Urban Bio-Reactor

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Urban Bio-Reactor

Firm

Type

Hospitality + Sport ›
Government + Health ›

The site of Nordhavn offered the pretext for looking at the problematic of an ex-industrial site now vacated, and the chance of turning it into an extraordinary site, facing the highly contemporary topics and problematics of air and water pollution, congestion, ecological threat, tourism and also facing the actual need for an urban and spatial development, very delicate in a metropolis as Copenhagen aiming at being Sustainable Capital in 2020, but without forgetting about economical and productive aspects.Iconicity of last century’s Copenhagen, will become the icon of the future Sustainable Capital, symbol of this century’s need and will of sustainable development towards an ecological impact on the planet.Exploiting the contextual situation (industrial sites >> CO2 emissions), the site conformation itself (proximity to the sea >> free water source) and converting the industrial pre-existence (preserving them on site) into new technological needs (sustainable energy production cycle), will be the ingredients to generate a new environment upon which the sustainable city of the future can be settled.The obsolete and vacated infrastructure which reveals to be as useless as strongly iconic, and which would require a lot of efforts and energy consumption to remove, can actually be made productive and regenerated within a new system: harvesting micro-algae to produce bio-fuel out of CO2 and clean energy for the entire new Nordhavn district!This approach has positive effects on diverse scales and could set new standards that could be taken as an example for sustainable urban developments in other maritime cities.All the emissions from the buildings which will be constructed in Nordhavn, will be sent to the tubed-algae structure, which will absorb CO2, releasing oxygen, and produce algae biomass that will be turned into dry-fuel for the heating systems of the area.Emissions won’t be just reduced, but the overall balance will be increasingly active!The very same elements characterizing now and in history Nordhavn in its harbour related functions, will be the actual motor of regeneration for the whole area, starting an economical and ecological process that will lead to the realization of a living area able to recyle CO2 emissions to produce biofuel, biomass out of it and be energetically self-sufficient.This process could happen whatever the future definitive masterplan will be, since it is not related to the new intervention but to the condition of the site itself; for this reason the decision to implement the masterplan by Cobe, analyzing diverse aspects of the project, modifying it and adapting it to the new needs, to the new vision for Nordhavn.The place itself is in this case the starting point, source of inspiration for the new program of reconversion: pre-existence (physical and cultural) should be considered a local resource and be regenerated into a sustainable structure (ecologically, socially and economically) which will work as a urban machine, an Urban Bioreactor.Gas emissions are captured, stored in the existing silos at Sandkaj and sent to the harvesting ponds located in a reconverted structure in the heart of Nordhavn, where micro alge grows and produce biomass used by the incinerator plant to generate electricity (out of its own emissions then!), or processed into biofuel.At Sandkaj a new structure of tubed-algae (15.000 liters capacity) would absorb all the emissions of the new buildings, acting as a bioreactor on urban scale; scraps will be used as dry-fuel for heating systems in the whole district.The basin edge in Sandkaj will be articulated on different wooden platforms,working as stepping stones to reach towards the water, where some pebblebeaches will offers tidal contact and lower sea bathing areas.Working on the convexity of the edge on a large scale, creating more perimeter for the same area, is the first step for ensuring more interaction with the blue element, allowing more living units to face the water and enhancing water-related functions and transport, multipling the amount of marinas and docks.Stretching and articulating the thin border line between land and water,both in plan and section, into a wider pedestrian promenade will allow free-time and sport activities; the two warehouses will host retails, bars and temporary facilities, ensuring receptivity; the large tubed-algae structure makes Sandkaj a perfect place for outdoor events in a fantastic scenario, especially at night underneath the glowing canopy.Green is in the air!

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Team

Freddy Curiél

Project Leader

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Urban Bio-Reactor

Urban Bio-Reactor

Product Spec Sheet

Collaborating Firms

Team