My design proposal for the Solar Winds Coffee House is another example of a unique way to incorporate alternative energy gathering and/or storage facilities into the built environment. I have chosen to design a retail coffee house, which will be entirely powered by the wind and sun, with an option for rainwater gathering and storage for use in and around the facility. I designed the structure for use in a temperate climate.

The Solar Winds Coffee House will be constructed from sustainable materials appropriate for the region in which it is built. A large vertical axis wind turbine will be mounted on the top of the structure, along with an array of photovoltaic cells. The wind turbine and the photovoltaic cells will be used to generate electricity for the coffee house. The structure will be heated and cooled with the aid of earth pipes, and a solar assisted heat pump. All of the gray water will be recycled and the toilets will be either a composting type, or low water consuming type, where the recycled gray water is used whenever appropriate.

The cylindrical portion of the Solar Winds Coffee House will contain a central counter and serving area, with tables and seating around the perimeter. It will also contain restrooms and storage closets. A large skylight and natural ventilation system will be located above the central service area. Additional tables and seating will be located on a large north facing deck on the outside of the structure, and on an even larger south facing shaded deck area. This south facing deck area will be shaded by a large undulating roof, which is made up of seven large ribbon-like canopies.

The aesthetics of the Solar Winds Coffee House was inspired by a symbolic representation of the solar winds blowing over the structure to activated the wind turbine, and then materializing into the form of the undulating shade roof.