The Eco-Laboratory: Pure Agritecture
Every now and then you come across a sustainable design project that really inspires. This concept agritecture project is from 2008 but has not been featured on this blog yet. This project is a perfect example of how agriculture can be integrated into our buildings and provide multiple benefits to the structure, the environment, and its residents. Besides producing crops, this building uses agritecture as part of a closed loop living building design that reuses resources and improves efficiency. Meanwhile, the building brings the inhabitants closer to the systems that sustain them.
A team from Weber Thompson won the 2008 Natural Talent Design Competition at Greenbuild with their “Eco-Laboratory”. It is a Whole Earth Catalogue of green systems, with a rainwater collection system; hydroponic garden to grown food for the community; biological wastewater treatment system to convert black water to greywater and potable water; earth tubes to funnel clean, natural air into the building through underground ducts; vertical axis wind turbines and solar panels for on-site green energy; and hydrogen fuel cells powered by methane, a byproduct of the wastewater treatment system.
Check out how passive design strategies can be used to make the most of building-integrated agriculture systems. The diagram below shows how shading is used to optimize the sunlight for the crops in this living building.
And now check out the “earth tube” below the structure which brings fresh air into the structure throughout the year (SO COOL!)
And one last picture of the exterior:
For higher quality images, check out the Agritecture Facebook Page Examples Gallery.
Notes
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