We’ve all heard about buildings powered by solar or wind energy, but an algae-powered building?
The microalgae used in the façades are cultivated in flat panel glass
bioreactors measuring 2.5m x 0.7m. In total, 129 bioreactors have been
installed on the south west and south east faces of the four-storey
residential building. The heart of the system is the fully automated
energy management centre where solar thermal heat and algae are
harvested in a closed loop to be stored and used to generate hot water.
The
innovative façade system is the result of three years of research and
development by Colt International based on a bio-reactor concept
developed by SSC Ltd and design work led by Arup. Funding support came
from the German Government’s "ZukunftBau" research initiative.
