Algae Façade for Reducing CO2 Emission and Mitigating Global Warming (Case Study: Tehran Enghelab Street)

Walls along urban streets are one of the most prominent aspects of the architectural design affecting the aesthetics of urban landscapes. Hence, these walls are environmental elements capable of elevating the aesthetics and visual qualities of urban spaces. One of the main issues in big cities is the rise of local temperatures due to high concentrations of carbon dioxide. Meanwhile, quality control initiatives are mainly focused on the sources emitting carbon dioxide.Moving toward environmental architecture and urban design, adjusting the design strategies, and inventing new solutions to restore balance to nature while satisfying today’s human needs has resulted in the increasing development and use of vertical green systems throughout the world.

the objective is to provide a solution for integrating microalgae bioreactors with building façade to absorb carbon dioxide and to decrease the air temperature while preserving the identity and integrity of the building.

Considering the novel and multidisciplinary nature of this study, a compound methodology is required. This is a descriptive-analytic practical study. Hence, using bibliographic documents and scientific studies at first, microalgae are defined and examined for absorbing air pollution. Then, the façade of Enghelab Street is chosen as a polluted urban center. Finally, after identifying relevant surfaces for installing bioreactors, the façade of Enghelab Street is redesigned.

Using microalgae as alive microorganisms capable of absorbing carbon dioxide, and integrating them with building facades by bioreactors, converts these walls to photosynthetic surfaces. These surfaces respond to climate changes, improve the passive thermal performance of the building, transform an ordinary building into an alive building, and convert the walls into energy-producing factories.