The 22-story Tower of Piraeus in Greece is known as the "Sleeping Giant" because the construction project was abandoned 30 years ago and never completed. A competition was held to invite novel designs to complete the building, and the winning design was submitted by the New York architectural firm, HWKN.
[Photo credit: HWKN]
The surface of the building is surrounded by a matrix of oar-like structures that swing back and forth in response to the wind. This motion is then harvested to create electricity for the building's operations. The design is based on technology developed by a Swedish company, Seabased AB, intended to harvest energy from ocean waves. The Piraeus building would create energy from waves of air instead.
One key aspect of the design is that it would help the building's occupants be more connected with the natural environment outside, as the glass walls would make them aware of the motion of the arms outside. The architects even include exterior staircases so the occupants could walk outside among the moving arms when they need to travel from one floor to another.
Whether or not this approach is practical remains to be seen, but it provides an intriguing alternative to photovoltaics as a way for a high-rise building to generate power. (Of course, there's no reason why both couldn't be incorporated in one building.)
