Eco Tower

The Eco-Tower is a conceptual design proposal for a special kind of Wi-Fi ready public gathering place that might be located on a university campus or in a public park. The 120 foot tall observation structure would be made of concrete and/or steel. The design consists of seven platforms, six of which are accessible by a central spiral staircase. Plants are grown in containers that are built into the perimeter of each platform. These containers are also designed to collect and store rainwater to water the plants.

Built into the top of the Eco-Tower is a custom designed wind turbine. Along with the wind turbine are four banks of photovoltaic cells (mounted on four of the platforms) for generating electricity. This electricity is stored in batteries and/or in the form of hydrogen gas. The batteries and hydrogen gas are contained under ground at the base of the tower. The electricity and/or hydrogen gas is used for varies purposes by the university or community in which the Eco-Tower is located

Conceptually, the Eco-Tower is a kind of urban tree that produces and stores energy, gathers and stores rainwater, produces oxygen, and provides a unique place for people to gather together while they exercise by climbing the spiral staircase. Aesthetically, the design of the structure comes from the idea of the integrated wind turbine at the top, spinning the shape of the tower into concentric rings that form the vertical spaces below and direct the energy flow down into the surrounding community..

The Sun Tower is a design proposal for a large structure to be used as a community center. The structure incorporates a solar concentrating collector and rainwater collector into its design. The Sun Tower would be made of a special composite concrete material.

The concept for the Sun Tower was inspired by some of the solar concentrating collector design and engineering done by the Pasadena California based Energy Innovations Corporation. Adjustable mirrors at the top of the tower focus sun light onto highly efficient photovoltaic cells. The sunlight is converted into electrical energy by the photovoltaic cells. This electrical energy could then be stored in the structure for later use, and/or it could be sent out into the surrounding community. Rainwater would also be collected at the base of the Sun Tower and stored in a reservoir under the structure. This water could also be used at the site and/or distributed wherever it is needed in the local community.

The Sun Tower is one of a number of designs that I have developed which would provide special kinds of public gathering places that also gather (and in some cases store) alternative energy from the sun and/or from the wind for the communities in which they are built. In addition to the physical functionality of these structures, I envision these designs becoming symbols for a new age of architecture in which buildings not only produce their own energy, but also generate additional energy for others. I also see that these structures can be very helpful to introduce the whole idea of alternative energy production to the general public in an exciting and fun way.