'biooctanic' by UPI-2M
image courtesy UPI-2M

croatian architectural firm UPI-2M have designed 'biooctanic' a series of crop production
towers used for the production of bio fuel and city air recuperation.

the idea was to place the towers on positions of existing petrol stations in cities. their
research led them to the conclusion that algae and bamboo would give best production
results; max. amount of bio-fuels per unit of surface (or spatial unit), also considering
other factors, like cost of technologies required for cultivation and processing, growth rate,
annual input-to-yield ratio, etc.

they envisioned this system and applied it to their immediate environment, cities in croatia,
however it is applicable to any urban area in the world. by applying the bio towers we would
reduce the amount of valuable agricultural land used for production of bio-fuel plants, reduce transportation costs and related air pollution. this kind of crop production also has advantages
over farming in open spaces, because it's not weather-dependant, and you can create artificial
conditions which enhance the plant growth (conditions that can't be achieved in the natural
environment). the visual identity of the towers is a symbol and result of their function.
beside the benefits of bio-fuel and oxygen production, they consider the towers architectural
appearance as an added value primarily to the conscience of the city inhabitants.


image courtesy UPI-2M


image courtesy UPI-2M


image courtesy UPI-2M


image courtesy UPI-2M