The Algae Silo, located in Royal Docks, West Silvertown is a multi-purpose building that produces zero waste and is self-sufficient. The whole process of production is open to the public to make people aware of how algae harvesting works and how skincare that they can buy or use on-site is produced. It is a way to educate people about the circular economy and highlight the importance of sustainability.
Each of the side towers has been used for different purposes and has a different level of privacy. While the algae farm allocated on the west side is fully open to the public on each of the floors, the south tower that’s purpose is to be a spa remains only accessible through the main tower via an extension to keep the experience more personal and relaxing.
In the main tower, visitors are welcomed by the reception where they can register for spa facilities. From the ground floor, the community can access the cafe by going up the grand staircase. The reason cafe is located in the middle tower is to create a space where visitors, can meet and relax while enjoying the panorama of the Royal Docks, giving the right balance between public and private towers. In between both of the towers, there is a floating dock with a small and large natural pool. The water used in the pool is coming from an algae farm after the algae are extracted and separated from the water in tanks.
As stated at the beginning the Algae Silo is self-sufficient. The water to grow algae is extracted from Royal Docks. The algae are grown in glass tanks on the south side of the building, the water is filtered and reintroduced from its original source. The cultured algae are then brought into the building where the process of preparation for use by the visitors takes place. In this way, the sources and ingredients for the formation of algae can never run out, giving an Algae Silo a long-life use, attracting more visitors and making them aware of the importance of the zero-waste process.
The Algae Silo is a self-sufficient building that educates about the importance of a circular economy. It breaks the boundary between the factory process and product purchase. It gives a closer look at the process of making and how little it takes to create zero-waste while still receiving the best quality products.