'tower of power' by NL architects
all images courtesy NLarchitects


continuing our coverage of the taiwan tower competition,
here is dutch firm NL architects proposal for the tower.

the ambition to create a 300-meter high freestanding tower with sightseeing
and recreational functions that will serve as a 'model green building'.





the 'tower of power' features 2000 rotors that together produce 8 MW.

tower of power is not just a symbol of good intentions; it actually produces green energy.
instead of being yet another ‘empty’ icon it actually is a usable object: next to its required
functionality as sightseeing tower and telecommunication base it is an environmentally
friendly power plant.








tower of power is power plant without the obligatory technical appearance
of wind turbines as we know them. tower of power is an attempt to investigate
how power plants of the future can be turned into objects of beauty.





by simply combining the two typologies of windmill and observation tower,
the tower of power in one single operation aspires to change the ‘content’
of the new generation of tourist towers and at the same time the appearance
of future wind energy generators. tower of power as such tries to take renewable
energy production to new heights.

















the tower of power features an exo-skeleton; a structural net wrapped around
the building that together with the building’s core supports the required programmatic elements.
the structure as such is perhaps reminiscent of bamboo weaving or bamboo scaffolding.
the weaving of the structure creates an intricate pattern of void spaces. these empty spaces
can now be occupied by so-called vertical axis wind turbines. tower of power does not
propose to use a new category of turbines; it deploys an existing type: the eddy.
these flower like turbines are just orchestrated in a refreshing way.


















'eddy' wind turbine


eddy is a wind turbine: strong, affordable and silent. because of the vertical axis design
eddy can produce energy with wind from any direction. it can be mounted virtually everywhere…





the functionality of the required program -lobby, parking, museum, offices, conference center
and observatory- results in a specific shape for each unit. the program is stacked and positioned
on specific heights. as such a kind of ‘totem’ comes into being that is wrapped by an intelligent skin.