This 15-apartment housing complex in Hamburg, Germany, is definitely not the first
residential building to produce every drip of energy it uses, but the
newly completed lime green box is, in fact, the very first to owe its
net-zero status to the growth of live algae. The structure, known as BIK, is armored
in panels designed to nurture algae growth, with water, nutrients, and
carbon dioxide pumping inside each of the building's 129 "bioreactors."
As the sun shines, the algae photosynthesizes and grows until there's
enough biomass for the structure's mechanics to convert the residue into
energy. The algae system, supplemented by solar panels and
ultra-insulating architecture designed to keep indoor temperatures
comfortable without using any energy at all, means the creators of BIK,
which include Spitterwerk Architects and the global consulting firm ARUP, can loudly boast the building's complete energy independence.
Read more: http://homes.yahoo.com/news/net-zero-apartments-powered-live-algae-151500406.html
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