Zero Carbon Coral 'Ark' Planned for Port Douglas

Port Douglas, Queensland could soon become home to an electric, carbon neutral 'ark' which will house coral species under threat from climate change.

The 'living arc' has been designed by Australian architects Contreras Earl Architecture with help from engineering & sustainability consultants Arup.

Due to the size of the proposed building self-sufficiency will not be attainable however carbon neutrality will be achieved thanks to the generation of PV on the roof and the purchasing of remaining energy needs from offsite renewable sources.

The building will be designed for self-sufficiency adaptation in the future.

Due to its location in the Far North air conditioning will be a requirement at times but its use has been minimised thanks to passive solar design.

Glass use has been kept to a minimum to ensure good thermal performance while there will also be external shading which will minimise solar heat gains.

While storing the coral samples will be the main role of the building guests will be able to visit. A multi-function centre, classrooms as well as advanced research and labs are situated across the four floors.

In order to aid the use and control of air conditioning the building has been divided into six climate zones. An underfloor air distribution system will also be used while a heat pump system which uses sea water as a heat exchange has also been discussed in what promised to be an exciting design.

With the design now completed the Great Barrier Reef Legacy is now looking for funding from a range of different sources including from the government and private sector.

This article first appeared here.