What is an archibiotic? | Vincent Callebaut | TEDxNantes
This presentation introduces Archibiotic, a transdisciplinary eco-concept aiming for zero-carbon, self-sufficient, and waste-recycling intelligent buildings inspired by natural ecosystems. The speaker proposes rethinking urban life by advocating for amphibious floating cities and vertical, integrated farms to combat ecological crises and future climate displacement. The vision culminates in creating self-sustaining structures that function as living ecosystems, capable of purifying waste and resources. ## Speakers & Context - Unnamed speaker, expert in architectural concepts. - Presented at an event context suggesting an opportunity for international architectural/urban development tenders. ## Theses & Positions - The architectural model must be *Archibiotic*: a concept aiming to create new cities and intelligent buildings that are zero carbon emission, self-sufficient (energy-positive), and recycle all waste following nature's cycles. - Modern urbanism must transition away from its current, anxiety-inducing state at the crossroads of major ecological and economic crises. - The ideal city must be dense, green, and connected to maximize energy efficiency and reintegrate food production. - Western cities' current model is flawed because it always imports raw materials and wealth while exporting pollution and waste; this loop must be broken. ## Concepts & Definitions - **Archibiotic**: A transdisciplinary eco-concept for creating new cities and intelligent buildings. - **Zero carbon emission buildings**: Buildings that produce no net carbon emissions. - **Energy-positive**: Buildings that produce more energy than they consume. - **Self-sufficient**: Buildings/cities capable of managing internal needs (energy, waste, food). - **Transdisciplinary**: An approach drawing knowledge from multiple fields (biology, engineering, architecture). - **Biomorphism**: Architectural analysis of life forms to incorporate natural shapes. - **Bionics**: Studying the structures and materials of living things to transfer them into architecture (e.g., dragonfly wings). - **Biomimicry**: Studying large-scale ecosystems to emulate how mature organisms transform waste and constraints into natural resources and opportunities. - **Amphibious city**: A city design, like the Lilypad project, that functions equally well above and below the water level. - **Vertical farms**: Agricultural layers created within urban structures, inspired by dragonfly wings. ## Mechanisms & Processes - **Biomorphism Application**: Analyzing the spiral shape of the nautilus for aerodynamic architecture providing natural ventilation (e.g., in Morocco). - **Bionics Application**: Transferring structural capacities observed in dragonfly wings or water lily leaves into architectural components via engineering. - **Biomimicry Application**: Emulating how mature ecosystems manage waste into resources (e.g., creating closed-loop systems). - **Lilypad City Mechanism**: Inspired by the *Victoria regia* Amazon waterlily leaf structure; stabilized by a central ballast of fresh water (rainwater recovered and phyto-purified by hanging gardens) while floating on oceans. - **Energy Management (Integrated Towers)**: Using the heat emitted by offices during the day and retransmitting it in the evening to homes, reducing energy consumption. - **Waste-to-Energy (Algae/Biogas)**: Using green algae (produced from excess nitrates in groundwater) in vitro to perform accelerated photosynthesis, degrading plastics and petroleum derivatives, creating biogas for vertical zeppelins. ## Timeline & Sequence - **2008**: Initiation of the Lilypad project due to the climate crisis. - **2030 (Predicted)**: Expected arrival of 50 million climate refugees, increasing to 250 million by 2100. - **By 2100**: Predicted global ocean level increase resulting in the disappearance of land areas including 1% of Egypt, 7% of the Netherlands, 17% of Bangladesh, and up to 80% of the Maldives archipelago. - **2010**: Winning of the Agora Garden residential towers contest. ## Named Entities - **Nautilus**: Species whose spiral shape inspired aerodynamic architecture. - **Dragonfly**: Creature whose wings inspired the structure of vertical farms. - **Amazon waterlily (*Victoria regia*)**: Plant whose leaf structure inspired the Lilypad project platform. - **Kihiati**: Municipality to which the amphibious Lilypad city was suggested. - **Manhattan**: City used as an example for showcasing the central marina and floating markets. - **U.S. oil group**: Partner group considered for developing clean transport solutions. - **Taipei City**: Location in which the Agora Garden residential towers are situated. ## Numbers & Data - Global temperature increase of **one degree** will increase ocean level by **one meter**. - Climate refugee projection: **50 million** by **2030**, rising to **250 million** by **2100**. - The Netherlands: **7%** of area predicted to disappear. - Bangladesh: **17%** of area predicted to disappear. - Maldives archipelago: up to **80%** of area predicted to disappear. - Energy reduction via heat retransmission: **50%**. - Biogas injection source: **green algae**. - Construction time for passive houses: within **6 months**. - Number of passive houses (Coral Reef project): **1,000**. ## Examples & Cases - **Morocco Project**: Using the nautilus spiral for an aerodynamic building with natural ventilation. - **Lilypad Project**: A floating, mobile amphibious city designed for climate refugees, suggested to Kiribati, modeled after the *Victoria regia*. - **Vertical Farm (New York Example)**: Concept for inner-city food production using layers, inspired by dragonfly wings, aiming for closed-loop production of dairy, meat, and eggs. - **Office/Housing Integration**: Designing an office tower adjacent to housing to utilize waste heat for energy reduction. - **Marine Farm**: Using green algae to degrade plastics and petroleum derivatives from oceans to create biogas. - **Coral Reef Project**: A vertical ecovillage in Haiti's planning system, built with standardized prefabricated modules. - **Agora Garden**: Residential tower contest winner in Taipei City, featuring completely covered hanging gardens and orchards. ## Tools, Tech & Products - **Prefabricated module**: Standardized unit for construction, allowing fast building (Coral Reef Project). - **Photovoltaic shield**: Component on the vertical farm producing **50%** of the electrical energy needed for the urban farm. - **Axial and vertical wind turbines**: Integrated directly into the hull for supplemental electricity generation. - **Vertical zeppelins**: Transport mechanism fueled by biogas for supplying food/produce to disaster areas or developing countries. ## References Cited - None. ## Trade-offs & Alternatives - **Horizontal sprawl vs. Density**: Favoring dense cities because they are inherently less energy-intensive. - **Waste management**: Moving from linear "import raw materials $\rightarrow$ export pollution" to closed-loop systems. - **Transport Options**: Using green algae biogas in vertical zeppelins (alternative to traditional fuel sources) or bio-taxis/floating markets (marine transport). ## Counterarguments & Caveats - The speaker acknowledges that many projects *could seem utopian* to the audience. - The presentation contrasts with the current pattern of consumption, which is based on linear input/output models. ## Methodology - **Architectural Basis**: Integrating biomimicry (structure/form) and bionics (material science) into design. - **City Planning**: Combining multiple self-sufficient systems (energy, food, waste) into a single functional unit. - **System Analysis**: Demonstrating how natural cycles (e.g., waste $\rightarrow$ resource) can be technologically replicated (e.g., algae $\rightarrow$ biogas). ## Conclusions & Recommendations - The core recommendation is to build *Archibiotic* structures—living, intelligent, and self-sufficient ecosystems. - The immediate action required is to address the impending climate crises by preparing housing solutions for predicted climate refugees. - The vision is not theoretical, as projects are being explored and international tenders are being secured in China, the UAE, and South America. ## Implications & Consequences - Successful implementation will halt the current cycle of pollution and resource depletion by making urban centers functionally closed-loop. - A complete paradigm shift from resource exploitation to regenerative living systems is necessary to survive global ecological change. ## Verbatim Moments - *"Archibiotic... aiming to create new cities and intelligent buildings, that is, zero carbon emission buildings."* - *"In biomimicry, which goes even further, studying large scale ecosystems, mature ecosystems, that is, those organisms in our biosphere that have learned to create interactions between themselves to transform waste and constraints into natural resources and opportunities."* - *"The city of tomorrow will be dense, green, and connected."* - *"This city is completely amphibious."* - *"Today's Western city is based on a loop that always imports raw materials and wealth, and which exports pollution and waste."* - *"This photovoltaic shield producing 50% of the electrical energy needed for running this urban farm."* - *"We always wanted to create buildings that are actually living ecosystems, which interact with nature and recycle waste by transforming it into opportunities."* - *"Most of these projects could seem utopian to you, but they are currently being explored in my agency, and now we are succeeding in obtaining international calls for tenders from China and the United Arab Emirates, and in South America, to construct these intelligent buildings"* - *"Agora Garden, a residential towers contest we won in 2010, which is currently under construction. It has the peculiarity of being a residential building completely covered with hanging gardens, orchards and vegetable gardens in the heart of Taipei City at the foot of the 101 Tower."*