Abstract:

With CO2 absorption ability, waste water treatment quality, O2 production potential and lots of other organismal features, as results of the extensive researches on microalgae it was understood that these organisms are the solution of clean energy problems for the world in the next century. The limited experience about using of microalgae photobioreactors in architecture requires shedding light on some issues. So, this paper mainly aims to explore the problems of photobioreactor systems which are integrated in architectonics. For this purpose, this study will examine totally 10 algae architecture projects. Microalgae photobioreactor systems commonly used in architecture in 3 different ways as building integrated photobioreactors as a secondary facade, holistic urban approaches in macro scale and individual installations. In the scope of study, 4 projects in building scale, 3 projects in urban scale and 3 projects a a singular installation are selected. The paper has concluded that the integration of algae to the architecture encounters some challenges, including the high initilal and operating cost, additional load to the structural system, accordanceand solidity to the weather conditions, compatibility to the local climate, limitation of view for the residents need for high space requirements for storage and operating systems and supplying limitations to the common infrastructure of the zone. With identifying this lookouts, this study provides an evaluation method to appreciate and take attention when the photobioreactor systems are applied in architecture. Besides that, using algae in architecture has brought many benefits like energy saving, CO2 emission reductions, O2 release, biofuel production, wastewater treatment from micro scale by using building facades and macro scale by integrating to the cities. The unrivalled benefits of the algae photobioreactor systems through the combination of the technical and biological and chemical cycles within architecture commence an innovative approach to renewable energy architecture by integrating environmentalist architectural design values and will shed light on future studies.

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