The continents of Europe and Africa are separated by a sea patch of just 14.3 km at the narrowest point of the Strait of Gibraltar. And if everything goes according to the ingenious planning of designers Alessandro Loschiavo and Francesco Nava, the historic expanse between the “Pillars of Hercules” will soon be bedecked with solar powered luminous buoys.
Dubbed as the Lanterna di Mare, this fascinating proposal was originally envisaged as an entry for “Project Heracles,” which asked participants to conceive a rudimentary design that would allude to some form of connection between Europe and Africa through Gibraltar. In this particular conception, the designers have thought of luminous buoys to be floated at 500m intervals on the seabed. These buoys would conscientiously serve a myriad of purposes including zonal marking for water-crafts and even demarcations and rest stops for adventure water-sports participants. Moreover, each of them will carry small quantities of medical supply for emergencies.
Coming to the green side of affairs, the buoys will be powered by clean solar energy during day time (through those circular solar panels at the top), and thus would be illuminated during the night time. So, overall it will be low-emission project that would cater both from the perspective of practicality and sustainability.
Via: DesignBoom