Berlin-based architect Riccardo Mariano has designed an arch topped in photovoltaics, which will act as a sundial for Houston, Texas, as a part of the city's ongoing expansion of the Bayou Greenways.
Named the Arco del Tiempo (Arch of Time), the public artwork in the city's Second Ward will be covered in photovoltaic modules to generate nearly 400,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity annually and provide shade for locals.
Riccardo Mariano has designed the "world's largest sundial" for Houston
Described by Land Art Generator Initiative, which commissioned the project, as "the world's largest sundial", the structure will project the sun's rays onto the ground below through tinted glass apertures spanning the length of its ceiling. A series of metal fins, or "gills", underneath the arch will focus the light into an elliptical shape on the ground that will appear every solar hour in correspondence to the sun's position above.
"Arco del Tiempo will tell the solar time each day and delight visitors with a slowly evolving spectacle that bridges the terrestrial and the celestial," said Land Art Generator.
It is in the shape of a giant arch
Mariano designed the structure as a sweeping pavilion facing south to capture sunlight on its photovoltaic skin, positioning it according to how the sun interacts with the site.
A combination of trichord truss arches, rub trusses, and purlins will support the tilted steel structure, which will be clad in a la...