Air, Architecture + Other Climates

[50.0°to 61.0° N : United Kingdom] : Carbon Transitions- 2020/21
John Cook, Ben Pollock + Laura Nica

Daria-Suzanne Donovetsky

The Cloud Factory

(51°37'22.6"N 3°51'15.1"W)

Swansea , Coedffranc, Wales

The Cloud factory is a hybrid apparatus for cloud geoengineering, atmospheric displaying, and monitoring. The experimental project comprises a research building powered by water turbines, passive air manipulation elements, as well as an open public area. The proposal was envisioned with two experiment areas: one open and one closed. Given the sensitive and uncertain matter of open-air experiments, they are to be held only above the UK. The design is informed by the technology used for geoengineering and aerosol capturing, as well as instruments used to track air movement. The proposal has a ‘wind tunnel’ which was designed to use the prevailing winds from the west in order to maintain the geoengineered cloud on land and in a certain area for a more rigorous study. The open cloud experiments will be conducted with sea salt aerosols, which have already been proven to work. The closed cloud experiments will be held in the vertical deployable tower. where scientists will study the effectiveness of their engineered particles.