Environmentally Sustainable Art Installation to Power Houston’s East End

Published Jul 19, 2023 by Hailea Schultz

Arco del Tiempo (Rendering Courtesy: City of Houston)

A new environmentally sustainable installation is underway in Houston’s East End Guadalupe Plaza Park, advancing the region’s transition to an energy abundant future.

The 100-foot-tall Arco del Tiempo (Arch of Time) will generate approximately 400,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity each year, equivalent to the demand of forty Texas homes, for the nearby City-owned Latino multicultural performing arts theater, Talento Bilingüe de Houston (TBH), according to the City of Houston’s recent press release.

Arco del Tiempo, designed by Berlin-based artist and architect Riccardo Mariano, first submitted the idea of the innovative sculpture in a 2019 design competition hosted by Land Art Generator Initiative (LAGI), a nonprofit dedicated to advancing climate solutions through art and design.

“This unique artwork is a monument to a new era of energy,” said Mayor Sylvester Turner in the same press release. “The City of Houston has always stood at the vanguard of energy innovation and the Arco del Tiempo artwork stands in that tradition, highlighting Houston’s role as an art city and as global leader in the energy transition.”

In addition to serving as a sustainable power source, Arco del Tiempo offers the East End Segundo barrio neighborhood an interactive experience through its ability to measure time by the geometry of the artwork, which responds to the specific latitude and longitude of Houston. The sculpture casts vibrant beams of sunlight on the ground plane of the park, showcasing the path of the sun across the sky.

“The apparent movement of the sun in the sky activates the space with light and colors and engages viewers who participate in the creation of the work by their presence. It is a practical example to illustrate the movement of the earth around the sun in a playful way. Arco del Tiempo merges renewable energy generation with public space and into the everyday life of the Second Ward. Inspired by science and powered by renewable energy, the artwork is a bridge between art and technology and encourages educational purposes while improving public space. At night the space within the arch will be used as a stage for outdoor public events,” said Riccardo Mariano.

Set to be installed in 2024, Arco del Tiempo will be a significant asset to fostering clean energy in the region and potentially serve as a catalyst for future sustainable public art projects.

“Through the clean energy it produces, Arco del Tiempo will pay back its embodied carbon footprint,” said Elizabeth Monoian, Founding Co-director of the Land Art Generator Initiative. “Beyond its break-even point…the artwork will be a net-positive contributor to a healthy climate and the planet will be better off for its existence.”