/// Algae-Powered Building | Hamburg
Sustainable architecture main goal is to achieve zero or even surplus energy buildings.
One of the best examples is a residential building in Hamburg, Germany that has been built in 2013 and had been developed by the Berlin office of the engineering consultancy firm Arup. The world’s first full-scale working version of a bioreactor façade had beaten 355 other option and won the Zumtobel Group award 2014.
The idea was to cultivate microalgae – sourced from the river Elbe – in glass elements that make up the 15 unit that form the building outer skin with area from 200 m2. The units are used to produce heat and biomass as well to control light, provide shade and absorb CO2 emissions.
The building was subjected to intensive monitoring, providing that the combined output of heat and biomass is 26,165 kWh per year (heat: 21,626kWh, plus biomass: 4539 kWh) and electricity consumption is 13,471 kWh. The energy conversion rate of sunlight into heat is 21% and into biomass is 4%.
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