Design 7
This project took place in South Point Park, Miami Beach, Florida. This park happens to be home of Caloplaca marina or the “orange sea lichen”, typically found on rocks or walls located on the waters edge. In conjunction to the project, the concrete canopy on the pavilions will be made of a biological concrete that will grow the lichen found on the water. Although the lichen grows at a very slow rate (1- 2mm per year or 0.039-0.079 inches per year), the biological concrete is design to create a profitable environment to optimize the growth of the lichen over time. The concrete is comprised of four layers in order to work effectively, founded and researched by “Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya”. The outer skin is a reverse waterproofing layer that helps retain water and moisture, followed by the bio-receptive layer that contains the biological material, under that there is a waterproofing layer that protects the last layer which is the structural layer. In return the fungi decompose organic matter and releasing carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, and phosphorus into the air which plants use in the carbon-fixation step of photosynthesis. In other words, lichen play an important role in both air quality and plant growth in the park.
