
The 'Flex Tower' by Paolo Venturella
Made for Manhattan
New York City's population is continually on the rise, and with that, of course its energy usage does too, and its carbon emissions need to be monitored.
Italian architect Paulo Venturella has come up with a plan to combat the issue, creating plans for the 'Flex Tower' – a structure that adapts to the sun itself, generating its own solar energy... Literally.
With the inclusion of photovoltaic panels, a tilted surface orientates towards the sun, this means that effectively it tilts and rotates itself.
At ground level the building respects the Manhattan grid, while in a higher level the shape rotates facing the sun allowing panels to displace correctly, resulting in a 30-degree tilt.
The idea is that the building is to be made of a 'performative skin' of stainless steel, an envelope that change the density and creates open floor plans, free of any supporting elements...