TEXTILES.ORG
“A team of collaborating Italian architects, Paolo Venturella, Angelo Balducci, Luca Ponsi, and Paolo Gaeta, had an unusual approach for a mosque project. The solar panel-covered “Wall-Dome” concept was the group’s entry to the highly debated architecture competition to design the Central Mosque of Prishtina, Kosovo. Modern in both its appearance and function, it is made with a series of louvers with a façade encased in thin, photovoltaic film that collects energy for use in the mosque and elsewhere.
Taking advantage of the spherical shape, the curved form guarantees a surface oriented to the sun during the day to optimize the radiation value. The tilted “shaders” prevent direct sunlight in the interior and create indirect illumination, also allowing the view to the outside. The southern facing ‘kibla wall’ works as a greenhouse element that captures heat and releases it to the interior when needed during colder periods.
