Expo Zaragoza 2008 :: Oikos: water and energy

'Oikos, water and energy'

"Oikos: water and energy"

Definition and architecture

Situated in the Ebro plaza, near the river aquarium and the themed “Water and the City” plaza.

The “Oikos: water and energy plaza” is an exposition facility in the open air (mostly) designed to show the visitor that it is possible to transform and store energy using the technology we have available in a manner that shows respect for the environment, is cheap, available to everyone, and which maintains our level of well-being. It is worth pointing out that this facility has different devices for capturing it (solar panels, small windmills), transformers, storing and transporting energy that creates a self-sufficient ecosystem from an energy point of view.

The contents of this themed plaza are divided into seven modules, further different walkways and a garden patio (recreational and leisure areas) which serve as the beginning and end of the visit.

Exposition: "Oikos, water and energy"

In the first part of the exposition, the visitor is introduced to the question of the relationship between water and energy, and the public can walk up to a platform with a waterfall, flowing from an Archimedes screw which is the source of the river that runs through the whole installation.

The current energy situation is synthesised in an adjoining module, showing the unsustainable use of fossil energy. The visitor continues his journey through different modules where using machines in motion, panels and audiovisuals, reference is made to themes such as:

• The Sun. In a 6-metre diameter room with a dome-shaped roof the Sun is presented as the cause of meteorological phenomena, the day, night and our seasons.
• The wind. The visitor learns about the origins and characteristics of this meteorological phenomenon using three great tubes which, coming from the bottom with cold air, go through a module culminating in three chimneys. Surrounding the tubes there is a spinning hoop that represents a mill in motion.
• The house and water. The installation explains the importance of hydroelectric power using a mechanism composed of wind pump that extracts water from a well. This falls like rain on a dam, whose water then goes through a turbine to generate electricity. Finally it goes into an installation like a home where there visitor can see the many applications of water in the house.
• Climate control. The public goes through two “chambers”, one cold and the other hot, to point out the importance of insulation as a fundamental aspect of good climate control.
• Lastly, in the final module, with the title “The possible house”, the application of all the alternative techniques viewed throughout the plaza is shown to reduce consumption of fossil fuels.

It has an exposition surface of 845 m2 on 3 levels. The walkway joining the different modules will be 50 metres long. The garden patio in the centre of the exposition will have a surface area of at least 300 m2.