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The LowLine: How Do the Remote Skylights Work?

By Perrin Drumm - March 28, 2012

in Architecture | Kickstarter

At this point you're probably familiar with Dan Barasch and James Ramsey's ambitious Kickstarter campaign, the LowLine. Dare I go so far as to say it's the most ambitious Kickstarter project ever, especially now that they've doubled down, asking backers to help them raise $300,000 instead of the original $100,000? The extra funds will allow them to do more than just build and present the technology needed to sustain an underground park, it will enable them to start work on the park itself, which means that by next Winter there just might be a warm, sunny underground park to retreat to.

There are only a few days left to raise the extra money. The good news is that even if they don't met their new goal, the Remote Skylight, the system they developed to filter sunlight underground, will still get made. The process is a bit complicated, but Dan and James simplify it..

Remote Skylight uses a system of optics to gather sunlight, concentrate it and reflect it below ground where it's dispersed by a solar distributor dish embedded in the ceiling. Even underground, the light will carry the necessary wavelengths to support photosynthesis for growing plants, trees and grasses underground. And because the cables block the harmful UV rays that cause sunburn, you can leave the SPF-45 at home.

I wanted to know what these Remote Skylights will look like and James was kind enough to oblige with a few images. As you can see, it catches sunlight with a device that looks like a satellite dish, channelling the rays down through the main hub and out through another dish below that projects it to the underground park. Obviously, it's a lot more complicated than that, especially when you consider how many Remote Skylights they're going to have to build to light up 1.5 acres of dank, old underground space.

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Karlene Eva

8 years ago

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Since it is now the end of 2015, has this project started or is it complete now? Also, are those skylights on the market? I am curious about this project because I love the idea of having a deep basement in a home and this would really answer the question of ample natural light.

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Bobby

12 years ago

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I am very curious about these skylights. Are they on the market, and what do they cost?
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Perrin

12 years ago

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@Andrew - SolaTubes are great, but the distance between ground level and the ceiling of the underground park is too great for a SoleTube to be effective.
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Glenn

12 years ago

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Has everyone forgotten Jurassic Park? Jeff Goldbloom? Everyone is thinking about whether or not they could, but did anyone ever stop to think about whether they should?

There are so many public parks and community gardens in NYC that could benefit from a fraction of the money they are trying to raise...
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Hugh

12 years ago

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I personally don't get it, why would you want to be subterranean? #hgwellstimemachine
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Andrew

12 years ago

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The LowLine project looks great, I love the concept.

Are those Remote Skylights not simply over-designed (and expensive) Solatubes?

http://www.solatube.com/

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