I notice its described as a ‘future possibility’ and ‘concept’ and whilst the images look convincing, they are renderings, something I think some of the commentary above is missing the point on?

If we dont conceptualize a better future, and put in place ideas such as this to harvest our most abundant resource, we are just going to be burnt by it!

Solid concept and I think it looks super sweet. !!

educating the children: seems to me that the solar shade is not interactive enough. could there be a chart/diagram/animation on structure to show the comparison between one of these to a tree?

i guess people’s concern over the embodied energy versus the actual benefit (energy and economical) is missing the main point: educating the children and providing shade for flexible play space. note that this is not some design feature aim to power a building, and the fact that it is implemented in a children school, rather than some plaza of a corporate building illustrates that.

maybe we don’t rely on 1 design like this to educate the children. a collaboration of design products and nature might be a better solution in teaching the children to be environmental minded: the value of tree planting and the value of environmental design.

You can say what you like about aesthetics but it’s the context of this being produced in sun-drenched, design based initiative-lacking, skin cancer riddled Australia that is the amazing thing for more reasons than I could be bothered writing.

Remember, we’ve got that big hole in the O-Zone

I agree that they could have produced in a more simple way and perhaps using more ecological materials but I think the aim is to teach Children.

Children see trees everywhere but are they learning from them?

I think its mostly valid. It would be good to see how much energy it can generate.

But then again I am Australian.

Overall Good work Buro North!!