Trees, once emblematic of our traditional view of nature, now serve as carbon sinks, shade providers, flood barriers, construction materials, and marketing symbols—adapting to the ever-growing demands of the urban environment. However, their natural evolution is too slow to meet these challenges.
To accelerate their function, at ecoLogicStudio (led by Claudia Pasquero and Marco Poletto), we have engineered the architectural apparatus that redefines trees as high-efficiency photobioreactors.
The two projects of H.O.R.T.U.S ZKM/SuperTree and Urban Algae Folly 2.0 at Braga integrated human metabolism with microalgal ecologies, optimizing the tree’s role within the present and future urban landscape.
H.O.R.T.U.S ZKM/SuperTree is part of the permanent collection of ZKM Museum at Karlsruhe (Germany), and is an architectural system that reimagines the tree to enhance its infrastructural functions within the modern urban environment.
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The Urban Algae Folly 2.0 in Braga houses 400 liters of living cultures, absorbing 500g of CO2 and producing 375g of O2 daily. Its CO2 absorption matches that of eight large trees—the annual amount needed to supply one person’s oxygen. Additionally, it generates 102 kg of protein per year, comparable to the yield of a small cow.
Exhibition
H.O.R.T.U.S ZKM/SuperTree is part of the permanent collection of ZKM Karlsruhe and won the Best Digital Desgin 2016 by IDEA TOP Shenzen.
Urban Algae Folly 2.0 was exhibited in Braga in 2016
Duration
H.O.R.T.U.S ZKM/SuperTree | 2016-present Urban Algae Folly 2.0 | 2016
Location
H.O.R.T.U.S ZKM/SuperTree | Karlsruhe (Germany) Urban Algae Folly 2.0 | Braga (Portugal)
Project by
ecoLogicStudio
Pictures by
NAARO
Contribution
- Design team member from July to October 2015
- Metal Waterjetting, prototyping and final assembly
External links
https://www.bartlettdesignresearchfolios.com/ecologicstudio-photosynthetic-architecture/read/