SECTION UNDER CONSTRUCTION
11 • Environmental architecture: building ecology and local renewable resources
The Islets are “ecological buildings” in the sense that they are designed from the ground up to create environmentally positive developments, by efficiently managing natural resources and increasing beneficial interactions. It entails passively and actively harnessing nature’s energies and using materials which in their manufacture, application and disposal do the least possible damage to the so called “free-resources”- water, ground and air.
The Borough Islet prototype is an example of environmental architecture and a true living buildings complex. This means that each Barrow Islet will:
• harvest all its water and energy resources on site and be perfectly adapted to the fluctuating local climate
• use sustainable and healthful building materials
• have a self-contained waste cycle
• restore and enrich the local marine biotope
• inspire and nurture a healthy, constructive and positive life-style
The coastal environment is subject to powerful forces – wind, wave, sun, sea. The design uses them to cool, power, heat, and water the building.
The Macrostructure:
- The borderless park grounds, cool the floating steel superstructures from underneath. In a modern summer metropolis, the asphalt maze creates a microclimate of its own, with temperatures far exceeding even those of the immediate countryside. This translates into pedestrians succumbing to a literal oven for weeks at a time. In contrast to this adverse atmosphere, the loosely stacked structures of the Islet breathe easily, without trapping and overheating the summer air, but actually making the best use of the soothing sea breeze. Sinking and partially flooding the Macrostructure further helps to speed up the cooling of the Islet elements.
- While the Macrostructure is completely afloat and the public cores are fully contained inside, solar tubes channel sunlight to the caverns and double as wind-catchers.
- New specialized floating sections (additional “hexagons”) may be later added to an existing Islet Macrostructure, e.g. to serve as floating wind or solar farms.
The Borough Islet prototype is an example of environmental architecture and a true living buildings complex. This means that each Barrow Islet will:
• harvest all its water and energy resources on site and be perfectly adapted to the fluctuating local climate
• use sustainable and healthful building materials
• have a self-contained waste cycle
• restore and enrich the local marine biotope
• inspire and nurture a healthy, constructive and positive life-style
The coastal environment is subject to powerful forces – wind, wave, sun, sea. The design uses them to cool, power, heat, and water the building.
The Macrostructure:
- The borderless park grounds, cool the floating steel superstructures from underneath. In a modern summer metropolis, the asphalt maze creates a microclimate of its own, with temperatures far exceeding even those of the immediate countryside. This translates into pedestrians succumbing to a literal oven for weeks at a time. In contrast to this adverse atmosphere, the loosely stacked structures of the Islet breathe easily, without trapping and overheating the summer air, but actually making the best use of the soothing sea breeze. Sinking and partially flooding the Macrostructure further helps to speed up the cooling of the Islet elements.
- While the Macrostructure is completely afloat and the public cores are fully contained inside, solar tubes channel sunlight to the caverns and double as wind-catchers.
- New specialized floating sections (additional “hexagons”) may be later added to an existing Islet Macrostructure, e.g. to serve as floating wind or solar farms.
The Walkways:
- During summer, the walkways transform into shopping avenues. As this level is virtually borderless, it experiences a constant free flow of fresh air, while enjoying ample shading from the apartment Superstructures. To accommodate the small seasonal businesses, the top halves of double solar floors become ceilings, sheltering them from rain and powering up their devices.
The Flyer Superstructures:
- The Flyer movements are more than a trick to capture the vistas. Orchestrated by software, their wings correlate to shade (in season) or expose (off season) each other to the sun. Furthermore, the wings acts as barriers to the elements. In the nurturing summer weather they open up to reveal the semi-public core and their own private gardens. This process releases the buildup of heat but it may also work the other way around, by trapping it during the colder season, not only to lower the heating bills, but to foster greenhouse plant growth as well, in the private and suspended gardens.
- The apartments have balconies that constantly capture rain water and channel it to their inward private gardens (grey water serves in the same way). In addition to this, every balcony has a pergola for shading, that acts as a solar heater.
- The streamlined apartment volumes let the wind flow freely between them, preventing the buildup of further tension inside the Flyer Wings.
- During summer, the walkways transform into shopping avenues. As this level is virtually borderless, it experiences a constant free flow of fresh air, while enjoying ample shading from the apartment Superstructures. To accommodate the small seasonal businesses, the top halves of double solar floors become ceilings, sheltering them from rain and powering up their devices.
The Flyer Superstructures:
- The Flyer movements are more than a trick to capture the vistas. Orchestrated by software, their wings correlate to shade (in season) or expose (off season) each other to the sun. Furthermore, the wings acts as barriers to the elements. In the nurturing summer weather they open up to reveal the semi-public core and their own private gardens. This process releases the buildup of heat but it may also work the other way around, by trapping it during the colder season, not only to lower the heating bills, but to foster greenhouse plant growth as well, in the private and suspended gardens.
- The apartments have balconies that constantly capture rain water and channel it to their inward private gardens (grey water serves in the same way). In addition to this, every balcony has a pergola for shading, that acts as a solar heater.
- The streamlined apartment volumes let the wind flow freely between them, preventing the buildup of further tension inside the Flyer Wings.
SOLAR POWER NUMBERS / APARTMENT:
- Each prototype apartment comes with a total of 25 m2 photovoltaic panels. Considering that sunny Europe receives 6.5 kWh / m2 / day on average, that would amount to a built-in daily solar capacity of 162.5 kWh / apartment.
According to “The World Factbook”, the average European individual uses 6420 kWh per year, which is 17.6 kWh / day. A prototype apartment can house four, therefore we can calculate the average daily necessary at 70.4 kWh / apartment (of four).
In conclusion, the 162.6 kWh that each apartment can produce from photovoltaic panels more than satisfies the 70.4 kWh necessity. The difference can be pumped back into the grid. It means that the 588 apartments inside the three Flyer Superstructures can feed-back 54213.6 kWh/day into the grid, to power primarily the core of the Flyers, and then the rest of the Islet.
- The Macrostructure and Walkways do not depend on this difference though, as they will be provided with their own integrated solar (and wind) power installations, and with additional specialized floating solar/wind farms if necessary (adjacent or tethered hexagons).
- All hydroelectric turbines and wave power collectors are to be installed further off shore, at a safe distance from where the shallow marine environments and the divers may be harmed or disturbed. These installations will be connected to the Islets by underwater power cables.
- Each prototype apartment comes with a total of 25 m2 photovoltaic panels. Considering that sunny Europe receives 6.5 kWh / m2 / day on average, that would amount to a built-in daily solar capacity of 162.5 kWh / apartment.
According to “The World Factbook”, the average European individual uses 6420 kWh per year, which is 17.6 kWh / day. A prototype apartment can house four, therefore we can calculate the average daily necessary at 70.4 kWh / apartment (of four).
In conclusion, the 162.6 kWh that each apartment can produce from photovoltaic panels more than satisfies the 70.4 kWh necessity. The difference can be pumped back into the grid. It means that the 588 apartments inside the three Flyer Superstructures can feed-back 54213.6 kWh/day into the grid, to power primarily the core of the Flyers, and then the rest of the Islet.
- The Macrostructure and Walkways do not depend on this difference though, as they will be provided with their own integrated solar (and wind) power installations, and with additional specialized floating solar/wind farms if necessary (adjacent or tethered hexagons).
- All hydroelectric turbines and wave power collectors are to be installed further off shore, at a safe distance from where the shallow marine environments and the divers may be harmed or disturbed. These installations will be connected to the Islets by underwater power cables.
• Solar panels on apartments, the double floored backbone hotel rooms and the restaurant top floor. Lightning rod tipped wings.
• Sun tracking photovoltaic panels on the backbone hotel/guest Room Pods. Natural ventilation by means of mechanic façade systems.
12 • Environmental architecture – building materials
Starting with the drawing board, careful planning goes into the materials that will constitute an Islet. Depending on their destination, there are two categories of materials: either very durable high-tech- (structure, infrastructure), or locally replenishable low-tech materials (amenities, interiors, landscaping), but either way, they are non-toxic and recyclable (with the exception of possibly the hull of the islet, where a good choice might be ferrocement).
The Islets nurture a comfortable, care-free life, and while the Islanders are encouraged to take an active role in growing their own food and in manufacturing the amenities of their leisured life, the substrate that enables this grassroots existence is highly technical. A plethora of finely tuned, subtle technological systems enable the slice of heaven that the Floating City aims to become. Identifying where the software reaches will point out where the high-tech materials go. The computer assists or directly controls everything from the vertical movement of the Macrostructure and the Flyer Cores, to the Flyer Wings and the room aspects inside the various spaces of each Islet, in such a way that water and electricity are overall efficiently harvested and used.
THE HULL – reinforced concrete
Another factor that dictates the choice of materials is the waterborne nature of the Islets. It is a salt water environment, therefore careful consideration goes into the design of anything at- and under the waterline. There are two possible choices for the hull – metal sheets (steel, aluminum) and reinforced concrete. As far as ship design goes, the hull is generally comprised of a solid hull and a system of coatings, that must handle two inherent issues: the corrosive effects of water and biofouling which in time can lead to structural damage. Concrete hulls have higher labor costs, low material costs and very low maintenance costs, compared to steel hulls. The major disadvantage of concrete ships has been the high operating costs, but given the static nature of the Islets, ferrocement edges ahead as the best choice, especially considering its most important quality – extreme durability and resilience against corrosion and biofouling, established since the 1860’s.
THE STRUCTURE – high-grade structural steel
The choice of materials for everything framework related is one that will best take advantage of the existing ship-building facilities and expertise. Dry docks and shipyards are already producing neighborhood sized ships, capable of accommodating 8000 people at the same time. And all this in an economic, expeditious and minutial manner. As the Islet is structurally highly complex, all materials responsible with its integrity will be of very high durability, such as high-grade steel for the framework and stainless steel as a choice for exposed surfaces to the salt air.
SURFACES – high-tech and low-tech building skins
Depending again on the specifics of the in-Islet localization, the choice for building skins may greatly vary. Initially at least, in the case of the Walkway and Flyer superstructures, glass, steel, treated wood, (for exterior surfaces), even plastics (Texlon ETFE), will be the choices de jour. Nevertheless, the Islanders are encouraged to have a hands-on approach philosophy and to make use of the various biotic and abiotic (limestone) resources that can be cultivated or harvested on site. At first the Islanders will be restricted to using the local resources for landscaping and indoors purposes (possibly stalls and pavilions on the Walkways and some green structures on the Macrostructure), but in time local wood will replace the original decks and cladding as they wear off, and ultimately, when the floating city evolves enough to accommodate its own production districts, higher tech materials will also be produced on site, such as glass, recycled steel, alternative cements and new systems that the Islander will themselves develop by trial and error. The floating city will renew its cells, as a living organism does. As its body wears off and it’s renewed with increasingly local resources, some day it will have become completely home grown.
THE APARTMENTS – fiberglass laminate shells, on aluminum/ steel structural frames
The apartments have something of seaplanes design in them, present not only in their amphibious shape and hulled belly, but in the way they’re built as well. The nomad apartments must be durable and sea worthy as vessels, lightweight and rigid as planes. To achieve this, the body of the apartments is a monocoque hybrid construction, built primarily as a fiber glass and carbon fiber laminate, on an aluminum (or steel) structural frame, for stiffness and anchoring points.
Fiber glass and composites are versatile, strong, durable and affordable, and may be tooled, molded, and fabricated into virtually any shape or design, with few restrictions on color, finish, shape or size. Once the apartment sections molds have been created, parts can be easily duplicated in mass at an extremely cost effective value. The non-corrosiveness and durability of fiberglass results in lower costs for maintenance work. Additionally, the end product being lighter and stronger than alternative materials, results in additional savings in shipping and storage costs, on the way to the site. Fiberglass and composites have one of the highest strength to weight ratio available for component fabrication. Pound-for-pound, fiberglass is stronger than sheet metal or steel. Manufacturing parts from fiberglass and carbon composites builds strength directly into the finished product. Fiberglass is also highly resistant to environmental extremes, a valuable quality in marine environments. Fiberglass reinforced plastic does not rust and is highly resistant to corrosion. When exposed to extreme temperatures, salty or humid air, sun (ultraviolet light), or acidic chemicals - fiberglass, composites, and carbon fiber have excellent and lasting proven performance. The special properties of fiberglass – such as it being dielectric, chemically inert, and having superior and more desirable acoustic qualities than plastic or metal – also add to the desirability of this building material for the flying and floating apartments. Under similar conditions fiberglass and composites tend to vibrate less and remain quieter than sheet metals. And lastly, with the apartments residing most of the time high up on the wings - fiberglass and composites are structurally stable. They exhibit the least amount of expansion and contraction with heat and stress compared to plastic, metal, or wood. This means that the apartment shells will hold their shape better under severe mechanical and environmental stresses, such as the winds at that height on the superstructures, and the salty sea air and temperamental coastal weather patterns.
13 • Environmental architecture – waste and regenerative cycle
Each Isles functions as a zero waste district. Starting on the drawing board, careful planning goes into the materials that will constitute an Islet, so that they are replenishable, non-toxic and most importantly recyclable. The same goes for the foodstuffs. This implies a careful control of everything that goes inside the Islet, and everything that comes out into the air and water. All possible measures are to be taken in order to ensure that neither materials nor building systems emit toxic substances into the interior and outside environments.
While at first the majority of building materials will have to be transported and recycled on land, as the floating city expands, the Islets will diversify to include small industry and manufacturing facilities, eventually becoming capable of a complete regenerative cycle. Concurrently, all Islanders should be encouraged and empowered to subscribe to a zero-waste lifestyle, entailing not only educating the citizens in consuming responsibly and using the comprehensive recycling collection system, but meaning that the local economy will have to regulate itself all the way down to what it markets and even how it packages its selected products and food stores.
The basis of regenerative design is the bio-mimicry of ecosystems with a closed or positive input-output loop, in which all outputs are viable and all inputs accounted for. It translates into the anthropic dimension in such a way that the biotic and synthetic material is not just metabolized but metamorphosed into new viable materials, thus providing for all human systems to function as a closed viable ecologic economics loop. Everything eventually becomes waste, but by accounting for the appropriate technology and know-how, everything that is there to begin with, ends up right back into the system (the Islet) without harming it, but on the contrary, sustaining it further. The scope of implementing and finetuning a regenerative life-cycle to such an extent, is the achievement of the Perpetual Metropolis, which is a veritable self-contained anthropic entity. At the present, cities exist by absorbing increasing amounts of non-replenishable mineral and biological resources. While some of these cities have been around for thousands of years, their appearance of perpetuity unravels, as the exhaustion of the world’s vast traditional resources finally become foreseeable.
The Flyer apartments and other Islet elements capture rain water, recycle grey water, and desalinate sea water to use on the suspended container gardens and park greens, etc.
14 • Environmental architecture – regenerative design and marine biotope accretion
Regenerative Design, also known as Cradle to Cradle Design, is a process-oriented design theory that involves processes which restore, renew or revitalize their own sources of energy and materials, creating sustainable systems that integrate the needs of society with the wellbeing of nature. What sets it apart from sustainable design is one key point: under the term sustainable, lost ecological systems are not returned to existence. As part of regenerative design though, those lost systems will ultimately “regenerate” back into existence. And while in field use the word “sustainable” is meant to equate “self-sustaining”, in actuality the general understanding remains that of something “built to last”, “capable to endure”. Together the “re” and “generate” roots mean “the capacity to bring into existence again”. Under this understanding, an item or system that is regenerative has the capacity to bring itself into existence again.
RESTORING – ENRICHING – PROMOTING
Integrating the philosophy of regenerative design reflects into what happens above water as well as underwater. A core goal of the community is to provide as much foodstuffs as possible locally. This means using sections of the Flyer cores for vertical farming and even reserving plots on the Macrostructure’s green roof for seasonal farming, crofting and husbandry. The way in which the Macrostructure is designed also allows for a later increase of its surface by assimilating further structural units (in the case of the prototype – hexagons floats), with specialized functions such as husbandry and vertical farming, wind and solar farms, fisheries and algal biofuel ponds, industrial parks, etc.
On the other hand there is a great opportunity just under the floating city, that goes beyond landscaping the seabed for esthetic gratification. From the water mirror vertical farming may go up, as well as down. Using Hugo Hilbertz’s (Autopia Ampere’s) mineral accretion ground work, metal meshes electrified by the Islet’s wind and solar farms stretch down to the sea bed, over time accumulating calcium carbonate, thus shaping the underwater framework into plateaus where all manner of kelp beds, algae pools, fishing grounds and mollusk farms will be cultivated by the Islanders. And stretching from one Islet to the next, coral waterways will show the way to sailboats and darting minisubs. Furthermore, discarded biomass from all the farming and aquaculture along with the accreted ampere limestone will in some way or another find a place as building materials.