Algae Architecture

Abstract

With rising energy consumption in the world and the depletion of fossil fuels in the near future, we have to make sure that energy security is guaranteed when conventional energy sources are depleted (BP, 2012). Nowadays, the energy we use is from fossil fuel sources and the generation of energy releases the greenhouse gas CO2 and energy is transported over large distances. The energy needs to be generated locally and from a sustainable source to have energy security. Buildings contribute 30% to the total energy consumption in the Netherlands (Rijksoverheid, 2011) and therefore, if buildings can generate their own energy, it will have a large impact on the total energy consumption. Currently popular sustainable energy harvesters are windmills and photovoltaic panels. These systems can sustainably generate electricity, but it cannot take up CO2 to support the goal of meeting the value of 20% below the 1990 level by 2020 (European Union, 2012). Microalgae can mitigate the CO2 and produce energy at the same time. The focus of this paper is on the use of algae as a building component that reduces the external energy demand in existing and new buildings. Especially the use of algae in façade design in closed photo bioreactors can be implemented as components in buildings. These closed photo bioreactors appears in many shapes and have to meet specific conditions for microalgae cultivation. Conditions for microalgae to survive and grow is dependent on (sun)-light, nutrients, pH, CO2 and temperature (Tampier, Alabi, & Bilbeau, 2009). Closed photo bioreactors needs to be designed with these conditions in mind. During the cultivation process, the appearance of the building will change in color and become less transparent with increasing biomass concentration. The building will have a dynamic appearance with a liquid façade that also works as an adaptive sunshade. However, microalgae cultivation on buildings is not usual. Most of the results documented about the productivity of microalgae are measured in laboratory conditions. So designing a building with the main focus on microalgae as element is quite new in the world of architecture. The results provided by this paper will give you an insight of the possibilities of algae when used in architecture in comparison to industrial applications. Algae is seen as one of the most promising sustainable way to produce energy in the future but it is still under development to increase its energy output (Wijffels & Barbosa, 2010). This paper can only provide insights of the current algae technologies. So future developments and breakthroughs can change the way we think about cultivating microalgae and application in buildings. Algae technology has yet a long way to go to reach its full potential. But the development of algae technology has just been started and the potentials are high (Wijffels & Barbosa, 2010). In comparison to fossil fuels, biofuels are not profitable yet in terms of costs and low harvesting efficiency. That’s why we search for new applications as in components in buildings to find new ways to use algae in the build environment.