It sounds like something out of a science fiction novel, but architects at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have a plan to build a massive digital cloud above the London skyline. The Cloud, which has been shortlisted in a competition to build a tourist attraction in the Olympic Park with a lasting legacy, would feature 400 foot-tall mesh towers topped with solar powered plastic bubbles that show images and data — i.e. weather information, Olympic race results, and spectator numbers. If built, the cloud could also be used as an observation deck and a park.
Ramps, stairs, and lifts would carry tourists to the top of the cloud. Once inside the structure, viewers would have a sweeping view of the city below. Despite displaying a constant stream of data, the cloud wouldn’t take any power from the grid. Instead, it could generate all its own energy from a regenerative braking system and solar cells located on the ground and in the plastic spheres.
Even if the Cloud isn’t chosen as the winner in the city’s competition, the MIT designers are determined to build it. To that end, they have launched a fundraising website in the hopes that millions of people will provide small donations. Want to help make the cloud of a reality? Check out the site here.
+ The Cloud
Via BBC News
