Climate change is one of the major topics of today's world. Here the high concentration of greenhouse gases plays a decisive role. Particularly in growing urban agglomerations, a not inconsiderable proportion of this greenhouse gas is produced. The COMP façade system developed by me is a solution for absorbing CO2 in urban space.
The aim of this work was to develop a system that is adaptable, versatile and above all scalable.
COMP is a modular facade system for existing buildings that can be flexibly attached to most facade types.
This façade system consists of stackable bio-reactors, which provide a large CO2-absorbing plant habitat. In addition to the primary purpose of CO2 absorption from the air, the system should also offer architectural added value in the form of façade greening. In addition, biomass is produced for further processing.
This façade system consists of stackable bio-reactors, which provide a large CO2-absorbing plant habitat. In addition to the primary purpose of CO2 absorption from the air, the system should also offer architectural added value in the form of façade greening. In addition, biomass is produced for further processing.
One of the main components of COMP is the swimming fern Azolla filiculoides, a plant with excellent CO2 absorption properties. It is assumed that the so-called "Azolla event", a mass propagation of Azolla 50 million years ago, contributed significantly to the fact that the global temperature dropped noticeably due to mass CO2 absorption. Apart from the fact that Azolla is one of the plants that metabolizes CO2 most strongly, it is also one of the fastest growing plants in the world, with low demands on growth conditions, care and nutrient supply. In addition, this micro-fern is a season-independent plant that can be used all year round. The carbon bound in the biomass of the plants can be converted into solid carbon products by processes such as pyrolysis and can thus be removed from the biological cycle in the long term. One possibility to integrate Azolla into our habitat is therefore a very promising approach against the high concentration of greenhouse gases.
COMP creates ecological, aesthetic and economic added value.
The design of the concept can be distinguished in two ways. On the one hand, there is the design of the main modules, which has been given a completely independent aesthetic by the construction and its structure, and on the other hand there is the specific and situation-dependent design of the screen, which can vary greatly depending on the location of the installation.
All in all, it was very important to me to develop a design principle that is both flexible and simple at the same time. In this way, the design can be easily integrated into existing situations and structures, while remaining cost-effective.
The primary design takes place through the core element and the structure of the water stairs. These stairs offer the swimming fern a living environment and growth area and are therefore the core of the bio-system of this concept. A certain amount of the swimming fern develops on the individual steps within each cycle and therefore this is also part of the design.
The design through the screens is only secondary and is strongly dependent on the building situation, the design of the building, possible restrictions - but above all on the wishes and ideas of the builder or customer. The flexibility of the panels offers the possibility to implement the system almost everywhere. All in all, this allows an infinite variety of design possibilities, shapes and structures.
Depending on the design, the panels can either be a concise part of the façade design and thus form the overall appearance of the building, or they can discreetly pick up the materiality of the existing façade and thus take a back seat in terms of design, or they can be unobtrusively integrated into the façade surface. Due to the very flexible construction method, which is also suitable for the existing building, the facade can be used over the entire surface, or even just accentuated clusters can be designed, such as stripes between windows.
This is an exemplary representation of the surface design. These designs serve as an outlook for various design possibilities depending on the respective situation and needs.
The construction as well as the fixing and manufacturing of the frames are based on conventional working methods from facade construction. Here I decided on a curtain-type rear-ventilated facade with a non-visible substructure. This is connected with comparatively little material or components and is therefore relatively light, flexible and also cost-effective.
All in all, it was very important to me to develop a design principle that is both flexible and simple at the same time. In this way, the design can be easily integrated into existing situations and structures, while remaining cost-effective.
The primary design takes place through the core element and the structure of the water stairs. These stairs offer the swimming fern a living environment and growth area and are therefore the core of the bio-system of this concept. A certain amount of the swimming fern develops on the individual steps within each cycle and therefore this is also part of the design.
The design through the screens is only secondary and is strongly dependent on the building situation, the design of the building, possible restrictions - but above all on the wishes and ideas of the builder or customer. The flexibility of the panels offers the possibility to implement the system almost everywhere. All in all, this allows an infinite variety of design possibilities, shapes and structures.
Depending on the design, the panels can either be a concise part of the façade design and thus form the overall appearance of the building, or they can discreetly pick up the materiality of the existing façade and thus take a back seat in terms of design, or they can be unobtrusively integrated into the façade surface. Due to the very flexible construction method, which is also suitable for the existing building, the facade can be used over the entire surface, or even just accentuated clusters can be designed, such as stripes between windows.
This is an exemplary representation of the surface design. These designs serve as an outlook for various design possibilities depending on the respective situation and needs.
The construction as well as the fixing and manufacturing of the frames are based on conventional working methods from facade construction. Here I decided on a curtain-type rear-ventilated facade with a non-visible substructure. This is connected with comparatively little material or components and is therefore relatively light, flexible and also cost-effective.
