Architectural Bio-Photo Reactors: Harvesting Microalgae on the Surface of Architecture - Biotechnologies and Biomimetics for Civil Engineering - page 168

Fig. 7.7 Photo-biorreactor urban trees (Design by R. Cervera and J. Pioz)

c. As street furniture, i.e., marquees and canopies.
d. As CO 2 urban capturers, near industries, polluting activities or places
producers of large amounts of CO 2 .

A considerable aspect of these solutions is their ability to function both in new
buildings and already built ones, especially those that are not up to current stan-
dards of thermal and acoustic insulation. For the latter, the A-PhBR not only
involves an ''active'' energy advantage (energy production) but also a ''passive''
(insulation and energy saving), which makes it especially competitive its

incorporation.
The diagrams shown have been designed with this dual functionality: can be
fully adapted to all constructive technologies available today and at the same time
work as a complement of any type of construction of any period, since they can be
added as layers.
This means that the use of algae in facade and roof is an effective tool for real
reform at a time when we need more the re-building than the new-building. In
short, this is a particularly novel strategy of ''recycling the city'', one among others
that our team has been studying and publishing for years.
We must also highlight the fact that they can be applied to both the scale of the
building or cluster of buildings or even neighborhood. The higher the scale is the
larger the yield energy production and profitability of the whole.