We've seen how some city buildings are using solar panels to offset their operating costs, but here's a concept that is truly illuminating.
Meidad Marzan, an industrial designer from the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design in Jerusalem, Israel, has developed a design for exterior building panels that absorb solar energy during the day to provide light for the building at night. Functional and practical — yes — but Marzan's so-called UrbanTiles have a little more dazzle than your average solar panel.
Constructed from aluminum and stainless steel, on one side the UrbanTile would have a photovoltaic panel. The other side would contain an organic light emitting diodes (OLED) screen. During the day, the panels could be adjusted via electric motors to face the sun and maximize their absorbed solar energy. The long rows of banded panels could also be swiveled to act as window blinds.
At night, the UrbanTiles could be flipped so the OLED screens would face indoors to provide light for interior rooms and a wall of screens for media playback. Think pulling back the drapes and watching your favorite movie on your window. The OLED screens could also be rotated outward to provide light designs or messages on the sides of the building.
[Via Gizmag]
Images: Meidad Marzan, Behance
