Solar City Tower Waterfall for Rio Olympics 2016

Rio de Janeiro, Brasil, was selected for the 2016 Olympic Games and it is planning on building a massive solar powered artificial waterfall called "Solar City Tower", designed by Swiss (Zürich-based) company - RAFAA Architecture & Design.

The 344.5-foot tall (105 meters) Solar City Tower is going to be located on the small Cotonduba Island in Guanabara Bay. The enormous waterfall is almost twice the height of Niagara Falls and will be large enough to accommodate the opening and closing Olympic ceremonies. It is one of the first buildings that are being designed for the 2016 Rio Olympics.

This solar energy generating tower will be using many solar panels to produse electricity for the Olympic village by day. Any excess energy would be used to pump seawater into reservoirs at the top, so that it can be released by night as a spectacular waterfall. The falling water would also help turbines create electricity for the nighttime village.

In addition to producing energy, the Solar City Tower would have an elevator to take visitors to the very top of the tower, where a “glass sky walk” offers panoramic views of the surrounding harbor and Rio. There's even a platform at 297 feet (90.5) that provides bungee jumping. The giant tower would also house an auditorium, cafeteria, shop and amphitheater on the ground level.

The Solar City Tower is RAFAA’s entry in the International Architecture Competition for the 2016 Olympics, where the Brazilian metropolis aims to represent the green city of the future and hope to achieve its goal to host the first-ever zero-carbon Olympics.

"Green Olympics" - Beijing 2008

Beijing National Stadium - 'Bird's Nest'
Photo credit: Guo Lei/Xinhua

The 2008 Summer Olympics in China are in their apogee and they are drawing a lot of attention. Taking into account a massive global audience, the Beijing Olympic organizers are hoping to focus our attention to climate changes and popularize the idea of using eco-friendly technologies. The "Green Olympics" may help change peoples attitudes and set standards for future building projects in China and around the world.

The Olympic organizers are trying to make the Olympic Games environmentally friendly and Beijing a model city for using green technologies, zero net emissions and sustainable architecture. As a part of these efforts, more than a quarter of the energy used at Olympic venues is coming from renewable sources.

Beijing's Olympic Village is a great example of sustainable community development. All seven main Olympic stadiums are equipped with solar generators capable of outputting 480 kilowatts of energy at any given moment. The entire hot-water supply for the Olympic Village will be powered by solar energy. Photovoltaic panels are incorporated on the stadium walls and roofs for most of the outdoor lighting. Also, the main stadiums will receive power from Beijing's first wind farm.

Beijing National Stadium - 'Bird's Nest' includes a rainwater collection arrangement, a natural ventilation system and its upper surface is clad with Ethylene Tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE) roof panels, that let in natural light. The stadium is referred to as the ‘Bird’s Nest’ because of its saddle-shaped steel roof and interwoven façade

The spectacular-looking structure called "Water Cube" looks like a building made of bubble-wrap. It is officially known as the National Aquatics Center and is completely surrounded with ETFE pillows. It is expected to cut energy use by 30 percent and has been built so that after the Olympic Games to be converted easily to a shopping area and leisure center.

The idea for the Beijing's "Green Olympics" makes perfect sense because China sees its energy costs rising and energy sources dwindling, as well as significant damage to the environment. And the so-called "Green Olympics", although will not solve China's environmental issues, they could point the way to a more sustainable future, according to officials and experts.

China is already a world leader in many renewable energy technologies, but so far many of the green technologies have been for export only, because they are too expensive for the country to use itself. China, for example, led the world in manufacturing and utilisation of solar water heaters and energy efficient light bulbs. It is also on the way to becoming the world leader in wind turbine manufacturing and installation.