A design proposal from uau studio called Algae Tower explores using micro-algae grown in a building's glass facade to provide shading, capture carbon dioxide, and produce biomass for biofuel. The concept is developed for an office tower in Melbourne and uses photo-bio-reactor technology integrated into the building envelope. The facade adapts seasonally, becoming denser in summer to reduce cooling loads and more transparent in winter to allow passive heating. The system works by circulating water, nutrients, and CO2 through transparent panels where micro-algae photosynthesize. This generates organic material that can be converted into energy while the living facade also blocks solar radiation. The design is still a research proposal from uau studio, not a built project. It raises interesting questions about how buildings could shift from static energy consumers to active participants in energy generation and carbon capture, though the real-world cost and maintenance of such a system remain open questions.
