with his “Seaweed machine” designed to reduce carbon emissions into the atmosphere in the Bahía Blanca area, a team from the Faculty of Urban Planning and Design (Faud) of the National University of Córdoba (UNC) won first prize in the competition “Alacero Challenge 2024”.
The group is made up of students Martín Diez Dojorti, María Paz López Sivilat and Isabella Cadenazzi. The architects Pablo Oshiro and Karin Klein They were the tutors. They are all part of the Faud-UNC academic community.
The project “Seaweed machine” He had already received first prize in the Argentine stage of the international competition. Now they won the Latin American instance.
What the “Desafío Alacero” award is about
He “Wingbone Challenge” It is a competition designed for future architects. Its goal is to promote sustainable architecture and the use of steel as the main material. This year, the contest was aligned with the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) number 13 “Climate Action”in line with the 2030 agenda of the United Nations (UN).
The competition was organized by the Latin American Steel Association (Alacero). Its objective was to provide the opportunity to develop innovative projects. These designs had to address challenges related to climate change and sustainability. Furthermore, steel had to be the fundamental material.
Martín Diez Dojorti algae machine Córdoba Desafío Alacero 2024
The contest offered financial prizes. In turn, it opened the opportunity to be recognized by the sustainable architecture community. On the other hand, it also enabled access to valuable job opportunities.
How the Algae Machine works to capture CO2
As they explained, The “Algae Machine” is an environmental and sociocultural remediation infrastructure of the Bahía Blanca estuary. This area is one of the main CO2 emitters in Argentina, due to its high concentration of petrochemical industries, which makes it a “sacrifice zone”.
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Its proximity to important wetlands and its vulnerability to rising sea levels aggravate its ecological situation. As industrial and port activities grow, the community’s relationship with the estuarine environment is lost.
Currently, the only free coastal portion is an open dump. This place represents an opportunity to connect the urban area with the estuary and recover its environmental value. The project proposes “an ecological park that incorporates remediation infrastructure and an algae device.”
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Its purpose is to capture CO2 and regenerate the ecosystem, indicated the winners of the contest. This device includes a coastal walk with educational areas, laboratories and also algae plantations that help purify water, soil and air, they added.
In addition, algae extracts would be used as organic corrosion inhibitors for steel structures. Thus, its durability in the marine environment is increased.
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The initiative proposes a new model of ‘machines of the future’focused on environmental regeneration and sustainable development.
Who were the award judges?
At the national level, the jury was made up of architects and teachers Joan Marantzpresident of the Argentine jury, Sebastian Colleowner of the Colle-Croce studio; Pablo Engelmanurban architect and specialized editor; and Pablo Domecqreceived from the UBA and with international postgraduate degrees. The contest had the participation of 91 students from different universities in the country.
Then, in the international phase, 162 universities from 7 countries participated, and the international jury made up of prominent professionals, including, Silvia Scalzo from Brazil, Alvaro Donoso from Chile, Francisco Ramirez from Colombia, Xavier Yanez from Ecuador, Alexis Nando from Mexico and John Mubarak of the Dominican Republic gave their final verdict, awarding Argentina the 1st prize, followed by Brazil and Chile.
“We are driven to motivate future generations of architects about the importance of sustainability and the contribution of steel to it,” explained Joan Marantz, director of Desafío Alacero Argentina.
“In this edition we have seen a growth in the participation of universities that reinforces the educational commitment to promoting Argentine architectural talent,” he added.
Source: Ambito
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