Green Power for the People

[greenman3610]

http://www.plentymag.com/features/2007/03/green_power_for_the_people.php

Chicago’s winds are legendary. For people who live in subsidized housing, those winds often bring misery, driving winter’s icy air into homes through thin walls and leaky windows.

Such is not the case for the residents of a new housing project that opened yesterday on the city’s near north side. Called Near North Apartments, the 96-unit, 46,000-square-foot building houses formerly homeless Chicagoans......

Perched on Near North's roof are eight cylindrical wind turbines, each about five feet high and 10 feet long, lined up in a row down the length of the building. “The site is oriented perfectly for the prevailing winds in Chicago,” says Barry Mullen, vice president for real estate development at Mercy Housing Lakefront.

He notes that the building, designed by Chicago architect Helmut Jahn, is specially designed to use wind power. The roof curves at the edges, like the top of a loaf of bread. As the wind flows over the curve, it accelerates on its way into the turbines.

[triakis36]

1. Cool! Ingenious

That's one of those d'oh! why didn't anyone think of that sooner. Awesome! :headbang: