London architects Tonkin Liu have recently installed a beautiful metal flower beside the River Mersey in England. Dubbed Future Flower, the 14 metre-high flower having giant petals of perforated galvanized steel is part of a regeneration project for the waterfront at Widnes. Keeping sustainability in mind, the aesthetically appealing bloom illuminates at night using LED lights powered by small wind turbines.
The Future flower is a result of the joint efforts of Liu, along with sustainability engineers XCO2, structural engineers Eckersley O’Callaghan, and art fabricators Mike Smith Studio. The stunning structure that is 4.5 meter in diameter consists of triangles and pentagons, the steel structural frame is in the form of an icosi-dodecahedron, onto which 120 perforate galvanized mild steel petals are set. The central stalk comprises of 60 low voltage LED lights that are aimed at different clusters of petals.
The beautiful LED lights that glow at different intensities of red, depending on the wind speed are powered by three mini off-grid wind turbines attached to the stem. During the day, the metal petals reflect the dynamic colors of the landscape and sunset. The project is funded by the North West Development Agency as part of a wider Waterfront Regeneration Programme to the clean up of the vacant, polluted riverfront land of Southern Widnes, Cheshire.
Via: Dezeen