Spotted: Biotechnology has been rapidly gaining momentum in recent years, with manufacturers increasingly turning to the natural world both for its unique qualities and sustainability. One of those manufacturers is Swedish Algae Factory, which uses diatoms – a type of unicellular microscopic algae – to produce its new advanced materials.
The company’s first products are a skin cleanser called Algica and a protective coating for photovoltaic (PV) panels. The products are manufactured via a sustainable, circular process that uses wastewater from other local businesses as an energy source, with the cleaned water is returned to its partner organisations for reuse. According to the company, producing one kilogramme of Algica helps clean the atmosphere of at least eight kilogrammes of carbon dioxide and one kilogramme of nitrogen.
The shells of algae diatoms contain silicon dioxide and are extremely efficient at absorbing light and carbon dioxide. By replacing some of the chemicals traditionally used in skincare products, Algica not only reduces the carbon emissions of production, it also makes the products themselves healthier and more effective. In a controlled, double-blind study, external assessors found Algica’s moisturising capability to be the same as hyaluronic acid.
Because the algae grow in salt as well as wastewater, production processes are accessible to communities without a consistent supply of clean water. By eliminating the need for potable water to grow algae, areas can more easily and quickly engage with new opportunities for economic growth, particularly as Swedish Algae Factory continues to explore additional and improved uses of the plant.
A recipient of an EU LIFE grant, Swedish Algae Factory also has a project called Life Sunalgae for large-scale industrial production of an algae-based silicon film that blocks UV light. When applied to PV panels, the film slows the degradation of materials while increasing the solar cells’ efficiency in converting light into power.
Springwise has spotted the versatility of algae being used in a range of innovations in the archive, including in limestone and to power a microprocessor.
Spotted: The International Energy Agency’s (IEA) analysis of the solar photovoltaic industry found that “more than [a] threefold increase in annual capacity deployment [is needed] until 2030” in order to meet the global net-zero emissions goal for 2050. That is a huge increase in capacity and is a volume most agencies and governments struggle to meet. Solar farms in general require a significant amount of ground space, making it difficult to find locations that are large enough and close enough to the communities they serve to minimise transport costs.
France’s HelioRec is looking to coastal waters as a potential solution to this challenge. Many densely populated urban areas lack the land needed to build renewable energy sources at a usable scale. Many of those cities are, however, located on the coast. By looking to the surface of the nearby bodies of water as a potential foundation for a renewable energy plant, an entirely new space of opportunity is created.
HelioRec’s floating solar systems are customisable, made from recycled plastics, and designed to minimise maintenance costs and time. The floating solar farms use water for balance and stability, rather than costly and environmentally damaging concrete or metal. The company’s bespoke, flexible connectors make a range of configurations and sizes possible, with output ranging from 10 kilowatts (kW) of energy up to 100 megawatts (MW).
The company uses algorithms to help predict energy generation, making it easier for users to plan for a volume of power to sell and to project how much should be available for times of peak demand. The solar farms can also be used as a dock and charging station for electric boats.
Innovators are increasingly looking to the world’s waterways for solutions to global challenges. Recent developments spotted by Springwise include a nanogenerator that harnesses the energy of the ocean to power sensors and a floating platform for generating continuous electricity from rivers.
Spotted: The World Health Organization estimates that 1.5 million deaths are caused by vaccine-preventable diseases every year and one, if not the main, obstacle to improving essential vaccine distribution is a lack of refrigerated storage. Now, a portable, solar-powered cool box is helping healthcare workers across Kenya improve vaccination rates for some of the most common diseases.
Engineer Norah Magero created the VacciBox as part of her work as co-founder and CEO of Drop Access, a Kenya-based organisation supporting off-grid communities in becoming sustainable via renewable energy solutions. Drop Access helps small communities access financing for solar energy projects, trains farmers to use new sustainable agricultural methods, and makes it possible for healthcare teams to safely store and transport vaccines and medicines. Having initially outsourced manufacturing to China, Magero and her VacciBox co-founder James Mulatya knew that the cost of the refrigerator was important to expand vaccine access, so decided to work with other local engineers to keep production in the country.
Solar-powered and with a built-in battery backup, VacciBox uses the Internet of Things (IoT) feature to track temperatures, location, and maintenance needs for each refrigerator. Designed explicitly to be easy to transport on the back of a bicycle or moped, the fridge comes with a pop-up handle, rubber wheels, and a USB charging port as an additional service.
Currently in use in two pilot locations, immunisation at one of the facilities has already increased by 45 per cent with the help of the VacciBox. The design won the 2022 Cisco Global Problem Solver Challenge Grand Prize, and Magero plans to use the $250,000 (around €234,000) prize to expand production and expand into other countries.
The challenges of keeping medicines appropriately cool are sizeable, and Springwise has spotted innovations seeking ways to tackle this problem by creating medicines that are stable at room temperature, such as immunisations that are administered via a patch, or vaccines encased and protected in silica.
Spotted: In the UK, Solar PV capacity reached 12 gigawatts of energy in 2021. Yet, the MCS (Microgeneration Certification Scheme) estimates that only around 900,000 of the 24 million homes in the country currently rely on solar power. There is much room for improvement, and one of the easiest ways to incorporate renewable energy generation into a home or building is by embedding the technology into construction materials.
Professor Tapas Mallick and Dr. Hasan Baig, two University of Exeter researchers, have created Build Solar in order to do just that. Built with patent-pending technology, the Solar Squared glass brick is a direct replacement for traditional glass building materials. Solar Squared bricks let light through, just like current glass building materials do. The difference is that Build Solar’s new blocks generate sustainable energy as well. The bricks are available in several patterns and colours, in addition to the typical clear glass.
Usable in a variety of structures, including commercial spaces, public transport hubs, and housing, the Solar Squared blocks improve a building’s thermal insulation efficiency while providing daylight and renewable energy. The company’s goal is to contribute to carbon-neutral construction and building management and is currently seeking sites in which to test and showcase the technology.
Springwise has spotted other innovations seeking to make renewable energy more accessible, including nailable and wearable solar panels.
‘tree house’ by studio MEMM, a multigenerational hub
On a sloping land in Monte Verde, Brazil, Studio MEMM has completed a tree house as a multigenerational wooden hub connected by a walkway. Covering 18 sqm, the project ‘emerged as a playful idea. In a moment of family expansion, with new grandchildren and nephews, the client understood that the ludic universe of the tree house could add to the experience of staying in Monte Verde, Minas Gerais,’ explains the practice.
The design is located close to the main residence and features two volumes positioned among tree branches, emphasizing the sense of playfulness. The first and smaller module spanning 6 sqm serves as a reception area. In comparison, the second 12 sqm volume functions as the primary activity hub, initially displaced to accommodate a torsion of trunks that change position as they gain height. Two walkways support these structures: the first and smaller pathway connects both modules while the second, larger one gently regulates the terrain slope and links the tree house to the main property promenade.
‘Before conceiving the project, it was necessary to choose the tree and understand its context. The client already had in mind options in an area near the lake on the site. Around it, programs such as a pool annex, a deck, a natural pool, and the new house would fence the surroundings of the body of water. The garden, densely populated by numerous tree species, brings privacy and ambiance to each program around the wetland area. In addition, a gentle, continuous slope extends across the land so that the lake’s surroundings are arranged in gentle plateaus,‘ shares the Studio MEMM team.
using glass, brise-soleils, and light for a deeper immersion
All façades of the ‘Treee House’ are clad in glass panels, encouraging a strong visual connection to the outdoors. Bordering the panels are aluminum frames that attach the glass to the façades; thanks to their dark graphite finish, these frames stand out from the wooden structure and emphasize the limit between solid and void. They also contribute to the water drainage on rainy days, preventing puddles from accumulating in the lower parts of the frame and eventually deteriorating the wood.
a two-volume structure connected by a walkway
Inspired by the geometries of the surrounding sycamore leaf structures, Studio MEMM fronted the two-volume shed with a CNC-milled brise-soleil, industrially built with glued laminated timber. Installed from the inside, this architectural element ‘embraces the guest and creates an impression of a dome that contains this entire universe in the interiors, instigating immersion and disconnection from the external world, transporting the user to a shelter that allows them to experience a feeling of unrecognizable enchantment,’ continues the team.
the brise-soleils evoke the geometry of sycamore leaves
Lastly, the lighting design by Futura Iluminação highlights both the unique aesthetic and sculptural branches engulfing the ‘Tree House’ without undermining the charm of night-time darkness. ‘The light spots placed on the ground level reveal the trunks and tree tops. The softly lit branches and leaves filter the dark sky above. Inside, light fixtures on the floor illuminate the brise soleil from bottom to top, bringing light, instead of shadow, to the lower part of the geometries. The solution emphasizes the view of the inside from the outside of the house and contributes to the discovery effect of the element in the heights,’ says Studio MEMM.
Spotted: Although organic solar cells – those that use carbon-based materials and organic molecules – are one of the greenest solar cell technologies, manufacturing them still relies on carcinogenic petrochemical processes. With the health of workers and the planet in mind, researchers at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in Saudi Arabia have replaced the toxic solvents with plant-derived alternatives.
By applying a framework called the Hansen solubility formulation, the KAUST team searched for a new solvent that was similar on a molecular level to the toxic solvent presently used for organic solar cells. With this, they found that plant-based solvents called terpenes could suitably replace them without impacting the cells’ light-capturing performance.
Daniel Corzo, a PhD student in Derya Baran’s lab, who led the work, said: “We obtained solar cells with efficiencies above 16 per cent using terpene-based inks — essentially the same as from chlorinated solvents — but with an 85 per cent lower carbon footprint and with the potential to become carbon negative in the future.”
In a bid for their discovery to make an impact, the KAUST researchers have made their findings freely available in an interactive library for green solvent selection.
Springwise has previously spotted other innovations aimed at improving solar energy, from replacing silver with copper in solar panel production, to a startup that hopes to divert solar projects to more impactful sites.
Multicoloured solar panels act like roof tiles on top of the Solar Pavilion, a gathering space at this year’s Dutch Design Week created by local firm V8 Architects and design practice Marjan van Aubel Studio.
The pavilion was designed to resemble a giant beach chair, in a nod to the fact that the pavilion offers visitors a place to rest after seeing the designs on display at the design festival last week.
The roof of the Solar Pavilion was formed from colourful photovoltaic panels
Masts, tension wires and reclaimed floor beams made from untreated steel supported the Solar Pavilion’s swooping roof.
Underneath, triangular timber sections were slotted into the corners of the steel beams to serve as seating, while a circular bench designed by Marjan van Aubel Studio occupied the centre of the space.
The pavilion was presented at Dutch Design Week
Two sets of stairs lead visitors to an opening in the curved roof, featuring 380 blue, orange and red photovoltaic panels that were mounted much like traditional roof tiles.
The panels produced approximately 7.5 kilowatts of energy at peak performance while on display at the design event, according to V8 Architects.
This energy was fed into an on-site battery and used at night to power lighting and electric heating panels mounted on the underside of the pavilion, mimicking the sensation of sitting in the sun during the day.
“Currently, energy is only harvested in a techno-functional way,” said V8 Architects co-founder Michiel Raaphorst. “We explore how to integrate the sun’s energy into our daily lives so that we can love and embrace it.”
The pavilion’s structure was intentionally left exposed so that visitors could visually understand how it works.
The energy harvested by the solar panels was used to light and heat the pavilion
This also made the structure reversible, so it could be easily disassembled and its parts reused after the event.
“It was planned that all materials would return to the companies that provided them,” V8 Architects told Dezeen.
“However, multiple parties have shown interest in the pavilion including a large festival. We are looking into different options at the moment.”
380 solar panels made up the pavilion’s canopy
The Solar Pavilion is also the final piece of the Solar Biennale – a month-long event organised by van Aubel and Dutch designer Pauline van Dongen to envision a future where everything is solar-powered.
“Solar energy needs a new, more personal perspective that is part of our culture,” explained Marjan van Aubel. “This pavilion demonstrates that solar energy can be experienced and used in a new way.”
“The pavilion is a sensory experience and, during Dutch Design Week, the place to poetically experience the harvesting of solar energy.”
Other designs that were on show at Dutch Design Week included a series of lampshades made from mushroom mycelium by Tallinn-based materials company Myceen and a rug that visualises the consequences of drought caused by climate change.
The photography is by Aiste Rakauskaite.
Solar Pavilion was on show from 21 to 30 October as part of Dutch Design Week 2022. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.
A moving wall that evokes a sailing ship and a roof canopy modelled on a banana tree feature in this roundup, which collects 10 buildings that challenge conventional ways of fitting solar panels to help kick off our Solar Revolution series.
Solar panels, also known as photovoltaics or solar electricity cells, are becoming an increasingly common sight in our built environment.
Traditionally installed in the form of rooftop arrays, they capture energy from the sun and convert it into renewable electricity. The stronger the sunshine, the more electricity the panels generate.
While it is not uncommon for solar cells to be installed as an afterthought, this roundup demonstrates how architects are getting creative with the technology, making it a key feature in their designs without compromising on aesthetics.
Read on for 10 buildings completed and upcoming that incorporate solar panels in creative ways:
Photo is by Iwan Baan
Bay View, USA, by BIG and Heatherwick Studio
A “dragonscale solar skin” forms the roof of Google’s Bay View campus, which BIG and Heatherwick Studio recently completed in Silicon Valley.
The undulating structure is built from 50,000 solar panels that generate almost seven megawatts of energy, amounting to 40 per cent of the building’s total energy needs.
Find out more about Bay View ›
Photo courtesy of Marjan van Aubel
The Dutch Biotope, UAE, by V8 Architects with Marjan van Aubel
A colourful skylight formed of translucent photovoltaics crowned The Dutch Biotope pavilion at Dubai Expo 2020, casting pink and blue light below like a stained glass window.
Created by V8 Architects the structure incorporates skylights designed by Marjan Van Aubel to show how solar technology could be used as “a form of art” while providing renewable energy.
Find out more about The Dutch Biotope ›
Render is courtesy of MVRDV
LAD headquarters, China, by MVRDV
MVRDV has reimagined a traditional solar canopy in its design of this office building, which it is currently developing for agriculture company LAD in Shanghai.
Its swooping roof structure will be left open on one side but covered in solar cells on the other in a bid to provide renewable energy for the building and minimise its operational carbon footprint.
Find out more about LAD headquarters ›
Photo is by Ivar Kvaal
Powerhouse Telemark, Norway, by Snøhetta
Snøhetta used photovoltaics to cover the angular roof and south-facing facade of the carbon-negative Powerhouse Telemark office in Porsgrunn.
While contributing to the structure’s “clearly identifiable expression”, the studio said the system generates approximately 256,000 kilowatts of renewable energy each year, compensating for the carbon that the building will consume over a 60-year lifespan.
Find out more about Powerhouse Telemark ›
Photo is by Bob Ditty
Mount Sinai Kyabirwa Surgical Facility in Uganda by Kliment Halsband Architects
Slender tree-like columns support the wavy solar canopy that sweeps over this health facility in Uganda, designed by Kliment Halsband Architects.
While providing energy for the building, the canopy also shelters its outdoor spaces in a nod to banana plants growing in the area. “We thought of solar panels as leaves of banana plants gathering sun and providing shade,” the studio explained.
Find out more about Mount Sinai Kyabirwa Surgical Facility in Uganda ›
Render is courtesy of Kennon
550 Spencer, Australia, by Kennon
More than 1,000 solar electric panels that resemble glass will form the facade for this office tower, which Australian studio Kennon recently proposed for Melbourne.
The technology, named Skala, is produced by German company Avancis and has never been used in Australia before. It is designed to replace traditional rooftop arrays and will free up space for a garden on top of the building instead.
Find out more about 550 Spencer ›
Photo is by Didier Boy de la Tour
La Seine Musical, France, by Shigeru Ban
A wall of photovoltaic panels follows the path of the sun at La Seine Musical, a glazed music complex near Paris designed by Shigeru Ban.
Mounted on rails, the sail-like wall is designed to resemble a ship circulating the ovoid structure. This movement also ensures the lobby behind is shaded from direct sunlight over the course of the day.
Find out more about La Seine Musical ›
Photo is by Adam Mørk
Copenhagen International School for Nordhavn, Denmark, by CF Møller
Architecture studio CF Møller disguised 12,000 solar panels as blue cladding at the Copenhagen International School for Nordhavn to mirror its waterfront site.
The panels are arranged in a way that creates a sequin-like effect across the exterior and generates over 50 per cent of the electricity needed to power the building annually.
Find out more about Copenhagen International School for Nordhavn ›
Render is courtesy of MVRDV
Sun Rock, Taiwan, by MVRDV
A rounded form sheathed in photovoltaics will define Sun Rock, an office and operations facility that MVRDV is developing for power company Taipower in Taiwan.
The studio designed its bulbous form to maximise the amount of sunlight its facade can harness throughout the day and, in turn, create enough energy to make the building self-sufficient.
Find out more about Sun Rock ›
Photo is by Ivar Kvaal
Powerhouse Brattørkaia, Norway, by Snøhetta
Three thousand square metres of solar cells envelop this office, another Powerhouse by Snøhetta that produces twice the amount of energy it uses.
Its steep and angular exterior is the result of the limited daylight hours in the city, as it helps maximise sun exposure and allows the panels to harvest as much solar energy as possible before dark.
This article is part of Dezeen’s Solar Revolution series, which explores the varied and exciting possible uses of solar energy and how humans can fully harness the incredible power of the sun.
A team of students and researchers at the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia (IAAC) has designed a prototype Solar Greenhouse for energy generation and food production with a “zero kilometre” philosophy.
The timber structure, constructed in Barcelona’s Serra de Collserola Natural Park, is intended to demonstrate how our most basic needs could be met in a more ecological way, in response to the EU’s aims to be net-zero by 2050.
Solar Greenhouse is an energy and food production prototype that was designed by students and researchers at IAAC
Led by Vicente Guallard and Daniel Ibañez, directors of the Masters programme in Advanced Ecological Buildings and Biocities, the students worked with a variety of experts in cultivation, energy and water.
While the prototype sits in a natural landscape, it is intended it to be scalable and adaptable to a variety of settings, such as on the rooftops of inner-city buildings.
It was constructed using timber
“The aim was to design and build a system that could be replicated in both rural and urban areas,” said the designers.
“[It] represents the next step towards a more ecological agricultural transformation and progress in tackling food and energy poverty,” they continued.
The structure comprises two levels and features solar panels on its roof
The greenhouse is a simple, timber-framed structure with two levels, topped by glass panels and solar panels and wrapped in glass louvres that provide light and ventilation.
Germination takes place on the greenhouse’s lower level, while the upper level contains cultivation spaces, with a glass, diamond-shaped roof maximising its exposure to sunlight.
A network of pipes carrying nutrients and lighting for growth cycles is integrated into the structure. Hydroponics allow for plants to be grown without agricultural soil and LED strip lighting aids growth cycles.
The “zero kilometre” concept is normally used to describe food that is produced and eaten locally, and thus has travelled zero kilometres.
Here, the philosophy was applied not only to the greenhouse’s food production but also its construction, with materials being locally and sustainable sourced.
The prototype will be used to grow plants without soil
The pine for the timber was processed in the IAAC’s nearby Vallduara Labs, and the substrate materials in the planting beds consists of recycled sawdust — a waste product of the Green Fab Lab also on the university campus.
“The water, substrate and building materials are obtained from the surroundings, allowing the food grown to jump directly from production to consumption, without the need of a supply chain,” explained the designers.
“The ultimate goal is for the knowledge and the locally achieved systems to be applied at a global scale and, in this respect, the Solar Greenhouse is a valuable step forward,” they continued.
Materials used in the construction were sustainably sourced
Students from IAAC also designed and built a cabin for self-isolation using wood harvested from within one kilometre of the site.
In Belgium, Meta Architectuurbureau and Van Bergen Kolpa Architecten recently completed a greenhouse in Belgium atop an agricultural market to create an urban food production centre.
