Bio Loop Plug-in

a prototype to close the loop for food waste in a neighborhood scale

Master thesis (2019)

Authors

Y. Zhu Architecture and the Built Environment

Contributors

R.R.J. van de Pas Architectural Engineering - Architecture and the Built Environment (supervisor 1)
E.J. van der Zaag Design of Constrution - Architecture and the Built Environment (supervisor 1)
J. de Krieger Architectural Engineering - Architecture and the Built Environment (supervisor 1)
Faculty
Architecture and the Built Environment
Copyright: © 2019 Yuge Zhu
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Published Date

29-01-2019

Language

English

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Faculty

Architecture and the Built Environment

Abstract

One-third of the food produced is wasted while the demand for food is increasing worldwide. The food supply in the consumption phase is not only the last chain but also wastes the most. Yet the majority of residents in the Netherlands have still underestimated this number. Therefore, the design aims at recycling and reusing the food waste on the one hand, and on the other hand potentially reducing the waste by breaking the barrier that hinders consumers to be waste-conscious. Now in Amsterdam, the food waste is mostly categorized and processed as the general residue without official management for the food waste. Meanwhile, what have been emerging are several decentralized neighborhood-based projects that adopt a couple of current techniques (food circular, compost, biogas and biofuel conversion) to tackle the food waste issues, which encourages me to explore the potential of a small-scale intervention to influence the large picture. Therefore, the prototype applies an integral of these techniques, so that the food waste generated by restaurants can be recycled to provide biogas for the stoves, to generate electricity to power equipment for the building and the greenhouse, and to leave fertilizer and compost for the plants in the greenhouse. In varied circumstances, this modular prototype has the possibility to duplicate and grow according to different system boundaries. Plus, the structure and building elements for the construction of the prototype adopt only bio-based material, reclaimed material or standard demountable components, for a sustainable circularity to reduce construction waste and environmental contamination.