HNZE Canopy

The HNZE canopy project in Detroit 48204 co-designs a sustainable future. HNZE employs a unique solar technology, creates a cooperative to empower LMI residents, while leveraging a once in a generation opportunity to acquire and activate concentrations of publicly owned vacant parcels for generative infrastructure and instituting renewable systems. HNZE received federal and state grants and two LafargeHolcim Foundation design awards. These recognitions facilitated design and engineering, built a canopy prototype and community gardens, supported community meetings, and created a new public realm at 5005 Seebaldt.

We are solving a complex, seemingly entrenched problem of dependency on fossil fuels and the myriad negative impacts to environmental and human health, of the entrenched inequity and disparity of access to opportunity, and of residents having access to, and leveraging technology in order to achieve empowerment and sustainability for their communities. More specifically, residents in Detroit 48204 wish to lower their energy bills, improve their health, and open the new energy economy to the next generation.

studio[Ci] has cultivated a 5-year partnership with residents, NGOs, and technical partners. The result is a shared neighborhood vision to create a sustainable future for the 48204 community by implementing a unique solar technology to deliver energy, education, and empowerment to LMI residents. We are leveraging the once in a generation opportunity to both affordably acquire and activate concentrations of publicly owned vacant parcels for generative infrastructure and institute renewable systems.  We have completed and tested the HNZE prototype, acquired and are ready to improve three vacant parcels by installing nine HNZE Canopies - featuring PV thin film. The HNZE canopies will deliver 100kW to the grid to provide electricity for up to 30 LMI households. We have traction and are ready to scale! We have secured IP, completed system Design, Engineering, Project Permitting, and Prototype testing in 2018 (1 kW on site battery storage system). Fundraising, legal structure, and utility partnership are in process. Once tested and proven at the “one block”, 100 kW scale, we plan to replicate HNZE canopies on sites across the entire 48204 neighborhood: 11,000 households and 30,000 residents of Detroit, and other resource constrained community across the city, North America, and the Globe.

Our solution pilots a unique Hybridized Net Zero Energy (or as we call it, “HNZE”) Canopy that will provide solar electricity and collect rainwater for agricultural irrigation. Our objective has been to optimize performance, aesthetics, and accessibility. The HNZE canopy does more than collect and distribute it creates a new open and accessible public realm for the community. The HNZE canopy also supports storm-water mitigation at grade.  The HNZE Canopy, designed by studio[Ci), with the support of a diverse technical team, using parametric and computational design techniques, has recently been issued a US Design patent and copyright, and has a US Utility patent pending. HNZE is a “roofless” system which elevates the tessellated collection surface (comprised of lightweight sail cloth and PV thin film) above grade in order to create new public realm for residents and visitors. In this new public realm, the community has easy access and can gather for diverse year-round activities with shade and weather protection. The space created below the canopies also supports year-round education, training, and work force development activities. These public activities were a critically important metrics defined by the community when designing and implementing the HNZE prototype. Each parcel is strategically located and is walkable and accessible to the 30 Households and 60+ Detroit residents who will be served. We are ready to scale the prototype to a 100kW pilot, and then replicate it across Detroit, North America and the globe!