Ecosistema Urbano’s energy carousel, created for the Carve design contest for the Dordecht space, Governeurs Plein, has been designed to serve as meeting place for different age groups. 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 change according to how much energy has been generated for the battery on any particular day. Over the past year, the design for the Carousel was developed with three phases. You may view the planning documents here: continue reading