Biophilic Dome
Closed-loop greenhouse project to regenerate the site of an old limestone quarry.
Location: Lilydale, Victoria, Australia
Architect: Madina Zhazylbekova
A proposed master plan is a 15 to 20-year redevelopment program for a former limestone quarry site that envisages the creation of up to 2000 new residences and a local greenhouse. The project manifests itself architecturally as an ecological visitor attraction with an educational agenda on a vast scale. It creates a green environment by reconnecting where people live with what they eat. It also enhances the identity of the local community by embracing the unique geographic essence of the locale.
Using a self-sustaining form of Voronoi structure and weightless insulated foil (ETFE), the proposed community greenhouse transforms into pure geometry by enclosing maximum volume with minimal surface and mass. Polyhedra structures exhibit a ‘synergistic’ system behaviour of cooperating tear and pressure forces which make the structure more stable and minimizes deformation.
The Anaerobic Digester which accompanies the greenhouse forms the backbone for sustainable programmes based around agriculture and alternative sources of energy. It compiles collected human waste directly from communities and produces the biogas as clean energy and fertilizer to maintain greenhouse’ agriculture.
