This solar farm provides 300 MWh of renwable energy per year & is a community space at the Burning Man!

Posted on 05/04/2021 by Ruchi Thukral

Think solar farm meets the art and that is what the Solar Mountain by Nuru Karim is – the intersection between efficient clean energy production and unique architecture! The modern structure is constructed from recycled timber and clad in solar photovoltaic panels which also is one of the ten shortlisted projects for Burning Man‘s 3,800-acre Fly Ranch in Nevada – see? I meant it when I called it architectural art.

The Fly Ranch in the Nevada Desert is a permanent, off-the-grid space proposed by the organizers of Burning Man and the Solar Mountain is one of the finalists because it aims to contribute 300 MWh of electricity per year while also providing interactive zones for the community. The Burning Man team partnered with Land Art Generator Initiative (LAGI) for a multi-disciplinary design challenge – LAGI 2020 Fly Ranch and now the shortlisted entries, including the Solar Mountain, will move to the next stage of prototyping.

Solar Mountain by NUDES, a Mumbai-based architecture firm, is designed to be both an interactive installation as well as a source of clean energy for the community. Fly Ranch is home to several natural hot and cold springs, three geysers, hundreds of acres of wetlands, dozens of animal species, and more than 100 types of plants – this natural landscape is what inspired the curvaceous form of the Solar Mountain so that it seamlessly blends into the existing setting. The infrastructure is created keeping in mind one of the core needs for the space – the unified community of creatives and locals. “With this in mind, the narrative behind the design is divided into three parts: grow energy, interact, and play,” elaborates Karim.

The wavy construction is going to be a modular, pre-fab renewable energy infrastructure. It consists of four units and each unit measures 30m in length, between 5m-30m in width, with a maximum height of 15m. Each unit will have 182 solar panels of 300-watt capacity that will generate 1.2kwh/day. NUDES calculates the estimated total clean energy that can be harvested from the four units containing a total of 728 solar panels to be 873 kWh per day! This means Solar Mountain has the capacity to generate 318,645 kWh annually and can power the site’s requirements as well as other activities in the festival. Designed using net-zero principles, in the hopes of addressing larger issues such as climate change and global warming, Solar Mountain’s aim is to produce more energy than it will consume. Burning Man but where we actually use the ‘burning’ bit to generate clean energy!

Designer: Nuru Karim of NUDES

This infinity track topped school is a vertical forest that reduces air pollution!

Posted on 13/07/2020 by Ruchi Thukral

It is 2020 and we have to get with the green program. Indian architecture studio Nudes, known for its unconventional innovative creations, has designed a school with an exterior wrapped in a forest-y cover and an infinity-shaped cycling track for its crown. Forest School was an idea that was born as an entry for a design competition and it is now a possibility to change Indian architecture to suit the environment.

Nudes was founded by Nuru Karim in 2007 with a mission to focus on sustainability and learning. The Forest School was designed for Pune which is a popular student city that has seen dramatic urban growth in the last decade. Due to this boom, the air pollution in Pune was four times higher than the safe standard set by the World Health Organisation. Nudes wanted to create a structure that served a purpose complemented by design – a healthy school environment, with opportunities for hands-on learning about the environment and climate change.

“The ‘green living skin’ serves to purify the air from pollutants and related challenges affecting the health of the inhabitants of a city,” says Karim. The plants are crucial in creating a healthy environment for breathing as they remove pollutants from the air through phytoremediation and the increased oxygen levels are beneficial too. Certain plants even absorb toxic chemicals via their leaves or roots which helps to maintain the health of the space and environment. Plants also help in keeping the building cool and also naturally reduces the city sounds.

The plan for the school is to build a conjoined pair of 32 meter high cylindrical towers with a lush green exterior cover and the infinity loop track on the top. There are six floors that will include a double-height auditorium at ground level with five floors of classrooms above it. To maintain the plants there is a service track accessible on each floor for professional horticulturists to access the plants anytime without disturbing classes. “A cycling track for a city starved for pedestrian walkways and cycling lanes,” says the team about the addition of the uniquely shaped track on top that also bridges the two towers. Additionally, a swimming pool and tennis courts will be built at the basement level. Green architecture, may you go to infinity and beyond!

Designer: Nudes

Hacking (the hair) of Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting

Posted on 20/09/2014 by Jessica Hannan

Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting's summer has not been dull.Recently The Big Bang Theory began filming after the stars negotiated new contracts. And in the meantime, Kaley did the unexpected: she cut her hair...