Remember the Digital Water Pavilion I previewed last year? Devised by a bunch of MIT brainiacs, who described it as being rather like an inkjet printer controlling droplets of falling water, it was finally inaugurated last week at the Zaragoza World Expo in Spain. Although the video is only short you can see the brazilliant effects of the water. Most interesting, however, is what the pavilion needs to make it go.
The DWP consists of 3,000 digitally controlled solenoid valves, several dozen pumps, 12 hydraulic stainless steel pistons, and a digital control system that uses open source software. The roof, 400-mm thick, is the only solid part of the building, and it moves up and down on pistons, depending on the weather conditions.
This is the opening ceremony. Very son et lumière, doncha think? Despite the cameraman's best efforts, you can see the time and effort put into the pavilion. I only wish I was still in Spain, then I could check it out for you all. [Building Design and YouTube]