global partnership for sustainable architecture
The company Energy Vault from Lugano and the architecture firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) from Chicago are collaborating to integrate gravity energy storage systems into building design. This technology enables faster carbon amortization during the construction and operation of buildings.
The Lugano-based company Energy Vault, which specialises in sustainable energy storage solutions, is teaming up with the architecture and engineering firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill(SOM) from Chicago, Illinois. According to a press release, this global partnership aims to integrate the gravity energy storage technology developed by Energy Vault into building design. Such gravity energy storage systems (GESS) in building architectures will enable faster amortisation of carbon in the construction and operation of buildings in the future.
The plan is for SOM to act as the sole architect and civil engineer for all new gravity energy storage systems. Under the name G-VAULT, Energy Vault offers gravity-based energy storage systems for long-term storage. The company also focusses on the use of environmentally friendly and recycled materials for the transition to a circular economy with clean energy. In the future, G-VAULT will be integrated into tall buildings, urban environments and deployable structures in natural environments, according to the press release. Energy Vault has been working with SOM for the past twelve months to optimise the structure, architecture and economics of its technology.
“We are very excited to begin this exclusive global partnership with Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, a firm with an unrivalled track record of developing some of the world’s most remarkable structures,” Robert Piconi, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Energy Vault, was quoted as saying in the press release. “This partnership with Energy Vault is not only a commitment to accelerate the world’s transition away from fossil fuels, but also to jointly explore how renewable energy architecture can enhance our shared natural landscapes and urban environments,” adds architect and one of the three lead SOM partners, Adam Semel.