Canopea is a Solar-Powered Urban Habitat with a Vertical Farm

http://www.zeitnews.org/applied-sciences/agriculture/canopea-solar-powered-urban-habitat-vertical-farm

August 23, 2012

While most of the Solar Decathlon Europe 2012 projects we have featured so far focused on just one 75 square meter solar-powered dwelling, Canopea comprises a collective of small buildings that form a healthy green habitat in dense urban settings

Team Rhône-Alpes only built one prototype for the collegiate design competition that will be open to the public in Madrid beginning 14 September, 2012, but they will also introduce a concept that includes 69 of these compact solar-powered dwellings organized around a unifying vertical farm.

Taking inspiration from tree canopies that absorb 95% of the forest’s overall solar energy and capture 30% of the rainfall, the nanotowers are less than 10 stories high and each floor is its own home. The top floor below spaces beneath the photovoltaic canopy are shared and play host to laundry and cooking facilities as well as a small recreation area. Clusters of nanotowers are linked with passageways filled with gardens, storage areas and recycling facilities.

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