Although water is one of the most vital resources, it is estimated that more than one billion people will suffer from its scarcity in the future due to pollution. Today, about 300 million tons of plastic are found in the oceans, affecting marine animals and men.
Taking this situation into account, the Belgian architect Vincent Callebaut has developed a boat that, as it passes, cleans and purifies the water through which it circulates. In addition, it is an ecological vehicle that uses solar energy to propel itself.
The ship, called Physalia, is a prototype that has a shape similar to that of a whale, and uses a biofiltration system to clean the water; that’s why its green roof makes it look like a real floating garden.
The roof has a double pneumatic membrane with solar photovoltaic cells. It also includes a system of hydro-turbines to convert the energy of the water into electricity. On the other hand, its surface is made of aluminum and is covered by a layer of TiO2 (titanium dioxide) which, by reacting to ultraviolet rays, reduces water pollution. This makes the amphibious ship capable of absorbing chemical products and carbon dioxide residues from ships and industries as it passes.
Inspired by an amphibian called Physalia physalis which means “Water Bubble”, inside it has four themed gardens (Water, Earth, Fire and Air). One of them is a laboratory dedicated to researchers to explore the aquatic ecosystem.
This ship synthesizes nature, biotechnology and research. For the creator of its design, it is a floating purification station, destined to navigate European rivers such as the Danube.
“It is a poetic invitation to travel, a sensory experience for transdisciplinary research, geopolitical debates, popular pedagogy and therefore for the emergence of an ecological avant-garde on the theme of water. It is a charismatic place, an abstraction of the open landscape to the world and that mixes European cultures through an innovative special montage. It is an ecosystem that reacts to its environment, a fragment of living land, inviting the fauna and flora of river biodiversity to come and make their nest in the city”, says the architect.