Search Engine

Wednesday 8 August 2012

CO2ngress Towers Reduce Air Pollution in Chicago

“Every day, 77,000 carbon-emitting vehicles fly past the Congress Parkway interchange, polluting the air. This project creates a gateway over the corridor that filters air and fuels a new breed of car for its residents.”
In attempt to cut down on Chicago’s CO2 emissions produced from cars in the Eisenhower Expressway,Danny Mui & Benjamin Sahagun propose the splitting of the Congress Gateway Towers, using a system of carbon scrubbers and filtration devices that clean carbon dioxide and other air pollutants. Aimed to increase public awareness and improve of Chicago’s public health, the CO2ngress Gateway Towers absorb the CO2 emissions from passing cars and is then fed to algae grown in the building. The algae then helps with the processing of biofuels which will supply the building residents’ eco-friendly cars.
The two towers split and converge at the top to create an iconic gateway to the city. A bridge joins the two towers and contains a public restaurant with views of neighboring buildings. Pedestrian connections are landscaped at the base, accentuating the building’s car-centric identity. Located at the crown of the towers are the carbon scrubbers which capture CO2 and other air pollutants. These scrubbers are the first step in the processing of biofuel.
The eco towers’ double-skin facade helps reduce traffic noise and offer enclosed balconies. Additionally, natural cross-ventilation of the units is able to reach the units through the building’s atrium. Because of the irregular shape of the building, small spaces are leftover on either side of the elevator core and are used as communal outdoor terraces for residents. The terraces are enclosed by bio-reactor tubes which grow the algae responsible for biofuel processing.


No comments:

Post a Comment