Incorporating small wind turbines into the design of buildings is in its infancy, both as an art and a science. But a two-day symposium held in October at Penn State University showed some impressive baby steps and gave a preview of what urban wind power can accomplish once it grows and develops.
No question, the idea is a hot one in architectural and engineering firms, as clients demand that renewable-energy features be baked into designs. “Small wind is a very popular idea right now and is capturing a lot of people’s imaginations,” said architect John Breshears, a presenter at the symposium. Breshears and partner Craig Briscoe, of ZGF Architects in Portland, Oregon, worked on Portland’s Twelve West building, which is the first urban high rise in North America to have a wind-turbine array.
Breshears said that after the project was completed he was contacted by USA Today and asked, “Is this the next big thing?” He responded: “That’s your question? It’s not as simple as that.” Small wind, he said, is one tool in the renewable-energy tool kit that must be used with forethought. That was underscored by the student projects displayed at the symposium, held November 12 and 13. Students had to create models of an addition to the Maritime Museum in Erie, Pa., that incorporated small wind turbines.
The students grappled with how to integrate turbines into their design — especially how to place them to best capture the wind. Only a handful of students attempted to design the buildings to provide better airflow for turbines, and in many cases students put fewer turbines on, in or around their structures than necessary to generate a significant amount of energy.
That may hurt the drive for small turbines in urban settings more than it helps, said Mark Matthews, vice president of sales and marketing for WindTamer Turbines, a company that makes small wind turbines used by businesses and homes. It’s easy for people to dismiss urban turbines if you can’t show that they make a significant contribution to a building, said Matthews, a presenter at the symposium. “If you’re going to integrate renewable-energy systems in general, they need to be incorporated in the design and have a viable role to play.”
Matthews also noted that there’s a gap between designers’ understanding of the performance of small wind turbines and the reality. He pointed out that many of the most visually striking small wind turbines — notably, the vertical access models that most of the students incorporated into their designs — produce very little electricity.
Jelena Srebric of the Penn State department of architectural engineering, who was an organizer of the symposium, said rethinking how buildings can be integrated with the environment is crucial. “Technology in the 18th and 19th centuries was designed to conquer nature. But now we’re taking baby steps to use natural forces,” she said. “For example, we’re using natural wind flow for ventilation in buildings more. And that use of the wind is the next logical step toward using building shapes to power small wind turbines more efficiently. This would be similar to the way solar panels are used both for shading and to generate power.”
Integration is key, but looks count, too. Artist Michael Jantzen showed his fantastic designs (click on “wind structures”), which often use the shape of wind turbines included in the structures to inspire the shape of the structures themselves. “Part of my work is to show how sexy, how fun, how glamorous these things can be,” he said. Jantzen sees design potential in WindTamer turbines’ flower-like shape. “When I first saw it, I, like most people, assumed the big end would catch the wind. When I realized how it worked, I was blown away.” (The larger end, or diffuser, helps create low pressure behind the blades to draw through air more quickly.) “I’d love to do more work where the shape of the architecture helps funnel the wind and support the technology.”
Symposium organizer Ute Poerschke of the Penn State Department of Architecture said that too often the question in combining small wind turbines or photovoltaic panels on buildings ends with balancing form and function. “I think we can combine form and function to the benefit of both. And I think — I hope — that this is where we’re heading.”
One student asked the panel to compare the use of giant, rural wind farms connected to cities by big power grids with the use of small wind turbines by companies and individuals — so-called distributed power. Tapping the ingenuity of architects, engineers and individuals is crucial to drive the adoption of wind power, the panelists agreed. “You need as many small-scale installations as you can possibly get — and to get these into the hands of as many people as we possibly can,” said architect Briscoe.
