Galindo bridge between Sestao and Barakaldo, Guipuzcoa. Manterola, 2007. Photos: Jabi Garrido

The Navarre Manterola is a maverick in the engineering landscape, since they always try to go beyond the technical resolution of calculus problems to introduce a personal aesthetic expression. Es un esfuerzo artístico que se deriva de un conocimiento y amor profundo hacia la técnica que le permite lograr una forma personal de construir.

This year the magazine of design and architecture Metropolishas spent the last edition of his award "Next Generation" the challenge for the new generation of clean energy production. The young French architects Nicola Delon, Julien Choppin and Raphaël Ménard have won the first prize with his interesting project "Wind-it", which involves inserting vertical axis wind turbines on pylons. The most characteristic problems of wind energy often their remoteness from places of power consumption, and the environmental and landscape impact they have on the environment. With this idea would get a more efficient system to be linked with the power supply transmission line, and in turn the impact minoraría landscape by combining both systems in the same elemento.Inspirados in French rural landscapes viewed from the TGV train where pylons erected countless electric turbines and some thought Why not combine?. In this way they set out to consolidate their initial idea, considering different possibilities for the energy mix. On the one hand could be inserted turbines in existing electrical towers mainly in those that are obsolete or require its replacement. Also be built new models that combine both energies, con tres diferentes tamaños de turbinas de eje vertical según la ubicación.

Such initiatives are not the first to come to light, because in the editing 2006 these same awards one participant, Mark Oberholzer, posed integrate vertical axis wind turbines barriers that divide the highway traffic state of New Jersey. Or replace the proposed highway information boards for vertical axis wind turbines, performed by an architecture student from Arizona. Companies like Urban Green Energy have implemented ideas, how are you, to install wind turbines or mobile phone masts on the roofs of buildings. De esta manera se podría introducir este tipo de energía en entornos urbanos evitando la transmisión de la misma a través de largas distancias donde se pierde eficiencia.

Wind-it project despite being witty and original initiative with great potential, require major economic and technical efforts for implementation. For example common electrical towers should be strengthened to accommodate this type of elements, besides involving added cost vertical axis turbines less economic than conventional. Another aspect is the management of these facilities and to be coordinated with the utilities with wind turbine. No obstante es un proyecto en fase de evolución que permite un amplio margen de mejora.