Environmental Design 2011
Leigh Anne Kobe is a California-based designer who believes that design has the ability to affect how people experience their lives. This belief led her to where she is today. She loves to travel and see the world, and draws from these inspirations in her work.
Environmental Design 2010
Erika Kövesdi was born in Hungary and grew up in Europe and Vancouver, B.C., tinkering in her grandfather's wood shop, building abstract toys, creating habitats for a plethora of family pets and using old blueprints for drawing paper. As the principal designer for Formagraphics in Vancouver, Kövesdi directed graphic design and provided branding services to clients in the U.S. and Canada.
Product Design 2010
Will Tang is a recent graduate of Art Center who design interactive and social solutions which address sustainability and social issues.
ENVIRONMENT / EXPLORATION
Tower Zero Lifeguard Tower and Ocean-Science Learning Center
Product Description
Tower Zero is a lifeguard tower and ocean science-learning center that changes with, and is powered by, the quality of sunlight. The structure has a minimal impact on its surrounding natural environment, uses sustainable sources of energy, educates the public on the value of their environment and encourages them to want to protect it.
Tower Zero is built using recycled materials (stainless steel, recycled glass, glass-fiber reinforced concrete). Solar panels not only power the building, but control its temperature by powering apertures that open and close depending on the strength of the sunlight. Temperature is manipulated through the use of wind energy, allowing people to access nature and feel comfortable without harming it. The Tower Zero Center offers courses and field trips to educate people about our surroundings.
Sustainable Goals & Strategies
One of the main goals of Tower Zero was to showcase a building that can co-exist in symbiosis with nature with a minimal impact on its surroundings. The building is designed to educate and inspire the desire to protect the environment. Tower Zero is built using recycled materials, and it is energy self-sufficient. It utilizes the natural wind flows and sun patterns existing on the site for temperature control and necessary energy generation.