Design for eVolo 2011 competition entry proposing a wind farm integrated into the city of Busan, South Korea.

Over 30% of renewable energy is lost in transmission from remote wind farms to the cities they power. Urban Turbines integrates a wind farm within the existing urban fabric of a South Korean city.  Busan – a growing city dependent on non renewable energy – is currently investing heavily in renewable energy resources.  Urban Turbines proposes a more efficient transmission and dispersion of this renewable energy from its source to the demanding city by integrating the source within the city’s existing electrical grid.
Aside from acting as an efficient renewable resource for the city of Busan, Urban Turbines is heavily integrated into the active urban life and infrastructure of the city.  The project consists of an elevated urban level flowing between a series of eight wind towers.  At this urban level each tower morphs into an active urban plaza serviced by a multiplicity of pedestrian paths and an above ground light rail system.  Each wind tower is filled with condos, retail, office spaces, recreational centers, and parks – all with extraordinary views and fresh air.  The cap of each tower consists of a rotating wind turbine.  The uninhabited layers behind each turbine are filled with heavy vegetation and rain-water filtering systems echoing the micro-climates found on the mountains lying in and around Busan.
Wind farms are often placed in remote locations for two reasons:  1. Wind Levels – The best sites for wind farms are those which receive high amounts of wind.  Vast deserts and oceans often fulfill this requirement.  2. Neglect – Wind farms are considered by many to be unattractive and they don’t fit with their surrounding context.  Busan is a coastal city which receives high amounts of wind.  The industrial nature of wind farms blends well with the highly industrial character of Busan.  Rather than littering the immaculate countryside with massive Wind Farms, Urban Turbines brings this industrial language to the industrial city of Busan.