I don't know what it is about the Arctic that attracts the wild ideas of southerners. Especially architects. There are all manner of strangely designed buildings up here, designs that make you go "Huh". Futuristic looking buildings including some that look like space ships. Jentography, when she was Jen of Nunavut even ran a contest on her now defunct contest site about strange buildings.
This idea for solar balloons to light up the Arctic, which I found via Circumpolar Musings, while not a building comes from the far too fertile minds of a pair of Architecture students.
That is exactly what we need up here (sarcasm alert). Forget trying to find affordable practical housing for the north. Forget trying to address the insane cost of transportation that make living here unaffordable. If only we could have light all winter long that would be so much better. Who wants to see stars anyway? Energy solutions that reduce our reliance on oil generated electricity, what ever for? You have solar powered night lights.
You'll note that the two students who "won international recognition for their idea to cut through the seemingly endless months of darkness in the Canadian Arctic" have never been to the freaking Arctic. But hey, they studied about it in an intense studio design course.
But lest you think its all just about improving our lot with the endless Seasonal Affective Disorders that plague us, there are very practical aspects to their idea as well. For example, moored near the shore, these lights could act as lighthouse to guide vessels to port when they are operating from November to February. This would greatly aid them while they are plowing through four feet of ice. And they'd help guide Inuit hunters back home, because they've been unable to find their way around up here for the last five thousand years.
I can barely contain my enthusiasm.
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5 responses
It is amazing that the people who think they know what’s best for those of us who live north have never been to our part of the world. (sarcasm alert) 🙂
Salut Clare. Check out this web site and see the fun they had with this idea. Have a great day. inuvikphotos.ca ( tropicana films commercial in inuvik : brings own sun )
Robert Tailleur
Québec.
Oh Clare….I remember the space ship house in Pond and as much as they might be bright young students, the one comment about growing up in Edmonton as the same darkness in the arctic..well NOT.
I just read the article and it didn’t offend me. Part of architecture school is to dream big and come up with big new ideas. They rarely get implemented, and even the students themselves rarely expect them to (even if they sound so enthusiastic in their interview).
I don’t think it’s fair to expect students to only do exercises based on their own corner of planet earth, part of the learning process is to learn about other environments. They are students, after all! This article is just about discussing an idea that won a prize, it’s not proposing that it be implemented right now, right away.
I think it’s great if people come up with new ideas for arctic environments. Arctic communities suck vast amounts of energy. Someone should be brainstorming some new ideas to wean away from that… shouldn’t they? Not everything will be implemented, and not everything will work the first time, and that’s completely normal for any environment.
Very fair comments Nancy and kudos to to both young students for their work and innovative ideas. Ideas vs. implementation often a large gap. Don’t know enough about the field but have often wondered what research and implementation there has been with solar energy in the arctic. Kugluktuk for example has two wind towers but the times I have been there one was down and other did not seem operational.