Soundhenge is a climate clock designed as an instrument for listening and learning, as well as civic space for reflection. The rotunda resonates with live sound from remote environments and displays climatic conditions within its fluid and kinetic surfaces. The experience is meant to engage the visitor in both a sensual and a cerebral connection to the global array of environments.The structure is composed of a dozen structurally independent carbon-fiber piers arranged in a circular pattern that torque from the ground and converge into an open oculus to frame the sky. A convex void is nested within the rotunda, forming semicircular listening and visualization niches on the interior face of the piers. Each niche will broadcast real-time audio from selected global environments and display interactive visual data on a film containing polymer light-emitting diodes (PLEDs).Carbon-fiber fabrication is an emerging technology within the Bay Area region. Each pier will be factory produced in a regional plant to minimize transportation and prefabricated to reduce site disturbances. PLED technology employed for visual display uses a fraction of the energy required by conventional display systems. Sustainable design informs all aspects of Soundhenge. The greater surrounding site is paved with permeable surface pavers to minimize water runoff and the central water feature captures and recycles gray water. Thin-film photovoltaic cells are laminated to the outer surface of the piers, yielding sufficient power to make Soundhenge, a 100 percent energy-independent climate clock.
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