Urban Algae Canopy
Designed by ecoLogic Studio, this curious little structure can produce as much oxygen as four hectares of woodland. Algae are much more efficient at photosynthesis than the more familiar plants that grow on land, meaning that as well as producing so much oxygen, the canopy can also produce about 150 kg of biomass per day, 60% of which will be vegetable protein.
It’s also interactive – the canopy dynamically adjusts with external stimuli like weather, light patterns and the movements of visiting people. Those adjustments involve altering the flow of water and carbon dioxide which, in turn, affects how the algae grow. One way it interacts with its environment, for example, is to grow more algae on sunny days to provide more shade for anyone underneath.
Six years of research and design went into this canopy, including ways to link algae with technology and architecture, and also ways to use algae as a food source.
“It is now time to overcome the segregation between technology and nature typical of the mechanical age, to embrace a systemic understanding of architecture. In this prototype the boundaries between the material, spatial and technological dimensions have been carefully articulated to achieve efficiency, resilience and beauty.”
– Claudia Pasquero, ecoLogic Studio
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