The recently unveiled Pertamina Energy Tower will create its own power—and not just because it will belong to the state-owned energy company of Indonesia.
The planned 1,640-foot, 99-story tower will create its own energy through a huge funnel at its top that pulls in wind which in turn moves a series of vertical turbines inside to create electricity.
It’s hard to believe that no architecture firm before Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP (SOM) has thought to implement a wind-harnessing energy system in a skyscraper. Upon seeing or hearing about such a design the first time you just think, “Well, yeah. That makes sense.”
In addition to the wind-harnessing capability, SOM told Fast Company’s Co-Exist blog that it is also considering tapping the subterranean steam below Jakarta to provide geothermal energy as well. If the team is able to generate both wind and geothermal energy, SOM project director Scott Duncan says the tower could be the first energy-positive supertall building in the world.
The building’s design also works to reduce the need for energy use. The building’s curved facade was “precisely calibrated for Jakarta’s proximity to the equator” to keep the interior cool, while sun shades on the exterior provide lighting inside that’s bright, but not too bright.
In addition to the office tower, Pertamina will also include a performing arts and exhibition pavilion, a mosque, and a central energy plant. The project is scheduled to be completed by 2020.
