The Wind Farm Celebration Center is a conceptual proposal for a large visitors center designed to be built around a 1.5 megawatt wind turbine. With more and more large wind farms being built around the world, I felt that it would be appropriate to propose the construction of this structure in order to promote and celebrate the use of the wind as a major source of alternative energy for the planet earth.
The basic design of the Wind Farm Celebration Center was inspired by a symbolic visualization of the electrical energy being generated by the wind as it flows from the top of the turbine down into the power grid. The form of the structure is materialized from eleven concentric layers flowing out and down from the perimeter of the central tower that supports the wind turbine. Nine of these layers form the roof of the structure, and two of the layers continue the flow into the landscape where they also function as a large exterior gathering place for special events.
Under the roof of the visitors center, there is a large open area designed for the installation of many permanent and or temporary displays, as well as space for offices, meeting rooms, etc. The layered energy flow pattern of the roof portion of the structure is repeated again inside as part of the ceiling with natural light entering the space through a central skylight, as well as from around the perimeter of the structure through large glass doors and windows. The skylight and perimeter glass doors and windows also function to naturally ventilate the structure. The leading edge of each of the layers of the ceiling inside of the visitors center are fitted with LED lights that are illuminated in sequence from the top down based on the amount of power that is being generated in real time by the wind turbine. If no power is being generated, none of the lights are activated. As more power is generated, more of the layers are illuminated. In this way, the visitors are shown a symbolic graphic representation of the amount of power being generated at any given moment.
The central support tower for the wind turbine (surrounded by the skylight) is exposed at the center of the Wind Farm Celebration Center. There is a doorway at the base of the tower through which visitors can enter and climb a spiral staircase to an observation platform located just below the rotating blades of the wind turbine. This observation platform allows the visitors to establish a close proximity with the massive scale and power of the wind turbine, as well as providing them with a high vantage point from which to view the entire wind farm.
Of course all of the energy needs of the Wind Farm Celebration Center will be generated by the wind turbine that it surrounds. The visitors center is also designed to gather and store rainwater for use in and around the facility. The structure will be built with the most appropriate and sustainable materials available. It is my hope that designs like this will help to promote the use of alternative energy for the planet by creating a new and exciting kind of aesthetic around an architecture that uniquely incorporates alternative energy gathering and storage systems, into the built environment.
