I hope Building Design won't mind me quoting at length from architect Andrew Waugh's report on 35 Ramsgate Street in Dalston. It's a mixed use development - some affordable housing, some office space, and the brief demanded that renewable energy should offset 10% of carbon emissions. Waugh set out to beat that target, and take full advantage of the opportunity to build wind energy into the very framework of the building:

We wanted the energy producing/saving mechanics of the building to be an integral part of the design, rather than an afterthought. Wind turbines on the roof or solar panels on the elevations too often look tokenistic and offer a sop to energy generation. Our approach was to integrate the power generation within the building as a first principle of its design, as important as the structure and the weatherproofing.

Waugh built an aerofoil on the edge of the building, on the principle that wind speed increases as it passes around an object.

To capture that energy, our design proposes the use of four helical wind turbines, placed vertically down the spine of the building on the southern side Next, we looked at the surface wind resistance of various forms of cladding. In the end, we opted for glazed terracotta tiles as they will give minimal surface resistance. The tiles also reflect ambient light from the sky, illuminating the north-facing facade.

And does it work?

Dependent on wind speed, the four quietrevolution turbines will generate around 40,000kW hours a year. This is enough to power the lighting, computers, phones, faxes, printers and servers of an 80-person office, or the electrical energy requirement of more than 40 flats. This will save approximately 7 tonnes of CO2 a year.

The Rat and Mouse says congratulations to Mr Waugh. Here's a link to the story, but it's subscription only (hence our extensive quotations). We'd point out, though, that it's free to register, and Building Design is a very fine read.