The bio-digital architecture combines microalgal cultures and real-time digital cultivation protocols to produce nearly 330 pounds of biomass per day.
At the Expo Milano 2015, an incredible invention was revealed to the public which is capable of producing nearly 330 pounds of biomass per day.
What is it? The Urban Algae Canopy, developed by ecoLogic Studio.
The bio-digital architecture combines microalgal cultures and real-time digital cultivation protocols to produce the same amount of oxygen as four hectares of woodland. That’s pretty impressive!
Credit: ecoLab Studio
Inhabitat reports that the first-of-its-kind invention formed part of the Future Food District project curated by Carlo Ratti Associati and took six years of researching to produce.
The structure is open to the flow of energy, water and carbon dioxide based on weather patterns, visitor’s movements, and other environmental variables.
“It is now time to overcome the segregation between technology and nature typical of the mechanical age, to embrace a systemic understanding of architecture,” stated Claudia Pasquero of ecoLogicStudio.
“In this prototype the boundaries between the material, spatial and technological dimensions have been carefully articulated to achieve efficiency, resilience and beauty.”
Credit: ecoLab Studio
The custom designed ETFE cladding system, which consists of three layers, was designed with the assistance of Taiyo Europe. This feature enhances the already exceptional properties of the microalgae organisms.
Credit: ecoLab Studio
Credit: ecoLab Studio
Credit: ecoLab Studio
Special CNC welding technology enables the ecoLogicStudio to alter the canopy’s morphology and control the dynamic behavior of the water that courses through the structure to act as a medium for the living organisms.
Credit: ecoLab Studio
Credit: ecoLab Studio
Credit: ecoLab Studio
When the sun shines rapidly, the algae photosynthesize and grow, which in turn reduces the transparency of the canopy and provide more shade. It is shared that with micro-algae as the foundation of the canopy, it is inherently responsive, which means visitors may influence the building’s behavior in real-time.
That means that at any given time, the transparency, color, and shading potential of the canopy will be the product of the interrelationships between climate, micro-algae, visitors and digital control systems.
Credit: ecoLab Studio
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This article (Every Day, This Algae Canopy Produces The Same Amount Of Oxygen As Four Hectares Of Woodland) is free and open source. You have permission to republish this article under a Creative Commons license with attribution to the author and TrueActivist.com
interesting, whats the cost tho, is it affordable? could it be built into a green house, or even between window panes maybe?
GREAT, this could actually allow us to say 100% fuck you to the environment, cut down all the rain forests, and live for the rest of eternity on the grace of algae oxygen generators and cloned biological tissue.
On a serious note though, the possibilities with such a device are immense, ranging from important things like CO2 reduction to stop raising sea levels to more interesting things like self sustaining space stations.
Let’s not forget that if it produces that much oxygen, it will also produce a lot of carbon content that can be used for bio-fuel, essentially allowing us to keep using combustion engines, instead of having to change to expensive/tech-intensive electric engines.
Are there plans to make smaller versions for the home ? Or is there a open resource link to make one for myself ?