Solar Pixel Turns Building Facades into Artwork
Posted By Ariel Schwartz On March 17, 2010 @ 1:00 pm In Renewable Energy,Solar Power | No Comments
[4]
Solar panels [5] aren’t usually installed because they’re good-looking. But the Swiss design firm Drzach and Suchy [6] thinks that solar [7] power can be beautiful–literally. The pair have created “piksol”, a solar-powered pixel that lets architects and designers generate photovoltaic mosaics on building facades.
[8]
Drzach and Suchy haven’t built a full-sized model of piksol yet–so far, they’ve just made a small prototype of the shadow-casting panel [9]. But the pair imagines that a series of piksols attached to a building facade could cast pixel-shaped shadows that form larger images. Of course, the images wouldn’t be visible on cloudy days or at night.
We love the idea, but wonder how cost-effective and efficient the piksol would actually be in practice. Here’s hoping Drzach and Suchy let us find out!
Via designboom [10]
Article printed from Inhabitat – Sustainable Design Innovation, Eco Architecture, Green Building: http://inhabitat.com
URL to article: http://inhabitat.com/solar-pixel-turns-building-facades-into-artwork/
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[3] Email: mailto:?subject=http://inhabitat.com/solar-pixel-turns-building-facades-into-artwork/
[4] Image: http://www.inhabitat.com/2010/03/17/solar-pixel-turns-building-facades-into-artwork/piksol01/
[5] Solar panels: http://www.inhabitat.com/2009/07/02/solar-ivy-photovoltaic-leaves-climb-to-new-heights/
[6] Drzach and Suchy: http://www.drzachsuchy.ch/
[7] solar: http://www.inhabitat.com/2010/03/16/74-year-old-to-trek-across-america-in-a-solar-powered-stroller/
[8] Image: http://www.inhabitat.com/2010/03/17/solar-pixel-turns-building-facades-into-artwork/piksol08/
[9] panel: http://www.inhabitat.com/2010/02/26/worlds-largest-solar-powered-boat-unveiled/
[10] designboom: http://www.designboom.com/weblog/cat/16/view/9483/solar-pixel.html
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