Algae city seeks to redefi ne the term green - often perceived as an esthetic and decorative element or at most as air purifi er - and aspires to expand the vision of this currently limited term by introducing a performative and productive aspect to it. We envision a green city that now has the opportunity to sequestrate CO2, to manage and reduce the urban heat island effect, to provide thermal mass to our skinny shelters, to shade them and at the same time dynamically transform our building facades. In this city algae are used to produce biofuel, which will allow us to continue living and moving comfortably yet in a sustainable manner, reducing both CO2 and our dependence on renewable energy resources.

This technology has great potential especially when coupled with photovoltaic panels, as it is in this project, to compensate for the high energy demand of the process. The power of this idea comes from a symbiotic relationship between technology and biology which can cooperate to benefi t all species.
This system uses what is already abundant in Los Angeles: sun and CO2 while it makes effi cient use of water recycling it in a closed loop system.

The design of this type of residential tower produces a “homemade” biofuel which gets processed and sold in the parking structure underneath the tower. The benefi t for the residents goes beyond the fuel production; it includes the possibility to better understand the process cycles, while providing a major economic benefi t! The city also benefi ts at the same time: the air quality improves and the climate around the buildings gets mitigated. A higher population accommodated by the verticality of the building adds density and surface area to the building skin exposed to the sun.

A productive green is the way we envision our cities future.