecological cycle. The landscape as an event of being. The landscape as an exchange between individual and universal being. The landscape as memory and desire simultaneously. The landscape – aspects of behaviour in architecture and urban living space. The landscape – interaction between matter personified and human body. The landscape – interplay between natural event and social event. The landscape as invisible, audible rhythms. The landscape is “soundscape”, sound topography of landscape becomes score
THE WORK:
1 Dance of the solar panels with the sun‘s ray 2 Dance of the Earth with the Ocean 3 The way upwards and downwards
The work evolves in the geolitteral zone, a fascinating energy zone in which cosmic rhythms control natural events.
A zone in which the element water marks and forms the Earth. Mankind was born in this zone and is also at home here. Three dialogue spheres, three sculptures, interact within a triangular topography.Each one is clearly and distinctly defined; aesthetic, economically sustainable functions hold them together and provide three supplementary rhythms.
AIM OF THE PROJECT: With its inherent aesthetic beauty and the economic benefits it generates, the project creates a new relationship with the natural environment and its inexhaustible energy resources. It celebrates life!
PARTIPATION IN THE WORK: The project is a work in progress and can be adapted to take account of the needs of the local population and the requirements of the authorities. Local organizations involved in work on sustainable environments can work together with the authors.
A dialogue with Nature is a dialogue with ourselves. Mankind itself is an enormous source of renewable energy. The project offers a geo-topography that focuses attention on life’s dynamics and promotes very valuable respect for, and awareness of, our own environment.
MEDIA EFFECT: Economic and ecological efficiency is linked at the same time to the aesthetics of the environment. Realtime Experience and the Magic of Encountering.
“SUN RITE” The languages of nature = the languages of people
Many nations celebrate their existence each day with a sun UR-ritual, with a daily ritual greeting such as “Good morning”, “Good day!” and “Good evening!” Aesthetic beauty and economic benefit offer visitors constantly new events by day and night, by moonlight and starlight.
The large-scale triangle of the Sun Panel Sculpture, the Earth Sculpture and the Tower is a magnet for people of all ages and many different social groups, because the language of nature is the universal language of life.
1 | DANCE OF THE SOLAR PANELS WITH THE SUN‘S RAYS
Description:
The solar panels track the Sun’s course and thereby maximize their efficiency (by up to 60%). Each individual element is just a piece of technology, but arranging them in a sequence creates a constantly changing line in the landscape that traces the horizon. A mirror on the back of each panel reflects the landscape, thus creating a dialogue between the sky and the Earth. The installation changes all the time, taking on a different aspect 365 days of the year.
Implementation:
A two-axle system is used for solar tracking. The panels are mounted on narrow posts on which they can rotate on their vertical axis. In addition, they can be tilted by means of a telescopic mechanism at the top of each post. The panels can therefore move in all directions. The posts are firmly embedded on foundations in the soil, enabling them to withstand the force of the wind.
WORK IN PROGRESS: URBAN SOLUTION Solar Wings generates electricity very efficiently
Description:
The installation is reached by way of an express highway. This highway is an area of land already in use by man. Even so, its potential is far from being fully used up. The highway could be put to further functional use at relatively little expense. If it were roofed over with suspended solar panels (solar wings), it could very efficiently generate electricity without any additional loss of land.
Implementation:
The solar wings can also track the position of the sun. Using cable-car technology, the panels can be tied to wire cables between large masts. The individual wings can rotate on their axis. By using a revolving horizontal support, the entire cable structure can additionally rotate on a second axis. This ensures optimal tracking and maximum efficiency.
2 | DANCE OF THE EARTH WITH THE OCEAN
Description:
The Earth sculpture GEO TOPOS “TIDES” is located on the shore, at the point where the triangle enters the water. Water and wind create a miniature landscape. Dunes, islands and lagoons are interwoven in such a way that they evoke flowing characters, a signature that is both social and natural. Coastal life forms find a natural (ecological) habitat here, a place of tidal rhythms.
Implementation:
The shore line is fortified with blocks of stone and partly concrete foundations. Gravel and sand are spread over the basic structure and partly covered with netting. Plants are used to prevent erosion of the dunes. Bushes on their summits stop the dunes from being shifted by the wind. A special geohumus can be used to stop the ground from drying out. The plants used are local and can therefore withstand unfavourable conditions. Artificial irrigation is used only in few places. Using condensation domes, water can be obtained from the air on site by being collected and then distributed though pipes. A glass dome is placed over a black basin filled with salt water; the sun’s energy then heats up the basin and causes condensation to form on the dome. The water thus obtained can be used for more luxuriant vegetation and for the needs of visitors.
Geohumus:
Geohumus is a novel soil additive with the special ability to store water and make it available to plants. Superabsorbers are capable of storing large quantities of water. The mineral contents from volcanic rock flour, clay minerals and silicates supply important nutrient elements and at the same time provide for the structural stability of the granulate in soil. Unlike conventional, mixed granulates, these components in Geohumus are inseparably combined. The porous, spongy, earth-like granulate forms a new class of material which stores water, thus making it available to plants. Geohumus can store at least 40 times its own weight in water, releases it back to the roots as needed, and, with the minerals contained in the flour rock, it provides for sustainable improvement of the soil quality.
3 | THE WAY UPWARD AND DOWNWARDS
Description:
THE WAY upwards and downwards opens a new dimension in which the visitor experiences the landscape as a whole. The way is the first urban element: it links town with country and land with water, and leads into the vastness of the skies. In the language of nature, the way turns into a tower that strives upwards in spiral form. The spiral symbolizes growth, while its constant rejuvenation represents natural change. The tower connects the water with the sky. The space is expanded vertically. The visitor follows a slowly rising stairway over the tower to reach both the lowest point, the water level, and the highest point of the entire installation.
Implementation:
Both the way (footbridge) and the tower comprise a lightweight wooden structure. The supports and beams are simple tree-trunks that have been left unfinished to show their natural surfaces. The supports stand on foundations. Thanks to the lightweight construction, the foundations are reduced to a minimum. The structure comes into contact with the ground or water only at isolated points. The way leads towards the sea, winding spirally upwards and downwards. A footbridge turns into a tower, though the structure remains unchanged. A sun awning made from a lightweight wooden mesh creates shade for the visitors. There are benches everywhere for visitors to linger a while and observe Nature’s spectacle.
PROJECT SUN RITE „GRAVITATION“ REAL LIFE place of communication = city of transformation
Contribution for the first international Land Art Generator Initiative (LAGI) design competition 2010, Abu Dhabi The project is an open-ended work, a WORK IN PROGRESS, that is driven by people’s conscious and understanding participation in the existing eco-system and sustainable economic development. The project constitutes a REAL LIFE TOPOGRAPHY, in which macro and micro life systems meet in order to be re-discovered and re-lived. TECHNOLOGY AND NATURE ACT IN CONJUNCTION, just as every natural form also has a (technical) function.
REAL LIFE TOPOGRAPHY:
The landscape – urban living space as a social and cultural process. The landscape as rhythm and ecological cycle. The landscape as an event of being. The landscape as an exchange between individual and universal being. The landscape as memory and desire simultaneously. The landscape – aspects of behaviour in architecture and urban living space. The landscape – interaction between matter personified and human body. The landscape – interplay between natural event and social event. The landscape as invisible, audible rhythms. The landscape is “soundscape”, sound topography of landscape becomes score
THE WORK:
1 Dance of the solar panels with the sun‘s ray 2 Dance of the Earth with the Ocean 3 The way upwards and downwards
The work evolves in the geolitteral zone, a fascinating energy zone in which cosmic rhythms control natural events.
A zone in which the element water marks and forms the Earth. Mankind was born in this zone and is also at home here. Three dialogue spheres, three sculptures, interact within a triangular topography.Each one is clearly and distinctly defined; aesthetic, economically sustainable functions hold them together and provide three supplementary rhythms.
AIM OF THE PROJECT: With its inherent aesthetic beauty and the economic benefits it generates, the project creates a new relationship with the natural environment and its inexhaustible energy resources. It celebrates life!
PARTIPATION IN THE WORK: The project is a work in progress and can be adapted to take account of the needs of the local population and the requirements of the authorities. Local organizations involved in work on sustainable environments can work together with the authors.
A dialogue with Nature is a dialogue with ourselves. Mankind itself is an enormous source of renewable energy. The project offers a geo-topography that focuses attention on life’s dynamics and promotes very valuable respect for, and awareness of, our own environment.
MEDIA EFFECT: Economic and ecological efficiency is linked at the same time to the aesthetics of the environment. Realtime Experience and the Magic of Encountering.
“SUN RITE” The languages of nature = the languages of people
Many nations celebrate their existence each day with a sun UR-ritual, with a daily ritual greeting such as “Good morning”, “Good day!” and “Good evening!” Aesthetic beauty and economic benefit offer visitors constantly new events by day and night, by moonlight and starlight.
The large-scale triangle of the Sun Panel Sculpture, the Earth Sculpture and the Tower is a magnet for people of all ages and many different social groups, because the language of nature is the universal language of life.
1 | DANCE OF THE SOLAR PANELS WITH THE SUN‘S RAYS
Description:
The solar panels track the Sun’s course and thereby maximize their efficiency (by up to 60%). Each individual element is just a piece of technology, but arranging them in a sequence creates a constantly changing line in the landscape that traces the horizon. A mirror on the back of each panel reflects the landscape, thus creating a dialogue between the sky and the Earth. The installation changes all the time, taking on a different aspect 365 days of the year.
Implementation:
A two-axle system is used for solar tracking. The panels are mounted on narrow posts on which they can rotate on their vertical axis. In addition, they can be tilted by means of a telescopic mechanism at the top of each post. The panels can therefore move in all directions. The posts are firmly embedded on foundations in the soil, enabling them to withstand the force of the wind.
WORK IN PROGRESS: URBAN SOLUTION Solar Wings generates electricity very efficiently
Description:
The installation is reached by way of an express highway. This highway is an area of land already in use by man. Even so, its potential is far from being fully used up. The highway could be put to further functional use at relatively little expense. If it were roofed over with suspended solar panels (solar wings), it could very efficiently generate electricity without any additional loss of land.
Implementation:
The solar wings can also track the position of the sun. Using cable-car technology, the panels can be tied to wire cables between large masts. The individual wings can rotate on their axis. By using a revolving horizontal support, the entire cable structure can additionally rotate on a second axis. This ensures optimal tracking and maximum efficiency.
2 | DANCE OF THE EARTH WITH THE OCEAN
Description:
The Earth sculpture GEO TOPOS “TIDES” is located on the shore, at the point where the triangle enters the water. Water and wind create a miniature landscape. Dunes, islands and lagoons are interwoven in such a way that they evoke flowing characters, a signature that is both social and natural. Coastal life forms find a natural (ecological) habitat here, a place of tidal rhythms.
Implementation:
The shore line is fortified with blocks of stone and partly concrete foundations. Gravel and sand are spread over the basic structure and partly covered with netting. Plants are used to prevent erosion of the dunes. Bushes on their summits stop the dunes from being shifted by the wind. A special geohumus can be used to stop the ground from drying out. The plants used are local and can therefore withstand unfavourable conditions. Artificial irrigation is used only in few places. Using condensation domes, water can be obtained from the air on site by being collected and then distributed though pipes. A glass dome is placed over a black basin filled with salt water; the sun’s energy then heats up the basin and causes condensation to form on the dome. The water thus obtained can be used for more luxuriant vegetation and for the needs of visitors.
Geohumus:
Geohumus is a novel soil additive with the special ability to store water and make it available to plants. Superabsorbers are capable of storing large quantities of water. The mineral contents from volcanic rock flour, clay minerals and silicates supply important nutrient elements and at the same time provide for the structural stability of the granulate in soil. Unlike conventional, mixed granulates, these components in Geohumus are inseparably combined. The porous, spongy, earth-like granulate forms a new class of material which stores water, thus making it available to plants. Geohumus can store at least 40 times its own weight in water, releases it back to the roots as needed, and, with the minerals contained in the flour rock, it provides for sustainable improvement of the soil quality.
3 | THE WAY UPWARD AND DOWNWARDS
Description:
THE WAY upwards and downwards opens a new dimension in which the visitor experiences the landscape as a whole. The way is the first urban element: it links town with country and land with water, and leads into the vastness of the skies. In the language of nature, the way turns into a tower that strives upwards in spiral form. The spiral symbolizes growth, while its constant rejuvenation represents natural change. The tower connects the water with the sky. The space is expanded vertically. The visitor follows a slowly rising stairway over the tower to reach both the lowest point, the water level, and the highest point of the entire installation.
Implementation:
Both the way (footbridge) and the tower comprise a lightweight wooden structure. The supports and beams are simple tree-trunks that have been left unfinished to show their natural surfaces. The supports stand on foundations. Thanks to the lightweight construction, the foundations are reduced to a minimum. The structure comes into contact with the ground or water only at isolated points. The way leads towards the sea, winding spirally upwards and downwards. A footbridge turns into a tower, though the structure remains unchanged. A sun awning made from a lightweight wooden mesh creates shade for the visitors. There are benches everywhere for visitors to linger a while and observe Nature’s spectacle.