Bio-Façade – Becoming a Reality - in Germany!

Breaking newsfeed - from an Australian Greenbuilding newsletter reporting on innovations in Germany (… just makes me wonder why the US doesn’t seem to have any direct pulse on green building in Europe..not language.. most websites have the little GB symbol – for English…)…. The World’s First Bio-Façade  -  both a source of fuel and shading.

This project seems to be the confluence of biology in design, as a bio-fuel, and bio-mimicry.   It will be a demonstration project at the International Building Exhibition in Hamburg.  The IBA, which also has a branch in Berlin, complete with a history of East/ West German ‘friendly’ rivalry, has been more focused on urban planning.   This project is presented as part of an exhibit with an emphasis on zero carbon projects.

This a great example of innovation and systems thinking.  It takes the concept of growing algae out of a manufacturing setting -  i.e. single use space -  and adds the functionality of building shading.   The pretty graphics also present an ‘organic’ appearance,  though I retain a healthy skepticism for the ability to balance  consistent and attractive aesthetic with the practical function as a fuel source.   The algae is to be grown within glass louvres (addressing concerns about smell, or algae contagion to other surfaces), and is ‘bio-reactive.’  They grow faster in bright sunlight, thus providing more shading when it is needed, and essentially ‘harvest’ the solar thermal heat.    The technology is already implemented at a pilot plant , run by an interdisciplinary consortium of ‘Technologies for the Exploitation of the Resource Microalgae, or TERM for acronym junkies.   

And finally, a comment on the nature of ‘exhibit’ projects.   This project is about pushing the boundaries of assumptions, rethinking solutions, and big experiments.  Many will likely fail in their first iteration, but hopefully generate additional concept ideas, or help reframe the problem.  I contrast this to ‘concept’ houses which are assemblies of the commercially available green materials.   They serve different purposes.  One is to further systems and technological innovations, the second is to promote existing product applications.  Experimentation from national labs, such as the IBA, should be free from the ties of commercial funding, which places market constraints too quickly on innovations.  It takes time, resources, and the opportunity to try, fail, and try again.   Just sayin’…