solar tower = spirit level?

maybe i’ve been reading eikonographia too much, but seville’s solar tower bears an uncanny resemblance to the aptly named spirit level.

Seville’s Solar Power Tower, from Inhabitat

Spirit Level, Corbis

that, or a descending angel from the heavens.

this 40-storey tower is a new method for harnessing solar energy. an array of mirrors focus sunlight to a specific point in the tower, which stores the energy for future use. the u.s. national renewable energy lab estimates thatby 2020, electricity could be produced this way for 5.47 c/kWh.

Seville Solar Tower and its Array of Mirrors, from Inhabitat

the rays of light remind me of santiago calatrava’s white bridges with their spreading cables, and norman foster’s milau viaduct. they capture the ephemeral quality of light and temporal nature of buildings.

Sir Norman Foster’s Milau Viaduct in France

Santiago Calatrava’s Jerusalem Light Rail Bridge, photo from skyscrapercity.com