8 April 2013
The idea of a floating, five-storey-deep, live-in phytoplankton factory that bobs about on the Indian Ocean fighting the effects of global warming has been recognised at a recent architecture competition.
"Bloom", dreamt up by France’s Sitbon Architectes, was named a finalist in the Weather category of the Architizer awards last month.
The futuristic idea is to cultivate vast amounts of phytoplankton which, through photosynthesis, absorbs carbon dioxide and releases oxygen.
Live-in scientists would cultivate carbon-eating sea-life (Credit: Sitbon Architectes)
Large phytoplankton aquariums, supervised by a resident staff of scientists and marine experts, would be used to increase the amount of oxygen in ocean and river areas most severely impacted by global warming.
The capsule, constructed with aluminium and methacrylate, is attached to the seabed by cables. Gross floor area is 2,070 sq m.
Sensitive to even the smallest sea level variations, the structure would also be able to detect tsunamis and issue timely warnings.
Bloom is a design study. There are no plans to build it.
