SPECIAL PROJECT

Cesare Griffa, Water Lilly

Water Lilly is the first prototype of a series of intelligent architecture components called “smart creatures” conceived to be used in the near future to populate building surfaces enhancing sustainable behaviours. Water Lilly creates the conditions for growing phototrophic organisms (phytoplankton, microalgae) in a biologically active controlled environment. Being a dynamic thermal mass, the water based bio-solution contained in the pipes of the system can interact with the HVAC systems of the building. Fed with light, mineral salts and carbon dioxide, the algae grow into a biomass than can then be treated to create biofuel. The system offers the possibility of an extraordinary green night enlightenment, while giving its contribution to carbon dioxide absorption from the environment. Water Lilly has an electronic nervous system to map the environment conditions around her. She reacts to people presence, boosting or slowing down her metabolism accordingly. When a few of them get together, they begin to communicate by sharing data, creating the conditions for a collective intelligence based on open knowledge sharing. Water Lilly is an open project. A development kit, published under a Creative Commons licence, is fully downloadable.

cesaregriffa.com