Philosophical Friday ; thoughts on the 'skin' of houses, etc.
There is a grand amount of surface area on buildings – houses and other dwellings, schools, factories, airports etc.
It seems a lot of untapped potential.
Solar panels and rooftop gardens come to mind as already existing uses, a very small percentage.
Surely there is a lot more.
What about catching wind power with many small 'traps' on roofs or walls; the pinwheels on my deck and veranda spin merrily in windy weather, which is not dependent on sun or even daylight. What if shingles or siding had 'traps'.
What if roofs had rollers that could be accessed from indoors and used to dry clothing in sun and wind and fresh air.
What if shingles or roof covers or siding could be absorbent, working both ways, heating or cooling. Earthenware jugs come to mind.
What if vertical surfaces could be made 'magnetic' to attract water that could then drip down into troughs and directed or attract pollutants that could also be collected.
What if paint had properties beyond decorative/sealant….
What if vertical gardens covered vertical surfaces…..planted in vertical transparent tubes that could act as greenhouses…..planted between transparent 'walls' ……
What if walls provided transport for objects in highrises like groceries or heavy packages…