Thanks to a rotating exterior shell… it can face, catch and channel prevailing winds into a series of wind turbines. Inside, “smart blinds”... capable of rotating and contracting on command, either deter or collect solar heat gain. Comprised of polymer membranes stretched over lightweight frames this double-wall construcution has an independent exterior shell and an independent interior shell. Made of ETFE (Ethylene Tetrafloroethylene) the membranes weigh 1% the weight of glass. Linked to geo-thermal heating... this double-wall serves as exterior insulation and a plenum for conditioned air. The micro-perforated interior membrane filters air in. Sited on Coney Island this magical tower references such famous lightweight structures as the Cyclone, Ferris wheel and parachute jump, while embodying the poetry of kites on the beach.
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