It looks
like an explosion of bits of steel, but in reality it is a highly innovative,
energy-producing canopy designed by some of the world’s most acclaimed
architects.
The Energy Roof is a product of
Walking through the History, a research project at the University of Perugia,
in collaboration with Switzerland’s Coop Himmelb(l)au.
The architects recently
presented a design for the Energy Roof, which will be installed between two
historic buildings in Piazza Giacomo Matteotti, one of the city’s central squares.
Powered by
the wind and the sun, the Energy Roof will cover the entrance of a new
underground exhibition space displaying Perugia’s ancient Etruscan origins.
Historical documents demonstrate the existence of an Etruscan city beneath
Piazza Giacomo Matteotti, soon to be excavated and re-opened to the public.
Serving as
the cover for the gallery’s walkway, located on via Mazzini, the Energy Roof
will generate clean, renewable energy for the gallery; the excess energy
produced will be used to help power the city.
The roof consists of three
layers: the top layer generates solar energy through transparent photovoltaic
cells; the middle layer (also the structural layer) contains five wind
turbines; the bottom layer is a combination of laminated glazing and
translucent pneumatic cushions.
Coop
Himmelb(l)au also designed the Cloud Roof in Riva del Garda (2013) and the art
museum in Strongoli (2012). For more information, see www.coop-himmelblau.at.
