Rael San Fratello Architects SOL Grotto
SOL Grotto is a spartan retreat—a space of solitude and close to nature where one is presented with a mediated experience of water, coolness and light . The SOL Grotto also explores Solyndra’s role as a company Sh*t Out of Luck. 1,368 of the 24 million high tech glass tubes destined to be destroyed as a casualty of their bankruptcy, are used in the installation.
The tube’s original role as a light concentrating element is extended to transmit cool air into the space via the Venturi effect, to amplify sounds from the adjacent waterfall via the vibrations of the tubes cantilevering over the creek, and to create distorted views of the garden.
