Architect Michael Jantzen continues to impress with his renewable energy concept designs. His latest creation is called the Sun Tower and combines Star Wars aesthetics with some cool solar and rainwater capture characteristics.
At the top of the tower are adjustable mirrors that focus sun light onto highly efficient photovoltaic cells. This energy could then be stored for future use or sent into the surrounding community. According to Ecofriend, the ” tower also has a rain water reservoir beneath the structure.” The design also seems to provide ample room for a pavilion or other functional community space. All in all, while we may never see an actual Sun Tower as portrayed here, it is a cool design that may inspire future energy capture solutions. What is interesting is that while most concepts are dependent on technology that is yet to be perfected, Jantzen’s creation could be built today with available materials.
Someone send this guy some startup capital…
via Ecofriend
4 Comments
I really like this design. It would make a great attraction. but it would have to be built in the right community.
Hi,
Thanks so much for your coverage of my latest design, the Sun Tower. I especially like your suggestion that someone should send me some startup capital. I have been doing this work out of pockect for nearly 40 years with no outside support. I have a non-profit set up called, the Human Shelter Innovation Institute. The mission of the HSII is to design, engineer, and prototype alternative eco-friendly human shelter systems without the constraints of conventional thinking. More on this can be found on my web site, http://www.humanshelter.org.
Thanks again for your interest in my work.
Michael Jantzen
PS. If you would like me to send you a PDF on my HSII, let me know?
We are in safe hands with thinking like this.
I say, “Good show old chap!”
What materials is this made of? Is any thought given to the embodied energy of the materials and the overall energy profile of the structure? Is there any thought given to the latitude of site? I assume the PVs are in the center under the pole, although that is not clear from the picture. Where is the water stored? Is there something integral to the design to use that water?