Comments on: Attack of the Algae: The Latest Trend in Eco-Architecture http://flavorwire.com/40014/attack-of-the-algae-the-latest-in-eco-architecture Fri, 12 Mar 2010 03:16:46 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: Kyle Jensen http://flavorwire.com/40014/attack-of-the-algae-the-latest-in-eco-architecture/comment-page-1#comment-12636 Kyle Jensen Tue, 06 Oct 2009 13:36:38 +0000 http://flavorwire.com/?p=40014#comment-12636 Not that far off if you ask me! It's true, the architects and engineers are a little skinny on algal culture knowledge. Algae is growing all over building envelopes now, but the productivity is very, very low and the energy advantages are not utilized. How to get the productivity higher and use the other advantages?..... glad you asked. I am an architect and have been culturing attached algae at the scale of large building envelopes for over 20 years. Recently we patented a Periphyton Roof, conceived over 10 years ago, which we feel has a lot of potential for success in culturing algae on a building envelope. The benefits may surprise you. You can read about this Periphyton Roof concept recently patented by Aquafiber Technologies Corporation, at kylejensenarchitect.com Thanks for your interest, Kyle Not that far off if you ask me! It's true, the architects and engineers are a little skinny on algal culture knowledge. Algae is growing all over building envelopes now, but the productivity is very, very low and the energy advantages are not utilized.

How to get the productivity higher and use the other advantages?….. glad you asked.

I am an architect and have been culturing attached algae at the scale of large building envelopes for over 20 years. Recently we patented a Periphyton Roof, conceived over 10 years ago, which we feel has a lot of potential for success in culturing algae on a building envelope. The benefits may surprise you.

You can read about this Periphyton Roof concept recently patented by Aquafiber Technologies Corporation, at kylejensenarchitect.com

Thanks for your interest,

Kyle

]]> By: Water Networks » Blog Archive » Bostonian Urban Algae http://flavorwire.com/40014/attack-of-the-algae-the-latest-in-eco-architecture/comment-page-1#comment-11799 Water Networks » Blog Archive » Bostonian Urban Algae Wed, 30 Sep 2009 14:48:37 +0000 http://flavorwire.com/?p=40014#comment-11799 [...] http://flavorwire.com/40014/attack-of-the-algae-the-latest-in-eco-architecture AKPC_IDS += "396,";Popularity: unranked [?] blog [...] [...] http://flavorwire.com/40014/attack-of-the-algae-the-latest-in-eco-architecture AKPC_IDS += "396,";Popularity: unranked [?] blog [...]

]]> By: mike http://flavorwire.com/40014/attack-of-the-algae-the-latest-in-eco-architecture/comment-page-1#comment-11562 mike Sat, 26 Sep 2009 03:42:31 +0000 http://flavorwire.com/?p=40014#comment-11562 slow economy = abandoned buildings = no projects = free time A little bit of having a dream doesn't hurt in these kinds of times slow economy = abandoned buildings = no projects = free time

A little bit of having a dream doesn't hurt in these kinds of times

]]> By: @EccoXile http://flavorwire.com/40014/attack-of-the-algae-the-latest-in-eco-architecture/comment-page-1#comment-11483 @EccoXile Thu, 24 Sep 2009 22:38:55 +0000 http://flavorwire.com/?p=40014#comment-11483 Ok so it may not work...but I do love the visual! Really makes me wonder what the future would look like if all these green engineers took over (and what they made actually worked) I wouldn't mind plant covered skyscrapers and giant robot arms.....ok robot arms would be a bit unsettling... Ok so it may not work…but I do love the visual! Really makes me wonder what the future would look like if all these green engineers took over (and what they made actually worked) I wouldn't mind plant covered skyscrapers and giant robot arms…..ok robot arms would be a bit unsettling…

]]> By: Durwood M. Dugger http://flavorwire.com/40014/attack-of-the-algae-the-latest-in-eco-architecture/comment-page-1#comment-11457 Durwood M. Dugger Thu, 24 Sep 2009 16:17:37 +0000 http://flavorwire.com/?p=40014#comment-11457 This is what you get when imagination isn't contained by a basic knowledge of what is being imagined. The designs fails economically, technologically and probably from a structural engineering standpoint as well. Did anyone imagine the structural requirements to support a stack of liquid filled cubes like this. (BTW - the cube is most cost inefficient structural shape for containing water - or for growing algae for that matter.) No one has produced algae fuels profitably yet - not even close by an order of magnitude if you separate the unsupported claims from the actual demonstrated at scale real numbers. Current demonstrated algae fuel costs are about $20/gallon. Profitable means competitive with current petroleum production prices. Most of the economic feasibility work done over the past 50 years (NREL Report particularly) says that any production process more costly than those of open pond cultivation, isn't going to be economically feasible. Developers say things have changed since NREL - but no one successfully shows what and how any of those changes have positively effected the general lack of economic feasibility in algae oil development. Technically, bioreactors like these imagined cubes simply don't work because of the inherent nature of algae to coat and obscure any surface transmitting light - in a matter of a few days - not to mention that most bioreactors are made of... petroleum products. Apparently, these design firms aren't taking their micro-algae serious enough to do the homework necessary to make them seem minimally credible.. This is what you get when imagination isn't contained by a basic knowledge of what is being imagined. The designs fails economically, technologically and probably from a structural engineering standpoint as well. Did anyone imagine the structural requirements to support a stack of liquid filled cubes like this. (BTW – the cube is most cost inefficient structural shape for containing water – or for growing algae for that matter.)

No one has produced algae fuels profitably yet – not even close by an order of magnitude if you separate the unsupported claims from the actual demonstrated at scale real numbers. Current demonstrated algae fuel costs are about $20/gallon. Profitable means competitive with current petroleum production prices. Most of the economic feasibility work done over the past 50 years (NREL Report particularly) says that any production process more costly than those of open pond cultivation, isn't going to be economically feasible. Developers say things have changed since NREL – but no one successfully shows what and how any of those changes have positively effected the general lack of economic feasibility in algae oil development. Technically, bioreactors like these imagined cubes simply don't work because of the inherent nature of algae to coat and obscure any surface transmitting light – in a matter of a few days – not to mention that most bioreactors are made of… petroleum products. Apparently, these design firms aren't taking their micro-algae serious enough to do the homework necessary to make them seem minimally credible..

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