Ecosistema Urbano’s “Energy carousel” is an inventive, educative and multi-age friendly playful object.
A play structure consisting of a tensegrity structure formed with ropes and textiles.
As a forest of revolving rope swings that hang at different lengths, the hanging rope seats towards the center of the structure accommodate smaller, younger children, while taller, older children may grab onto the shorter ropes on the outside. The kinetic energy that is released by the children’s hanging and turning on the ropes is captured via carousel structure and stored in a battery underneath the play site.
When the park begins to lose light, the carousel’s battery supplies energy to light up the structure. When the speed of play increases, the lamps will light up brighter. The color of the lights also changes according to how much energy has been generated by the children on any particular day.
Ecosistema Urbano has designed this play structure with two particular focuses in mind.
The first is to promote education through play. We believe that teaching children about alternative methods for generating electrical power with their own physical experiences, sends a subtle message about the potential for creative and a more sustainable approach to urbanism.
Second, is to use efficient materials that also serve to highlight the project’s unique design.
The kinetic energy released by the children’s hanging and turning on the ropes is captured via carousel structure and stored in a battery underneath the play site. This energy is used to generate the lighting in the evenings. The mechanism of energy production and lightning is so simple as a bike dynamo. The color of the lights also changes according to how much energy has been generated by the children on any particular day.
