ARCHITECTURE FOR A HEALTHY LIFE

In response to the bad air quality which affects many cities in the developing world, ‘bubbles’ by Orproject proposes an enclosed park, protecting inhabitants and providing a healthy and green city environment.The scheme includes a botanical garden where air is filtered, and temperature and humidity are controlled throughout the year. Surrounding the park, structures are also connected to the air system, housing residences, office space and retail outlets. Additionally, sports and medical facilities can make specific use of the refined oxygen.

The scheme references conceptual projects by Buckminster Fuller, by envisioning a structure which is light-weight, feasible and affordable. The costs of the large canopy would be recovered by the development of the surrounding buildings.

The geometry of the design is generated using algorithms which imitate veins in leaves or butterfly wings. The project’s temperature is regulated through ground source heat exchange, while electricity is generated via solar cells integrated into the roof’s surface.

The controlled internal climate allows the growth of plants from all over the world, meaning that the system can be used to enclose an urban botanical garden, or other applications operating at a variety of scales. It can be used to enclose playgrounds, form the atrium of an office building or cover the gardens of an apartment complex.