Wind Tower 2.0
Cooling Down – Relaxation – Spatial Experience
Scorching heat, little shade, plus city noise and smog: with each passing year, climate change is becoming more noticeable in our cities, with summers getting hotter and hotter – and more exhausting. Heat now poses a serious health risk for large sections of the population in Germany, too.
What if a parking lot could become a place for heat-stricken city dwellers to cool down and relax?
Inspired by the tradition of wind towers developed in ancient Persia thousands of years ago, we have developed a contemporary interpretation of a wind tower on a 10 m2 surface area.
The wooden frames, clad with plywood panels laid on top of each other, form the static framework of the tower, which extends to a height of almost 6 meters. The key element is the wind openings at the top, which are attached by means of a cable system. Cooling wind can flow into the tower from all directions. A windscreen suspended from the ceiling guides the wind into the interior, where the generated dynamic pressure pushes warm air out of the tower openings. When there is no wind, the chimney effect takes over – cool air is drawn in from the outside while warm air escapes.
On various seating and lounging platforms, visitors can sit back, relax and enjoy the pleasantly cool breeze. If you look up into the interior of the windtower, which is covered by a skylight, a second, light-filled space opens up.
