The architecture firm behind Dubai’s Burj Khalifa has partnered with a start-up to develop skyscrapers that can double up as energy storage systems.
Skidmore, Owings & Merrill has teamed up with grid-scale energy storage specialist Energy Vault to explore the possibility of using gravity-based technology within tall building structures.
SOM has developed prototype designs that use electric motors to elevate massive blocks, creating potential energy that can be converted into electricity when the blocks are lowered.
If they work, such systems could present an alternative to lithium-ion batteries and other types of chemical cells.
The two firms are seeking development partners interested in their scheme to offset greenhouse gas pollution from buildings, which the United Nations estimates is responsible for almost 40% of global emissions.
The partnership is led by SOM partners Adam Semel and Scott Duncan with structural engineer Bill Baker.
Semel said: “This partnership with Energy Vault is a commitment not only to accelerate the world’s transition away from fossil fuels, but also to explore, together, how the architecture of renewable energy can enhance our shared natural landscapes and urban environments.”
Robert Piconi, chairman and chief executive of Energy Vault, said: “Our strategic partnership with SOM opens a new multi-billion dollar market segment for Energy Vault focused on the future of sustainability in new building design and energy efficiency.
“The combination of our pioneering work in gravity energy storage technology with the global track record and expertise of the most widely renowned engineering, design, and architecture firm in the world will provide the first platform toward delivering accelerated carbon payback in building construction and operation for the first time.”
Photo © SevenStorm JUHASZIMRUS/Pexels
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