Issues such as climate change and the need for renewable sources of energy are “forcing” us to be less naive, more aware and attentive to everything going on around us.

In the latest Costume National menswear collection, Ennio Capasa favours natural, ecological materials, fewer dyes and chemically-based processes. He believes this is an obligatory change of direction and the only way forward today.

There are now many new technological applications using new materials and techniques which are replacing treatments with less harmful solutions and which exploit renewable sources. One good example is the wind, perhaps the most interesting source in energy terms.

There are more and more solutions and inventions available on the market; a host of new prototypes will be built in the next few years including a series of machines-cum-sculptures that look as though they were moulded by the wind. They are a source of inspiration to us and we propose them to you.

Helix Wind, a turbine designed to work at low speed, resembles a work by Brancusi: two enormous wings embrace and encompass the wind. Thanks to its low impact on the environment, its size and the fact it is much quieter than traditional machines also allows it to be installed in urban areas.

One of the main problems with wind-powered turbines is that they can be extremely noisy. Engineer Doug Selsam has come up with the idea of harnessing them together to create a multi-turbine system known as SKY SERPENT. This is a long windy sculpture that reminds on of the flight of a dragon-fly.

It floats in the air like a kite. Sky windpower is a wind-powered turbine built around four rotors mounted on a single frame. It flies at high altitudes as it exploits the powerful gusts that exist higher up.

There are also interesting applications for textiles such as the Nano Vent Skin project created by the Mexican designer Agustin Otegui. Here a series of micro-turbines encompassed by a single fabric can be used for a range of uses ranging from buildings to cars. Each micro-turbine produces a small amount of energy but when combined with all the others in its network, it unleashes power comparable to a normal sized one.

Its small dimensions also mean it can be fitted practically anywhere not unlike solar panels.

Special uses for architecture are also part of this new wind-power panorama such as turbines built into the interior of a structure. One example of this is the “Bahrain World Trade Centre” where three propeller blades inside the building’s central tunnel supply as much as 15% of the entire construction’s needs.