Solar-Powered Structures And Sustainable Design

Architects Gregory Kiss and Colin Cathcart use solar panels as structural elements.

1 minute read

May 10, 2002, 8:00 AM PDT

By Abhijeet Chavan @http://twitter.com/legalaidtech


"The generation of electricity is important. But even in this field, aesthetics are inseparable from function. We have to begin using this technology not just as an adjunct, and not just as prototype, but as a structural element. If this technology is ever to gain broad acceptance, it has to become part of the general language of design." "[The] most substantial and tangible contribution to sustainable design [by architects Gregory Kiss and Colin Cathcart] may well be a series of simple solar units adjacent to homes on the Navajo reservation in northern Arizona."

Thanks to Abhijeet Chavan

Wednesday, May 1, 2002 in MetropolisMag.com

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

June 18, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Two people walking away from camera through pedestrian plaza in street in Richmond, Virginia with purple and white city bus moving in background.

Vehicle-related Deaths Drop 29% in Richmond, VA

The seventh year of the city's Vision Zero strategy also cut the number of people killed in alcohol-related crashes by half.

June 17, 2025 - WRIC

Two small wooden one-story homes in Florida with floodwaters at their doors.

As Trump Phases Out FEMA, Is It Time to Flee the Floodplains?

With less federal funding available for disaster relief efforts, the need to relocate at-risk communities is more urgent than ever.

June 16, 2025 - Governing

People at beach on sunny day doing clean-up of plastic bottles and other trash.

Plastic Bag Bans Actually Worked

U.S. coastal areas with plastic bag bans or fees saw significant reductions in plastic bag pollution — but plastic waste as a whole is growing.

35 minutes ago - Fast Company

Close-up on PG&E "SmartMeter" electricity meter on side of building.

Improving Indoor Air Quality, One Block at a Time

A movement to switch to electric appliances at the neighborhood scale is taking off in California.

3 hours ago - Inside Climate News

Colorful bright blue small houses with decorative cacti in courtyard in San Diego, California.

Opinion: How to Rebuild the ‘Starter Home’ Market

Large minimum lot sizes and restrictions on multi-unit housing put an artificial floor under home costs. Is it time to eliminate them?

4 hours ago - Greater Greater Washington