PhotoSynthetica™ is a photosynthetic building-cladding system that uses solar energy and microalgae to capture atmospheric carbon dioxide and pollutants, release oxygen, and produce algal biomass.
The system combines ETFE cladding with biologically active algae cultures and digital monitoring. ETFE provides a lightweight, robust, transparent, and chemically inert enclosure, while the microalgae absorb carbon dioxide and solar radiation through photosynthesis. According to PhotoSynthetica™, microalgae can absorb carbon dioxide ten times more efficiently than trees.
By incorporating this biological process into building envelopes, PhotoSynthetica™ enables facades to contribute to carbon capture, air filtration, oxygen production, and biomass cultivation. The system can be applied to both new buildings and retrofit projects and can be adapted to different architectural, environmental, and urban conditions.
Its stated environmental benefits include reduced building energy consumption, improved local air quality, carbon sequestration, and the production of algal biomass. By absorbing carbon dioxide and heat generated within urban environments and converting them into biomass, the system also supports circular approaches to resource use.
Harvested algal biomass may be used as a raw material in applications including food production, fertilisers, biofuels, bioplastics, cosmetics, and urban horticulture. The cultivation process does not require agricultural land that might otherwise be used for food production, forests, or natural habitats.
How the system works
Unfiltered urban air is introduced at the base of the facade. As air bubbles rise through the liquid medium contained within the ETFE panels, they come into contact with the microalgae cultures.
The modules are designed to maximise the cultures’ exposure to solar radiation and increase contact between the algae, airborne molecules, and particles. Carbon dioxide and pollutants are absorbed by the algae and used to support photosynthetic growth, producing biomass.
The biomass can be periodically harvested and used in the manufacture of products such as bioplastic feedstock, biofuels, fertilisers, and food ingredients. Oxygen generated through photosynthesis is released from the top of each facade unit into the surrounding urban environment or building interior.
PhotoSynthetica™ states that two square metres of the system can absorb a quantity of carbon dioxide comparable to that absorbed by a mature tree.
Hardware, wetware, and software
The system is organised around three interconnected components: hardware, wetware, and software.
The hardware consists primarily of ETFE modules whose cavities are adapted to support living algae cultures. In addition to providing enclosure, screening, and thermal performance, the modules function as controlled habitats for biological cultivation. Digital design and fabrication methods allow their form, pattern, and configuration to be adapted to individual buildings and sites.
The wetware comprises selected species of microalgae and the liquid cultivation medium in which they grow. Species are chosen according to factors including resilience, maintenance requirements, environmental performance, and biomass production. The living cultures carry out the processes of carbon capture, air filtration, oxygen generation, and biomass growth.
The software component uses sensors to monitor microclimatic conditions, algae growth, environmental performance, and interaction with users. A digital management system supports the regulation and operation of the living cultures.
Digital design and robotic fabrication protocols allow the physical system to be customised according to building geometry, facade patterns, orientation, and local environmental conditions. An urban carbon tool can also be used to model and project carbon-capture and air-cleaning performance.
Data generated through the monitoring system can contribute to the continued evaluation of PhotoSynthetica™ and provide information on the performance of biologically active building systems in different urban contexts.
PhotoSynthetica™
PhotoSynthetica™ is an innovation venture launched in 2018 by ecoLogicStudio co-founders Claudia Pasquero and Marco Poletto. Its development is supported by academic partnerships with the Urban Morphogenesis Lab at UCL in London and the Synthetic Landscapes Lab at the University of Innsbruck.
