An Amphibious Floating Garden That Purifies The Water, The Physalia.

The Gulf could use of couple of these right now. A futuristic vessel designed to clean European waterways, the “Physalia” project is an architectural prototype that aims at meeting the mutual needs of the sustainable management of water as a resource by architect Vincent Callebaut.



A half aquatic and half earthly amphibious vessel, it's a nomadic hydrodynamic laboratory dedicated to implement an international network of scientific partnerships. A floating purification system that is completely self-sufficient.



The vessel is designed to handle all types of water recycling (rainwater, international and domestic), purify water from agricultural pollutants, desalinate sea water, and cleanse induced waste such as sludge and ashes.

As transportation, it promotes commercial and fluvial transport, linking the Rhine and the Danube and the Seine-Escaut waterway. It can be used as agricultural irrigation, to cool industrial power stations and to promote hydro-electricity production.




“Physalia” is innovative scientific equipment dedicated to investigate solutions as much as it is an innovation unto itself. A “clean” vessel, for a new generation, it produces no sulfur or carbon emmissions.



Physalia is 100% self sufficient in terms of energy. Its bionic structure is inspired from the pneumatophorous called “Physalia physalis” stemming from the Greek term "physalis" which means “water bubble”.



This aquatic pneumatophorous has perfect symmetry, an oblong shape and is partially translucent. It is the summation of natural and biotechnological ways to navigate on the European rivers - between the Danube and the Volga, the Rhine and the Guadalquivir, the Euphrates and the Tiger.



Its architecture is designed to utilize renewable energies and produces more energy than it consumes. Its roof contains a double pneumatic membrane with photovoltaic solar cells and under its hull, the hydro-turbines transform the energy of the fluvial stream into hydro-electricity, enabling it to navigate the waters.

The green roof with its pneumatic membrane and photovoltaic solar cells:

At night:


Aluminum covers the multi-hull steel structure. This silver-plated dress is covered by a Titanium Dioxide layer that reacts to the ultraviolet rays, enabling the vessel to reduce water pollution.

Hull construction and a view of the air garden:


In addition to being a self cleaning vessel, it can absorb and recycle by way of a photo-catalytic effect, the chemical and carbon waste in the water rejected by the traditional boats and by industrialists.




The interior of the Physalia illustrates the future of water travel by dividing it into four thematic gardens.

An interior look at the water and air gardens:


The “Water” garden: This marks the main entrance of Physalia between the berthing gates and the square. A great glass platform is suspended atop the water's surface reflecting on the interior vault. This reception space is dedicated to temporary exhibitions and the façades of the true aquatic balcony can also open to the landscape to be caressed by the outside breezes.

The water garden cross section and interior:



The “Earth” garden: This section constitutes the heart of the laboratory dedicated to international researchers who analyze the aquatic ecosystem. On top of this panoramic room, a planted vault stands.

The “Fire” garden: A confined and protected underwater lounge where armchairs surround a huge fireplace burning in the fireproofed hull of the vessel. One can access the planted garden from the circular banister that spreads under the planted vault and around the flames. One can admire the fauna and the flora in the middle of the vessel through the two panoramic glass portholes. It is a space dedicated to the permanent exhibits of aquatic ecosystems.

The “Air” garden: This is a space of oxygen and light spread under a pneumatophorous lens. This ecologic amphitheater opens towards the exterior landscape. In the center, we find an “H2O” acronym extruded under the shape of a circular and rotating water bar.

The Air Garden cross section and interior:



Man is in the center of this project which represents the balance between human action and respect for the environment. The architecture of this nomadic vessel, the concentration of nature, of biotechnology, information and communication is thus a reflection of the contemporary citizen who wonders about how his or her the actions effect the environment.



It is an audacious avant-garde project aimed at combining people with the notion of water respect, sharing in movement and dynamic balance. It is a project of trans-european leadership and a positive innovation of ecologic resilience.

To read the extremely verbose English translation, as well as the french version of this text, go here.

CONCEPT: Amphibious garden cleaning European waterways / Floating laboratories, museum and forum
YEAR: 2010
ARCHITECT: Vincent Callebaut
LOCATION: European waterways : Seine, Thames, Volga, Danube, Escaut, etc.
SURFACE AREA: 2000 m²
DIMENSIONS: 9m50 height, 80m length, 14m90 width
PERSPECTIVES: Philippe Steels

all images used with permission by architect Vincent Callebaut
©VINCENT CALLEBAUT ARCHIETCTURES

The New Monte Rosa Lodge - Sustainable, Beautiful & Now Open

above: cover of the newly published book on the building

The New Monte Rosa Lodge


The new Monte Rosa lodge project (also referred to as the Monte Rosa Hut) demonstrates that sustainable building is possible even in the middle of a glacial landscape.



Together with students, professors, and specialists, ETH Zurich has put together a project for the Swiss Alpine Club (SAC) that is finally completed after 6 years.

photos courtesy of photographer Tonatiuh Ambrosetti, unless otherwise noted






The building technology for the new Monte Rosa lodge goes in new directions to attain a maximum degree of self-sufficiency and environmental safety in its energy and water use. Contributing factors include ample active and passive use of solar energy, good heat insulation and regeneration from outgoing air, as well as the use of efficient devices.



The new Monte Rosa lodge, which opened last September, 2009, has a building energy self-sufficiency level of over 90%, and will serve as an example of sustainable construction and planning both in Switzerland and worldwide.


above: The New Monte Rosa Hut in splendid isolation between mountain tops (in the background the most famous of all, the 4487 m high Matterhorn) and glaciers (digital visualisation). photo by Stéphanie Marie Couson

Inside, the wood beams and surfaces are actually digitally carved by architects Gramazio & Kohler to give an enhanced faux woodgrain effect.



photos courtesy of Tonatiuh Ambrosetti

The digitally carved alpine timber wood interior by Gramazio & Kohler:








Hut facts:
2890 m above sea level, 5 floors, 18 rooms for guests and mountain guides, 120 beds and 10 reserve beds. 4 toilet systems, 2 washrooms with 14 wash basins and 4 showers, 200,000 litre cavern, 110 m2 photovoltaics, of which 84 m2 on the south face, 60.5 m2 thermal panels. Max. power of photovoltaics: 15.6 kW.


ETH Zurich press release:
- New Monte Rosa Hut SAC opens its doors

The "hut of the future" is finished. After about six years on the drawing board - two of which as a student project design - and a construction phase spanning two summers, the New Monte Rosa Hut above Zermatt is finally open for business.



Nicknamed "Mountain Crystal", the innovative building generates over 90 percent of its energy itself. It is scheduled to start receiving guests normally in March 2010 and will continue to serve ETH Zurich as a research object in power and building service engineering.


above: the silver aluminum shell

2,883 meters above sea level, the New Monte Rosa Hut is currently the most complex wooden construction in Switzerland. Covered in a shimmering silver aluminum shell and with a photovoltaic system integrated in the southern facade, it generates its own power and is expected to be at least 90 percent energy self-sufficient. Solar collectors installed in the grounds generate solar heat, which provides warm water and heats the ventilation system's supply air to control the temperature in the rooms. In the few months of the year where the ice melts, the water is collected and stored in a cavern to provide the guests with flush toilets and four hot showers. A bacteria-based microfiltration system cleans the sewage; the graywater is then reused to flush the toilet and for washing.


above: the North facade under construction

Computer in Zurich operates hut technology

Such a high degree of energy self-sufficiency requires the interaction of the individual components and shrewd energy management. Software developed at ETH Zurich is to operate the technology at the hut. The relevant data from the reservation system, energy storage and the weather station, for instance, is conveyed from the hut to a computer at ETH Zurich. The computer then uses the data to maximize the degree of energy self-efficiency. Any actions subsequently necessary - such as the command to engage the combined heat and power unit if the solar radiation is insufficient to generate enough power - are communicated back to the hut and performed automatically.

Today, representatives of ETH Zurich and the SAC inaugurated the New Monte Rosa Hut together with the general planning team and various patrons and sponsors. Numerous media representatives also took the opportunity to visit the innovative building at the foot of the Dufour Peak overlooking the Matterhorn.



The corner stone for the building was laid in August 2008 and the foundations were completed before the onset of winter. Thanks to prefabricated elements, which were initially transported by train and then flown to the building site by helicopter and assembled on site, the building was completed in the summer of 2009 after just five months. After the inauguration, the 120-bed hut will close for the winter before reopening for alpinists in March 2010; the season lasts until September.



Milestone for sustainable building

With its combination of outstanding architecture and groundbreaking technology, the project heralds a new chapter in sustainable building. ETH Zurich is looking to use it as an example of how marrying excellent architecture with sustainability and state-of-the-art technology can work. For the SAC - with over 120,000 members, one of the biggest sports unions in Switzerland - the building of the new hut is a milestone in its 145-year hut history.

The New Monte Rosa Hut cost about 6.5 million Swiss francs. Apart from the SAC and ETH Zurich, a number of patrons and sponsors also pitched in, without whose support the ambitious project would never have been possible.



In splendid isolation, on the edge of a glacier in pristine wilderness, the hut will be able to host 125 guests in the restaurant and hotel with very little environmental impact. The four floors will be realised in a wooden pre-fabricated structure. The realisation of bio-gas generation for human waste recycling is also being considered.

Projectmanager Marcel Baumgartner, dipl. Architekt ETH
New Monte Rosa Hut Project 2003 – 2009
Construction start 2006 by ETH Zurich and SAC, foundation laid 2008, doors opened 2009
Concept and Design, Prof. Andrea Deplazes, Departement Architektur, ETH Zürich.

all images and information courtesy of the ETH Zurich

The Hut is open and on exhibit to the public from Wednesday, 24. February 2010 to Thursday, 25. March 2010 Mon-Fri 8-21, Sa 8-16, in Haupthalle, Zentrum, ETH Zürich

Further information is available at http://www.neuemonterosahuette.ch/ (German and French only)



Go here to book a stay.

Refract House Wins Architecture Honors In Solar Decathalon

The Refract House, a green living home built entirely by students, placed first in Architecture, successfully proving their message that Green Living isn't a compromise in the US Department of Energy's 2009 Solar Decathlon.


above: The public tours the international U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon, featuring energy-efficient, solar-powered houses built by 20 university teams from North American and Europe, on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2009.(Credit: Stefano Paltera/U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon)

Although Team Germany won first-place overall, and Team Illinois took second, Team California's REFRACT HOUSE also placed first in Communications, second in Engineering, and third in Market Viability. That's not all... they placed in four out of five subjective judgments, and in the fifth one, Lighting, they placed sixth out of the 20 teams.

You can view high res photos of all the homes and the event here.



The Refract House was designed, built, and managed completely by undergraduate students. Team California consists of students from the California College of the Arts (CCA) and Santa Clara University (SCU). Their Refract House featuring Thermablok’s new "aerogel" insulating material placed third overall among 20 universities from around the world all vying to design, construct and operate the most aesthetic, energy-efficient, and self-sustaining solar-powered house.

A jury of professional architects praised the Refract House, calling it "beautiful in every respect," and applauding Team California’s student architects and designers for its "excellent project documentation, crystal-clear concept, and successful translation of regional architecture."

Take a look.

Renderings and plans:






The models (in which you can see how it changed).
final model:

earlier model:

The final constructed home in Washington D.C. for the event:





Now, tons of images of the home on its initial build site (prior to being moved to Washington DC for the event).

Exterior:








general interior shots:




Kitchen:




The living room:





bedroom:



bathroom:




all images courtesy of the Refract House, their blog and flickr group.

To learn more and about all the amazing implementation, go here.
You can view many photos from their flickr group here.