Residents of the small Norwegian town of Rjukan have finally seen the light.
Tucked in between steep mountains, the town is normally shrouded in shadow for almost six months a year, with residents having to catch a cable car to the top of a nearby precipice to get a fix of midday vitamin D.
But on Wednesday faint rays from the winter sun for the first time reached the town's market square, thanks to three 183-square-foot (17-square-meter) mirrors placed on a mountain.
Cheering families, some on sun loungers, drinking cocktails and waving Norwegian flags, donned shades as the sun crept from behind a cloud to hit the mirrors and reflect down onto the faces of delighted children below.
People who live on the north side of high-rises could get sunlight the same way, with remote-controlled mirrors on the south side of adjacent buildings directing reflected sunlight.
Little quality of life amenities like this can reduce the downside of high-density living and increase the number of people who choose that option.
> remote-controlled
ReplyDeleteBetter be limiters on the traversal of each mirror, or people could get voted off the hi-rise.
I have a north-facing apartment in Chicago, and about the only benefit I've ever gotten from The Donald is that the Trump Tower reflects a good deal of excellent morning sunlight my way.
ReplyDeleteYou need to do it with some care, though, there still can be too much of a good thing.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-23948811
raypierre, I suspect the New York Trump tower's shadow outweighs Bloombergen's white roofs program in mitigating urban heat island effects on the upper east side.
ReplyDeleteWhat a curious thought. Sunlight seems to be a premium commodity for such locations, and high-rise window mirrors seems to be a solution for sharing the "light". It's good to have options for utilizing high-rise skyscrapers for other uses aside form the usual ones as a residential or a commercial building.
ReplyDeleteJen Lau @ TowerPoint.com