JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #137 - November/December 2020 - 50

SOLUTlONS city

Composites for
tomorrow's cities

emographic growth, and the tendency of populations to concentrate in large economic hubs
encourage the model of big and mega-cities
throughout the world. While most of the big agglomerations were designed and built in response to
issues such as housing, supply of energy and goods,
they are rarely in control of today's stakes like the
need to curb automobile traffic density and related
pollution. The COVID-19 crisis has only added to
it/made the situation worse, as many people living in
large urban spaces dreamt of their own single-family
homes (if possible, with a garden). How could urban
life be reimagined in line with goals for eco-responsibility, with respect to everyday comfort and convenience? While the Smart City concept is flying high
today, such models based on an ultra-high concentration of human beings are under scrutiny in light of
the current circumstances.
The goals of cities are numerous. As a stage on which
transmission between generations take place, the urban space and the way in which it incorporates and
enhances the value of heritage sites has taken on, as
part of its mission, safeguarding culture. Cities must
also adapt to the new ambitions of their inhabitants
who, aware of the carbon footprint produced by our
means for transportation, desire new and clean solutions for local energy production in particular.
Finally, city dwellers want to re-appropriate the city
for themselves, and overcome the alienating nature
of huge residential complexes. This time, the challenge that cities face is how to successfully reincorporate opportunities for outdoor exercise, which
until recently, were relegated to the outskirts (for
more on this, see the special issue on Sports, Health
& Leisure, and in particular the article dedicated to
Walltopia).
On all of these aspects and challenges, composites
gain fame for offering innovative solutions. Properties
like formability and resistance to harsh atmospheric
conditions are turned to good account. They allow
composites to offer assistance that is appreciable today, when confronted with the need to rethink urban
areas and the impact of our everyday lifestyles. n

Taming the inner-city wind
The KISSTAKER Lantern Wind Turbine
Generator is an affordable vertical wind
turbine kit designed for ordinary homes.
Though it's available at a lower price than
most wind power generators on the market,
the KISSTAKER is one of the most powerful. This system can produce an energy
output sufficient to power the entire home.
KISSTAKER uses magnetic technology to facilitate more efficient
power generation, eliminating friction, improving the turbine's inertia as the blades spin around their axis, and finally, minimizing the
noise coming from the motor.
The blades are made of high-strength PA66 and fibre-reinforced nylon, giving the KISSTAKER the ability to withstand forceful winds
as high as 45 meters per second.

Strengthening the link
between heritage and modernity
It's crucial that a city, eager to project itself into the future, maintain
its historic buildings so as not to
lose its cultural roots. The recent
fires at the Notre Dame and Nantes
cathedrals had a significant impact
on the population, leading us to
question how these places are being
renovated. Should they be rebuilt
exactly as they were, in order to
leave them intact for future generations? Or, should they be updated
in line with today's tastes, to create
a lively dialogue between the monuments and their era?
At Solutions Composites, the
choice was made to inject some
dynamism into the reconstruction
of these cultural emblems through
the use of Aeronef, a diamond-like
structure produced from carbon fibre and glass. Bearer of a message on
modernity and continuity, this project is quite aesthetic, and through
the light well created in the nave to
accommodate this structure, heightens the visitor experience.

jec composites magazine / N°137 November - December 2020

www.solutions-composites.com

http://www.solutions-composites.com

JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #137 - November/December 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #137 - November/December 2020