Eco Vessel Design

http://freshome.com/2010/01/08/physalia-a-huge-amphibious-garden-cleaning-waters-across-europe/

Throughout the world, our rivers and our drinking water is horribly polluted by industry, by waste both chemical and human.  Vincent Callebaut Architects have envisioned a floating monument to green conscious urban living– one that not only traverses the rivers of our cities, but cleans their water in the process. 

The extraordinary visions of Vincent Callebaut have always fascinated people and he has yet again come up with a glorious design for a floating garden in the shape of a whale. Given the named Physalia,  this incredible vessel is designed to purify river waters while drifting through them gracefully.

http://freshome.com/2010/01/08/physalia-a-huge-amphibious-garden-cleaning-waters-across-europe/

The Physalia Amphibious Floating Garden uses a bio-filtration system to clean our rivers much like a typical aquarium filter, but in this case the filter itself is the garden on its surface.  The Physalia is covered in four gardens, exterior and interior, that provide foliage and awareness to its visitors, while taking in water from the river below and filtering it before it returns.  Sure, we may never see on of these beyond the rendering stage, but we appreciate the vision of Vincent Callebaut.

http://freshome.com/2010/01/08/physalia-a-huge-amphibious-garden-cleaning-waters-across-europe/

This aquatic system is a sum of nature and bio technologies designed to navigate European rivers between the Danube and Volga, between Rhine and Guadalquivir, or also between Euphrates and Tiger. The zero carbon emission architecture is designed to harvest renewable energy to make the prototype a positive energy one, where it can generate more energy that it consumes.

The roof of the Physalia features a double pneumatic membrane equipped with smooth photovoltaic solar cells. Under its hull are hydro-turbines that transform the energy of the fluvial stream into hydroelectricity. The surface of the structure is made of aluminum-covered steel. This is then covered with a layer of TiO2 that reacts to ultraviolet rays to clean water.

http://freshome.com/2010/01/08/physalia-a-huge-amphibious-garden-cleaning-waters-across-europe/

The chemical and carbonated waste that is rejected by traditional boats and industries is also absorbed by the Physalia. Moreover, the amphibious garden is crossed in its double hull by a hydraulic network that enables to filter the fluvial water and to purify it biologically by the systems planted roof.

The Water Garden marks the main entrance, the heart of the structure constitutes the Earth Garden, which is dedicated to international researchers who analyze the aquatic ecosystem crossed by the vessel. The structure also features a Fire Garden that is a confined and protecting underwater lounge and an Air Garden, which is space of oxygen and light that spreads under a pneumatophorous lens.

http://freshome.com/2010/01/08/physalia-a-huge-amphibious-garden-cleaning-waters-across-europe/

The vessel is named after Physalia physalis, a jellyfish whose name means Water Bubble, the vessels intended to be used for purifying  North African, European and Middle Eastern rivers.

http://freshome.com/2010/01/08/physalia-a-huge-amphibious-garden-cleaning-waters-across-europe/