terrament

gravity
energy
storage

nailing the
narrative

Terrament aims to redefine the energy storage landscape with an innovative gravity-based solution. Terrament’s proprietary tech relies on the fundamental physics of height & weight to create energy. As weighted modules fall down a mile deep into the bedrock, they utilize regenerative braking to create & store electricity. Their approach has been picked up by CEBIP, Stony Brook University, NYSERDA and Newlab.

simplified message

Hydro-electric power is the most useful energy-production strategy around today, but it relies on sources of water that are already maxed out. Terrament allows you to replicate that process anywhere you want, anytime you need it, with technology already in use today.

product
visualization

Terrament was still in the prototype phase when we started work together. This offered us a chance to co-design the vision for the product alongside founder Eric Chavez. Referencing real-world design elements from trains, rollercoasters and subway systems, we established a grounded vision for a technology that doesn’t (yet) exist.

design
challenges

I creating comprehension

The term gravity energy storage tends to make people lean in. Our job was to demystify what that actually entails. Through many conversations with Terrament, we began to distill the simplest version of the concept, giving audiences the big picture while leaving room for follow-up questions with follow-up conversations.

II co-designing In real time

To create a detailed 3D prototype of the Terrament concept, we had to understand how it worked at a new level of detail. Because Terrament was still being developed, that meant we were solving design problems with Eric in real-time over live modeling sessions.

III sustainable environment design

When designing the surrounding environment, we needed to consider what a realistic location would entail. We wanted to paint a vision of a green, sustainable future, while incorporating logistical necessities. Lastly, it was important to the story we showed the passage of time to show that Terrament worked anytime of day.

visual
design

In the end, hundreds of small brush strokes came together to create one cohesive vision. The Terrament system itself had carts, casings, track and underground infrastructure. The power infrastructure meant building a substation, power lines and wind turbines. Then there was the environment itself which involved rendering large areas of animated grass. These elements all brought their own technical challenges that pushed our ability to create large scale environments.