We all know what IKEA is known for: accessible flat-packed furniture and its Swedish meatballs (I personally love the $1 froyo cones). What you might not know is that IKEA also has an external innovation lab called SPACE10 that explores new ways to promote sustainable living (we shared about it here). One of the ideas that SPACE10 is exploring how to improve the food system and provide nutrient-rich food outside of today’s traditional agriculture. At the CHART art fair in Copenhagen, SPACE10 presented the Algae Dome, a four-meter-high architectural prototype that produces microalgae, a new kind of superfood.
Designed by architects Aleksander Wadas, Rafal Wroblewski, Anna Stempniewicz in collaboration with SPACE10’s bioengineer-in-residence Keenan Pinto, the Algae Dome houses a photo-bioreactor that assists in producing large quantities of microalgae inside the 320 meters of coiled tubing. During CHART, it was able to produce 450 liters of microalgae in just three days alone. The enclosed pavilion also provides shelter and community space.
Microalgae, at first mention, doesn’t sound very appetizing (I bet you’re thinking of slimy green goo, aren’t you?). However, microalgae is packed with vitamins, minerals and proteins. It has twice as much protein as meat, more beta carotene than carrots, and more iron than spinach. In addition, because it’s a photosynthetic organism (which means it can convert carbon dioxide and water into energy), microalgae can aide in the development of biofuels, the reduction of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, and the treatment of industrial wastewater. Now how’s that for a superfood of the future? (Plus, I’m sure we’ve all eaten weirder things.)
Algae chip, anyone?