Wind Turbines - The Next Big Architectural Idea?

It turns out that Wind Turbines are very difficult and sometimes impossible to recycle. In this video, I explore the exciting possibility for the adaptive reuse of decommissioned wind turbines in architecture. There are some difficult challenges in doing this - mostly the cost and difficulty for a one-off project as opposed to doing this at scale, with the goal of becoming affordable and reasonable.

Architectural ideas have always been dictated by economic, cultural, and artistic expectations. In the 1500s there was Andrea Palladio designing for the appearance of expensive construction while minimising labour and structural costs using relatively cheap construction alternatives. Today we get cheap construction without the facade of art *cookie cutters*. As to what that implies about modern trends for the masses leaves much to be desired. A common limitation for constructing good homes is a tight budget, especially as the rate of wages is falling off a cliff compared to the rise of inflation. These conditions facilitate growing trends of industrial reuse for a fraction of the cost.

The conversion of wind turbines into inhabitable towers, or at the bare minimum addressing reuse of the massive quantities of material which goes into manufacturing these colossal structures should be assessed at a professional level. The pessimist that I am suspects no one is talking about doing this because it addresses an elephant in the room. Wind turbines have a lifespan of 20 years, with ongoing maintenance required every 6 months. They end up in landfill and do not degrade. Why not disassemble these glorious structures and put them to good use like shipping containers? After all, Australia is currently suffering from massive housing and labour deficits, leading to massive increases in the cost to build and hire workers, partly because there is not enough material to keep up with demand. Here lies a problem that has been cyclically covered for the last 150 years by all sides of politics - housing shortages occur, quality of life reduces drastically, and solutions are devised.


Do you think there is architectural and industrial reuse potential for decommissioned wind turbines? Share your thoughts in the comments section to get the ball moving on this discussion. I’m very eager to know what you think about my idea!

I'll happily respond to your questions and take suggestions for future videos.

#Architecture #Reuse #Sustainability