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We
all talk about green buildings, but what if they were actually green? And what
if you could tuck into the products of that very building? Or use it as fuel?
A Living Skin
ecoLogicStudio, a London architectural and design firm created
a 430-square-foot gazebo called the Urban Algae Folly at Expo 2015. The Folly produces oxygen and absorbs considerable amounts of carbon dioxide algae-filled plastic serving as a living "skin". If you want
to see the Folly, you'll need to get to Milan by this Saturday, 31 October!
The Folly is made of ethylene tetrafluoroethylene, a transparent plastic building
material. Its hollow interior is filled with water and spirulina,
a type of algae often used as a dietary supplement. The growth of the algae depends
on sunlight and temperature.
Image copyright ecoLogicStudio
Algae Helps Us Breathe
Did you know that algae
and other marine plants make 70% of the world's oxygen?The folly produces about 4.4 pounds
of oxygen per day and can also suck about 8.8 pounds of carbon dioxide from the
air per day. Compared with a tree which absorbs only about .132 pounds.
Algae has also been used in a number of other recent urban
innovations. French biochemist Pierre Calleja created a prototype for a "smog-eating" street lamp, which uses bioluminescent microalgae to light streets while
absorbing carbon dioxide and producing oxygen.
Wonder Cures
Spirulina, a dietary substance extracted from algae was once
the momentary wonder food. Spirulina can be taken in tablet form but I found
out that you too could be the owner of the X-System - a tank system which produces algae so you can make some scrumptious, yumptious algae dishes.
Now I have not tried either the tablets or fresh Spirulina
but I have to say I'm not really tempted… As you will see from the photo it
does not look that appealing. Which brings me on to a time when I was tempted
to buy a potion from one of the ubiquitous Chinese Herbal medicine shops. I don't
remember what was in the potion, and it was not cheap, but I diligently boiled
them up… Let's say my Scottish taste buds went "yeugh" and that was the end of
that particular experience. I still have the symptoms.
Image copyright X-System
I work at IHS BRE Press, exclusive publisher to BRE. View our publications
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Re: A Cloak of Algae
