When you hear the words “the
cloud” mentioned, it used to be that you would generally only think of the
clouds in the sky, but technology has recently changed that. Now when those
words are spoken, more often than not, one will be thinking of that mysterious
storage device (or whatever it is) that so many people seem to be using these
days, whether we actually trust its “security” or not. The reason I bring this
up is because the idea of a cloud is now being carried over into sustainable
design. In the world of sustainable design, there are endless ideas out there:
green communities, urban gardens/farms, urban forest, garden apartments, etc. MAD
Architects, who generally seem to have pretty forward thinking designs have
taken the idea of the cloud and made it a sustainable design solution with the
Solar Powered Metallic Cloud Museum for Xiamen China.
The
museum has a molten metal shape, which will be mirrored to reflect the beauty
of the surrounding landscape while the five, seemingly slender legs provide ample
space for parks and recreation under the structure. The design is comprised of
three levels. At ground level, landscaped public space leads visitors around, the
site to various recreational spaces: amphitheaters, open sports fields and
places to meet. The middle level makes up the museum itself, where the main
functions such as exhibition spaces, cafes, restaurants and offices hover high
above the ground. The roof level contains landscaped areas referencing the
natural surroundings of the museum: a unique topography of lakes, greens and wetlands, all publicly accessible, floating high above the
ground. The roof also contains solar panels, taking advantage of the city’s
warm climate. The museum’s position, high above the center of the lake,
provides uninterrupted views of the city beyond. The uniqueness of this design
poses the question of whether this is the best solution to the problem and also
if this could be applied in other cities around the world. With its elevated
structure, it lightly touches the ground (so to speak) while offering plenty of
building space as well as natural landscape. Will the cloud become a concept of
sustainable design that others will follow in the future?
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment