在2022年米兰设计周上，国际设计与创意事务所CRA-Carlo Ratti Associati和建筑师Italo Rota公布了这座名为“感受能量”的项目，该项目将城市的植物园转化成为一座能源公园。“感受能量”利用500米的数字弯曲铜管，创造了一条感官路径，在这里，人们可以探索不同形式的可持续能源生产和消耗。该项目为Plenitude而开发，是设计周INTERNI Re.Generation展览的一部分。项目所用的铜由世界上最大的铜材料生产商之一KME提供。“感受能量”装置将向公众开放至2022年6月13日。
该装置邀请人们漫步在米兰历史悠久的植物园，园内分为六个主要部分：能量旋转木马、花园管弦乐队、领先标志、动力振动、阳光百叶窗，以及太阳能花园。这些装置让人们可以直接体验如何从太阳、风和人们的运动中产生能量。每个步骤都对应一个由铜制成的独特装置，全部由铜制成。装置在白天收集和储存能量，晚上则用这些能源来照亮植物园。装置还为水雾化器提供动力，为花园步道带去清凉，同时浇灌植被。
The installation invites people to wander through Milan’s historical Botanical Garden, in a sequence of six main stages: Energy Carousel, Garden Orchestra, The Leading Logo, Powering Vibrations, Blinds in the Sun, Solar Garden. These make it possible to directly experience how energy can be produced from the sun, wind, and people’s movements. Each step features a different object, all made of copper. The installation harvests and stores energy during the day, using it to illuminate the Botanical Garden in the evening. It also powers water vaporizers that will cool the garden pathways while at the same time nourishing the vegetation.
参观者进入植物园，一个宏伟的旋转木马首先映入眼帘，人们可以在这里体验运动带来的能量。此后，参观者们将从一系列门户下穿过，这些门户播放着意大利巴洛克作曲家安东尼奥·维瓦尔第（Antonio Vivaldi）著名的《四季》交响乐片段，由米兰交响乐团Strumentale la Barocca演奏。展览路径还设有一架巨大的颤音琴，邀请参观者与之互动。此外，装有有机光伏板的彩色隔膜的隧道，在其间徘徊的人们可以自行开关，树冠上的传感器可以探测到人们的存在，并激活冷雾装置提供清凉。
Visitors access the Botanical Garden and immediately discover a majestic carousel where they can experience the energy in motion. After that, people can walk under a series of portals that plays sequences from the renowned Four Seasons symphony by Italian baroque composer Antonio Vivaldi, performed by the Ensemble Strumentale la Barocca of the Symphony Orchestra of Milan. The exhibition path also includes a giant vibraphone which people are invited to play. Moreover, a tunnel with colored diaphragms laden with organic photovoltaic panels can be opened or closed by those wandering through it, while a canopy features sensors that can detect people’s presence and activate a cool mist.
“装置的灵感来自植物有机体的功能，”CRA的创始合伙人兼麻省理工学院感知城市实验室主任Carlo Ratti说：“就像森林中的树木从不同来源汲取能量，然后在所需的位置使用它——如某根树枝或叶子的末端，“感受能量”装置的长铜管会吸收整个装置的能量，然后园区路径中的特定位置使用这些能量。”
“The installation is inspired by the functioning of plant organisms,” says Carlo Ratti, founding partner at CRA and director of the MIT Senseable City Lab: “As trees in a forest draw energy from different sources and then use it locally where they need it - in a certain branch or the end of a leaf - the long copper tube of ‘Feeling the Energy’ absorbs energy in its entire length and then uses it in specific points of the installation path.”
“玩耍是人类的基本活动。装置暗示了游戏和能源世界之间的新联系。它向我们表明，每当我们消耗能量时——无论是在旋转木马，还是在秋千上，甚至在发声时，我们都可以回收一些能量。此外，装置还紧扣了效率的主题。一个简单的手势，如调整光伏板方向，使我们能够实际考虑节省和优化资源。”Italo Rota Building Office的创始人Italo Rota说。
"Playing is a fundamental activity for every human being. This installation suggests new links between play and the world of energy. It shows us that every time we consume energy - whether it's on a carousel or a swing, or even while producing sound waves - we can recover some of that energy. In addition, the installation hints closely at the theme of efficiency. A simple gesture such as orienting the photovoltaic panels allows us to think practically about saving and optimizing resources," says Italo Rota, founder of Italo Rota Building Office.
项目展示了自给自足的能源基础设施的运作，装置中离散节点在微电网中连接。该装置在小范围内再现了城市、国家甚至跨洲能源网络的情况：复杂的能源运输渠道能够在漫长的旅程中连接和供应每个节点。此外，铜管具有抗菌特性，这十分有利于为造访者提供安全的接触体验。装置材料将在活动结束时按照循环设计的原则重复使用。
The Plenitude project illustrates what a self-sufficient energy infrastructure looks like, where discrete points are connected in a microgrid. The installation reproduces, on a small scale, what happens with urban, national and even transcontinental energy networks: complex distribution channels are able to connect and supply each node over a long journey. Moreover, the copper tube features antimicrobial properties, which are particularly beneficial to allowing safe contacts between visitors joining the experience. The same material will be reused at the end of the event, following the principles of circular design.
CRA在各种项目中探索了自然和人工以及不同规模的能源生产。其中包括使用运动跟踪和天花板安装的雾化元素来提供局部冷却的系统Cloud Cast，，以及围绕意大利北部10米高的榕树建造的私人住宅The Greenary等。在之前的设计周展览中，CRA开发了一系列利用技术设计替代的可持续未来的临时装置，例如位于米兰主广场大教堂广场的Living Nature花园展亭，借助用于气候控制的创新能源管理系统，实现了建筑内部四季同时共存。
CRA has explored the Natural and the Artificial as well as energy production at different scales, in a variety of projects. These include Cloud Cast, a system that uses motion tracking and ceiling-mounted misting elements to provide localized cooling, and The Greenary, a private house built around a 10-meter-tall ficus tree in northern Italy. At previous Design Week exhibitions, CRA developed temporary installations that use technology to devise alternative sustainable futures. For instance Living Nature, in Milan’s main square Piazza del Duomo, recreated a garden pavilion where all four seasons coexist with each other at the same time, thanks to an innovative energy management system for climate control.
