WINDWHEELS

37% of the worldwide energy consumption is used for heating our buildings. Due to various insufficiencies within our building fabrics this contributes to the problem of global warming. New York as one of the world’s largest metropolitan area and in particular Manhattan as densely populated city centre has an ethical and ecological responsibility to attend to this quandary. During the fierce winter months in New York enormous amounts of heating energy is lost, unused. While in summer the heat of the sun accumulates within the urban structure and in conjunction with the gaseous emissions creates an unbearable air cocktail over New

York City. This is where the WINDWHEELS project has its starting point. It applies the principle of solar updraft power plants on an urban scale. The existing energy, heat, is transformed into kinetic energy and returned into the city’s system of electricity.

This kind of power plant consists of a collection area (Manhattan), and a high-rise chimney, which includes turbines that are coupled with generators as power conversion units. An extensive tensile structure stretches over the entire island of Manhattan. The heat waste of the buildings warms up the air inside the transparent membrane. Following the inclination of the cover the heat-laden air streams towards strategically placed chimneys. For New York City there are three chimneys proposed, which are formulated into vertical and inhabitable

WINDWHEELS. The heated air streams up through the hollow centre of the high rise triggering turbines into rotation and hence creating energy. Central Park functions as the ‘green lung’ of the membrane system. Together with openings along the Hudson River, the East River and the Upper Bay the system is sustained with a natural fresh airflow and furthermore provides Manhattan with a yearlong comfortable climate.

Thanks to the membrane, weather variations are annulled. The daily life can unfold within the streets of the city and enhance the sense of community past the borders of one’s walls. The use of personal cars and taxis will not depend on the modes of weather. The pollution will be reduced, recuperate climate conditions and hence augment the quality of life. The high-rise chimneys are based on the static principles of a hyperboloid structure. The tapered cylindrical construction is highly efficient in regards to its size and rigidity upon outside forces such as heavy wind loads. The broad circumference at the bottom of the tower allows for a sizable income of the heated air. The narrowing in the middle part of the structure accelerates the natural air draft, eliciting a high kinetic effect. The widening at the top of the tower supports a consistent mixing with the atmospheric air.

The double-layered construction principal of the hyperboloid is executed in pre-stressed concrete and widened to the extent that it becomes an inhabitable wall throughout its whole elevation. There are 8 turbines on various intersections of the tower, which additionally function as stiffening rings for the super structure.

Solar updraft power plants are the most sustainable natural resources for generating electricity. During service they are completely free of carbon-dioxide emissions, since they use solar irradiation as fuel. If all materials required for the plant’s construction are gained within the requirement of energy balanced sources, the produced electric work levels on around 10g of CO2 per kWh. The cost of the CO2-emissions within the electric current are by far the smallest of all renewable energies including the maintenance of the turbines, the generators and the membrane.

WINDWHEELS demonstrates an architectural vision that intends to tackle the problem of global warming on an urban scale and in effect enhance the living conditions in the highly populated metropolitan area of New York City.