2050: Fuel Cartridge

This project is set out in 2050, The aim is to set out a typology which will deal with two up and coming problems; global warming & depleting fossil fuel reserves.

Carbon emissions are the primary cause of global warming causing the mean sea level to rise exponentially over the past few years and putting in peril cities like Venice, Amsterdam & the Kent County in the UK. With wa-ter levels rising we are left with less land which appreciates in value whilst at the same time the human population numbers are constantly increas-ing. In turn there is a greater demand for personal transportation which increases the number of cars imported to the UK.

With less land and more people to house, there are also more mouths to feed. In the future, land will be too valuable to be used as agricultural land. Therefore farming must occur in these drum like hydroponic farms which produce 5x the yield of field grown crop and only use 1/10th of the space required. By growing them in the greenhouse-like cages we are able to have fresh fruit and vegetables all year round.

On the Isle of Sheppey, UK lies one of the largest car storage facilities of imported cars prior to them being distributed around the UK. The Isle of Sheppey will lose 42% of its land and 101,000 people will affected in the Swale region. In addition Sheppey will lose site specific industries such as the port & a 880,000 square meters large car park.

The idea is simple, in order to help deal with the whereabouts of stor-ing these cars after the present car park will be flooded, car companies which want to continue exporting cars to the UK will fund the proposal which will house all the cars in only 4% of the original land needed. With the proposal being set out in a future scenario, the hypothesis is that the majority of transportation vehicles will be either powered by bio-fuels or electricity. Within the proposal lie opportunities to grow and farm these necessary bio-fuels by using methods which have become more popular over the last decade; algae farming.

Being an unconventional skyscraper which houses cars and not people the need for floor plates, airtight glazing and even a roof become obso-lete. This makes the aesthetics of the building subordinate to the func-tion of the relative area. These high-rise structures will be positioned and orientated for optimum solar gain. This will produce variable elevations which will convey as land art with the algae being pumped into the sun lit positions often giving the illusion of the proposal disappearing into the sky.

With algae producing such high output yields, this proposal could provide the necessary fuel for half of Kent every year.

For more information visit: thealgaeexperiment.tumblr.com

Car parking component.

Horizontal car sorting platform.

10

11

Replacement window ancilliary service.

Vertical axis wind turbine to generate power for elevator.

Botryococcus braunii (Bb) is a green, planktonic microalgae. The species is notable for its ability to produce high amounts of oils that are typically around 30-40 percent of their dry weight.

12

13

00

Start: Ground floor algae storage tank.

Water is pumped to top and brought to South facade.

Algae reaches first cycle checkpoint.

Algae water starts to seive through in individual columns.

Water poured back into tank and cycle re-started depending on maturity.

Sun rays promote algae growth which feed on CO2.

1

2

3

4

5

6

Omega Garden

Recycled water collection tank.

8

9

Recycled alage water to be used as feeding water for Omega Garden.7

1

1

6

3

2

10

11

5

8

2

7

9

4

2

Sectional Diagram showing the inner workings of a fuel cartridge.

The algae starts its journey at the bottom of the building which gets pumed to the top. Once ready to enter the photo-bioreactor it lets gravity take its course and pours down the pannels. One by one, whilst receiving an appropriate amout of sunlight in order to grow and reach maturity.

Once at the bottom it repeats this journey repeatedly until it is deemed fit to be processed into biofuel. These pannels also provide weather support for the cars which are stored for months at a time until they are transport-ed to their desired retail locations.

Internal view of the automated car loading system.

Rear view depicting the algae which gets pumped up every 15 levels.

Lift system to transport cars along the length of the building.Hydroponic farms occupy empty car storage spaces whilst low season.

Front exterior view: a faulty window can get replaced by robotic handles which exchange the panel with a tube in order for little human error.

Vertical axis wind turbines power the fuel cartridge when located in land with not enough solar power.

Sectional Perspective of one hydroponic farming component & an algae panel.