Solar Technology is one of the leading renewable resources for energy consumption and it is the future of architecture. Although solar technology is already being implemented into facades and building design, solar architecture doesn’t just mean putting solar panels on a building. I researched what the future of solar design could mean in a world where reliance on renewable technologies is increasing rapidly, and what architecture’s role will be in this speculative climate future.
The Solar Citadel protrudes from the city; it becomes a monument to the importance of solar architecture, a home for the Solar Birds, and an observational space connected to The Highline. Solar birds serve as a prediction for what advances in solar innovation, artificial intelligence, and drone technology could create. The solar birds emerge from the citadel as the sun rises, and begin collecting energy and distributing it to the city. Either going directly to a building or person in need of energy or moving to the most optimal areas for sunlight when waiting on a call. Smaller citadels begin to pop up atop the roofs of New York City to mimic their larger counterpart by storing batteries for the birds to charge when not in use.
This project became a study of world-building and how architecture tells a story. Through the creation of The Solar Citadel and The Solar Birds, I learned valuable representation techniques and design software like Unreal Engine, Blender, Procreate, and Nomad Sculpt.
