Waste heat installation - bananas from Graz!
The project Oase No 8 prototypically deals with the visible use of unused energy in the city. The temporary installation in the old town of Graz feeds on the waste heat from two on-site freezing plants (bakery and pizzeria) and creates a tropical climate for growing exotic plants.
Banana, papaya and pineapple plants make up the vegetation in Oasis No 8. The banana is statistically the most popular tropical fruit in Austria (always commodity key No. 1) and is available year-round in supermarkets. The consumption of tropical fruits in Europe requires a high level of energy and global logistics.
>Synergetic Urbanism< activates local resources and materials and uses energy harvested directly on site before externally supplied high quality energy to show a contribution to a CO2 neutral life.
Oasis No 8 captures the waste heat generated by three freezer units to feed it into a temporary transparent bubble (EFTE membrane). The waste heat from the refrigeration units, approximately 5.2 KW, can maintain the internal climate of the bubble above 12° Celsius during the winter, which is the minimum required for tropical plants to survive.
Material components: Earth body 60 cm substrate, automatic rainwater system, misting nozzles, sensor controlled regulation technology, buffer tank with heat recovery, air heater, ventilation flap, fan blower and ETFE membrane.
Technical data:
Air pressurized bubble structure (150 Pa inside pressure).
Net surface bubble 80 m2
250 micron ETFE film transparent
In cooperation with Institute for Art in Public Space Styria & Botanical Garden Graz.