From the Series
Rejecting monolithic power plants in favour of a move towards varied and dispersed micro-generation, the Crowd Farm draws energy through a responsive flooring system. Blocks that depress slightly under the force of human steps, absorb vibrations of movement that can generate power through the dynamo principle.
While the energy gathered from one human’s movements may be relatively slight, the energy to be gained from the movements of an entire population would be significant. One step, for instance, can power two 60W light bulbs for one second. But multiply that step by 28 527 and you have enough energy to power a moving train for one second. Multiplying a single step by 84 162 203 can generate enough energy to launch a space shuttle.
Designed by James Graham and Thaddeus Jusczyk, Masters students at the MIT School for Architecture, the Crowd Farm won the Holcim Foundation for Sustainable Construction student competition for Urban_Trans_Formation.
