London-based designer Samuel Wilkinson has created a prototype of a tree-like structure called Ecacia that harvests solar energy while providing a public place to shelter during very hot weather.
Wilkinson's studio based the design for Ecacia on a species of acacia tree that grows on the savannahs of eastern and southern Africa and is characterised by its large, umbrella canopy that allows it to capture large amounts of sunlight.
The roof of the structure is embedded with more than 700 solar cells
"During initial research we looked into inspiration from any natural vegetation that creates shade and shelter so found the wonderful acacias trees in the African savannah with their wide, flat canopies," Wilkinson told Dezeen.
"The trees, usually growing alone or in small clusters, have very little lower vegetation so work perfectly as respite for farmers and animals from the sun." Prototypes of Ecacia were recently completed in collaboration with US start-up Solar Forma, a specialist fabricator that seeks to create solar products for public urban spaces which serve additional purposes rather than simply taking up space for power generation.
"The project is based around the overarching idea of combining solar capture and placemaking in urban spaces," Wilkinson said. "There is no reason why solar products can't add a lot more value to a particular space more than just the captured energy."
"Added value helps create reasoning for locali...