Traditionally, solar panels are a flat addition placed on the roof of a building. But students at the Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences in Germany have designed “OnTop,” solar panels big enough to be an extra unit of housing that can fit on top of existing apartment buildings.
The project was developed for Solar Decathlon Europe in Versailles, France, where it won first place for the "Social Housing" category.
In an interview with Fast Company Exist, Sebastian Fiedler, a faculty member of the university, says the design can be a solution to make cities more “climate neutral” while also solving the housing dilemma, because “building on top of an existing building doesn’t take up new land, and no additional infrastructure has to be created.”
Watch the OnTop team construct their design for the Solar Decathlon Europe below.
“Many people want to live in the city and they are willing to pay a lot of money for it,” Fiedler continued. “It is a powerful economic force. We want to use this force to enhance the existing buildings.”
The design goes hand-in-hand with Germany’s aim at making all buildings climate neutral by 2050, and the team believes it will be a solution that allows rents to remain the same and avoid gentrification because it allows newcomers to reside in the city without displacing long-time residents instead of living in new developments in the suburbs.
Read more about the project at Fast Co. Exist.
Related Stories
| Feb 14, 2013
5 radical trends in outpatient facility design
Building Design+Construction combed the healthcare design and construction sector to evaluate the latest developments in outpatient facility designs. Here are five trends to watch.
| Feb 14, 2013
Boxman Studios launches shipping container buildings division
Boxman Studios has launched a new division aimed at sustainable solutions for the Built Environment. The Boxman Studios Buildings Division will focus on the adaptive use of decommissioned shipping containers as architectural elements and even complete buildings.
Smart Buildings | Feb 14, 2013
Minneapolis joins energy benchmarking trend for commercial buildings
Minneapolis is the latest major metro to require large commercial buildings to benchmark and disclose their energy and water use.
| Feb 14, 2013
Peter Rutti named Director of Design of Westlake Reed Leskosky’s Phoenix studio
Peter W. Rutti, AIA, Associate Principal and Project Director of Westlake Reed Leskosky, has been appointed Director of Design of the Phoenix, Arizona studio of the nationally recognized architects, engineers, and technology designers. The announcement recognizes the design excellence, leadership, and continued growth of the national and international practice of the integrated design firm in the western region.
| Feb 14, 2013
Peter Bardwell named 2013 president of the American College of Healthcare Architects
The Board of Regents of the American College of Healthcare Architects (ACHA) has named Peter L. Bardwell, FAIA, FACHA of Columbus, Ohio as 2013 national President.
| Feb 13, 2013
Department store concept by OMA's Koolhaas, Alsaka draws inspiration from open-air Arab marketplaces
The Exhibition Hall, a retail concept planned in Kuwait City's 360° Mall, will meld cultural and commerce spaces in a series of galleries reminiscent of the long passages of the souq—traditional, open-air marketplaces found in Arab cities.
| Feb 13, 2013
China plans new car-free city
A new urban development near Chengdu, China, will provide new housing for ~80,000 people, surrounded by green space.
| Feb 13, 2013
Advanced urbanism is focus of new MIT research center
MIT Center for Advanced Urbanism will seek 21st Century planning solutions, starting with infrastructure design issues.
| Feb 13, 2013
'Vegetative tower' apartments to revive NYC site
A Manhattan site formerly slated for development with a "tower of cubes"—a now-defunct project by Santiago Calatrava—will be revived with a 998-foot, 300,000-sf apartment building by Morali Architects.
