Buenos Aires, Argentina-based designer Santiago Muros Corts recently unveiled the Solar Hourglass, a proposal for an enormous, hourglass-shaped structure that will use solar energy to produce enough electricity for up to 860 homes. Constructed from primarily recycled steel and aluminum, the impressive structure uses “heliostat” mirrors to reflect solar heat down the neck of the installation, where it will be stored as concentrated energy.
In addition to its amazing capabilities as a clean energy generator, the Solar Hourglass's unique shape serves as a reminder that energy is as precious and as fleeting as time. Proposed as a tourist attraction that will sit across the harbor from Copenhagen's iconic Little Mermaid statue, the installation will convey an optimistic message about our energy use: as long as we take action now, we still have enough time to improve our impact on the environment and create a sustainable future.
Corts' design has been named the winner of the 2014 Land Art Generator Initiative, which was held in Copenhagen this year. The competition, which has produced incredible concepts like the 99 Giant Red Balloons installation, aims to oversee the design and construction of public art installations that are not only aesthetically striking, but that also generate clean and renewable energy to provide power to thousands of homes around the world.
