From “unrealistic science fiction” to getting awards
Starting as a graduation project in January 2008, KNARR™ project nearly stopped before it started. Our professors at Aarhus Architecture School thought it was “unrealistic” and “science-fiction like”. After graduating with honours, we received great praise from international media and the KNARR™ project was exhibited in Japan, presented at TEDx, awarded with both the Danish Design Center’s Special Price and the international Core77 Design “Speculative Concept” award – on top of getting us employed at the world’s leader in wind energy Vestas.
Challenge
Our goal has been to make a freight solution, which will reduce the energy consumption of today’s wind turbine freight. Furthermore we wanted to make the logistics around the wind turbine freight more simple and efficient.
We have made a solution for an airship, which will be capable of transporting the wind turbine parts from manufacture to installation site.
Deliverables
In order to address all of the aspects of the concept, we worked with different visualization methods. We made storyboards, posters, 3D renderings and prints, and animations.
KNARR™ - Sustainable windmill freight by modern airship technology
"In the global economy has efficient and sustainable freight of goods as well as well-running logistics become a increasingly more important element in case of understanding and keeping competitive benefits."
Kilde: Vindmølletransportens nye veje -- om transportudfordringer for vindmølleproducenter. Af Jeppe Bæk (Nordic Transportpolitical Network)
The Danish windmill industry has experienced a huge development the latest years. It is expected to continue. The reason is caused by the windmill's bigger dimensions and larger efficiency among other things. One windmill's production price of electricity has dropped with about 80% during the last 20 years. That makes the windmills more cost-effective. Conversely has the increasing dimensions and weight entailed a complication of a windmills transport and installation. Furthermore it makes a larger impact on the environment.
The Danish windmill industry is definitely leading the global market of windmill energy.
It is crucial to do something different to be ahead of the rival companies if Denmark wants to maintain the leading position. In this case will the development of more sustainable and more efficient freight solutions make a decisive difference.
This project deals with the use of modern airship technology as an alternative to the freight business of heavy cargo - particularly windmill parts.
Our goal has been to make a freight solution, which will reduce the energy consumption of today's windmill freight. Furthermore we wanted to make the logistics around the windmill freight more simple and efficient.
We have made a solution for an airship, which will be capable of transporting the windmill parts from manufacture to installation site.