The Solar Leaf Façade, in the simplest sense, is a system of panels that host an algae for the creation of energy and contributions to building performance. The algae within the system converts light into biomass fuel through photosynthesis, which can then be stored within the building until it is needed. With the system being entirely integrated, there is no energy loss in what is produced, as the excess heat can be converted to heat water throughout the buildings if not needed to standard energy consumption. The reason these micro algae were chosen for this system is due to their efficiency in production of biomass, coming in at a higher rate per acre than conventional crops. As a bonus to the natural creation of energy, this system becomes densest during the brighter months as more light is available, creating a living and active solar protection system. The first time this system was used was in the BIQ – an apartment building located in Hamburg, Germany. It allowed for the building to reach a nearly zero carbon footprint, as it produced 100% of the energy it required for consumption while utilizing an active solar protection scheme. This system of algae consumption should be used when possible and explore further, to create a more sustainable form of architecture and energy consumption within the building sector.
Rackard, Nicky. “Worlds First Algae Bioreactor Façade Nears Completion”, ArchDaily. March 04, 2013. https://www.archdaily.com/339451/worlds-first-algae-bioreactor-facade-nears-completion
“World’s first façade system to cultivate micro-algae to generate heat and biomass as renewable energy sources,” ARUP. Accessed April 13, 2021. https://www.arup.com/projects/solar-leaf
Travers, Julia. “BIQ: the Algae-Powered Building in Germany”, LabRoots. March 13, 2018. https://www.labroots.com/trending/videos/11463/biq-the-alga-powered-building-in-germany
“Algae Façade”, Andrezej Zarzycki. December 1, 2015. http://andrzejzarzycki.com/algae-facade/
Material Transformations 