Category Archives: Green office

Philips Biosphere Farming

Interesting projects by Philips on sustainability and  forward thinking.

“This is exploring the integration of electronics and bio chemical functionalities into the inert material of the built environment. The design of the concept fundamentally changes the current approach to buildings and habitat.  This future habitat shifts from the current state where the  building surfaces are benign inert ‘dumb’ materials only used for construction and shielding purposes to sensitive functional skins that are ‘alive’ and act as membranes to harness energy. A membrane creates a strong link between the exterior and interior of the habitat and used as a transporter collecting and channeling the elements of air water and light – from the outside feeding into the inside space. This will supply the habitat with all necessary sources to be able to live off the grid.”

I especially liked their Biosphere Home Farm.

“kitchen skyscraper’s concept development is to explore the possibility of growing at least part of one’s daily calorific requirement at home, as explained by Philips. Using the synergies between fish, plants, vegetables and algae, the Biosphere home farm has been designed to stand up right, to minimize the amount of floor space required (great for small apartments or tiny kitchens) but to also enable the stacking of the various mini eco-systems to ease the flow of nutrients from one level to the next. Not only will this mini-at-home-farming system produce natural foods such as lettuce, cucumbers, spices and shellfish, the ability for it to operate without electricity using only water, organic waste and the sun’s energy to power up should also bring much appeal.”

via Vidafine

Vertical gardening

One of the sustainability concepts that I’m very interested in is vertical gardening. By keeping the place of production of our food close to the place of consumption we can greatly reduce the often ridiculous distances that food covers before it is placed on our plates. Often the total sum of the stuff in our supermarket basket has been transported thousands of kilometers, with the consequences to the environment. By utilizing the horizontal as well as vertical spaces that of our cities we will be able to produce a significant amount of fresh produce at the almost immediate location of consumption. Roof tops of office and apartments could be used to grow vegetables, fruit or even have mini farms. Facades could be used too. Not only are vertical and city gardens an excellent way to reduce the carbon footprint, the idea could help to reduce the heat island effect of the cities. A roof garden is a natural insulator both in the winter as well as in the summer. Green roofs will absorb rain and plants would also help to create a micro climate harbouring insects and in turn attracting birds.

I can imagine a city that’s lush, green and full of life.

Moss carpet

A moss carpet made from Terramac, an eco-friendly 3D knitted and spun fabric which serves as a receptacle for the planter’s roots, protects the seeds, and holds the moss together. Made from plant-derived polylactic acid fiber, “this material is decomposed (biodegraded) by microorganisms in compost or in soil after 10 years. Eventually only carbon dioxide and water remain”. As the planter biodegrades, CO2 is captured by the plants through the process of photosynthesis. The name Terramac® means “sons of the mother earth”.

The result of using this is absolutely stunning. (via inhabitat) 

Now to find a client who would like to use this…

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