The algae-producing airborne cities can be 100% emission-free and are capable of generating hydrogen gas without consuming land needed for crops or forests, no how about utopia, huh?

Yeah, you probably think this is only a pretty neat concept, that will never get built, but times are changing friend, and what you consider impossible today, may be accomplished tomorrow easily. So never say never to new ideas, aight?

According to the architects, “the output obtained by a farm with micro-seaweed would be superior to those made currently with farming means to produce biodiesel or bioethanol. This could be estimated at 1000 litres of hydrogen for 330 grams of chlorophyll per day whereas for example colza produces roughly only 1000 litres of oil per hectare . . . a hectare of seaweed could thus produce organically 120 times more biofuels than a hectare of colza, soya or sunflower.”

Talking Utopia, huh? Check this neat concept developed by Stefano Boeri.

Floating Void

Italian architect stefano boeri‘s proposal for the ‘contemplating the void: interventions in the Guggenheim Museum’ exhibition is ‘floating void’, in which he has imagined Frank Lloyd Wright’s Central Rotunda as an external space, floating above the Guggenheim Museum.

Floating Void

Floating Void

Beijing District

Today in the Utopia section of Archtopia, we’re going to talk a bit about a concept presented by SOM in Beijing. I’m sure you will find this appealing since the planet really need our care in the current situation, and this proposal shows consideration and pays attention to the nature needs, creating inhabiting green spaces.

Not so long ago SOM revealed the future plans for a new urban center in Beijing’s Dawangjing District that will feature an integrated heating and cooling solution designed to reduce energy use and carbon emissions. The new development will include a central park that utilizes a geothermal heat-exchange system to help passively heat and cool all of the district’s buildings, something like the roman heating system, I’d say.

Beijing District

The district will be positioned at about 11 kilometers from the Beijing Capital International Airport, and will include multiple public parks, cultural attractions and high-rise buildings that will welcome visitors to the capital city.

Part of the plan to minimize carbon emissions is to use the central park as a “sustainable engine” or geothermal heat-exchange, which would help to passively heat and cool the district buildings instead of using water and energy-intensive cooling towers.

Beijing District

The newly proposed urban district will have as well strong focus on public transportation, aiming to get 80% of residents and workers traveling by subway, streetcar, biking or walking. Multiple transit stations are proposed along the M15 subway line, which ends at the International Airport. A series of streetcar lines have also been proposed along with a vast network of bicycle lanes, which will help reduce car traffic.

Beijing District

[ SOM ]

“The idea first came up over a beer, when we were talking about what we would have built as kids if we had enough Lego. Your imagination is always bigger than your stockpile when you’re a kid. Up until now, the largest thing I’ve ever built with Lego was probably a plane or a battleship, because that was all I could build with the amount I had,” said James.

Via FreshHome