NARRATIVE

Back to Zero is a regenerative concept that targets oil refineries and other aging infrastructures that pollute our world. The narrative is inspired from the “skin in the game” concept, and calculates lifetime co2 emissions for high emitting “hosts”, which then becomes a target for that same “host” to sequester through the carbon sequestration capabilities of Back to Zero.

On the tangible side, the architecture of Back to Zero uses the massive, defunct architecture of oil refineries and proposes new sustainable architectures which are a reverse function of what once was there. The new architecture represents a closed loop system which uses freshwater & seawater to sustain algae bioreactors which are now sequestering the “carbon debt”.

province of Castellon

location within province of Castellon

satellite imagery of site and surrounding context

co2 comparison of refinery to surrounding cities, emphasizing the drastic scale of the issue and the extraordinary vectors of emission.

barrels per day output of refineries in Spain

elements on the existing site were strategically selected and modified to be used in the new system.

inpsiration was taken from the system of a cleaner fish in nature, which cleans diseased fish around it to nurture itself, and maintain balance in the ecosystem.

proposed system of developing the CARBON DEBT

proposed system diagram

axonometric of parts

MASTERPLAN PROGRESSION

external co2

internal co2 distribution

subsurface depth for water

deepest areas of site

proposed freshwater basins

rainwater collection

proposed canal network

distribution of “regenerator towers”

seawater strategy

open algae seawater ponds

distribution of regenerator towers and open ponds

circulation network

proposed masterplan

system process from the masterplan that was scaled down for the “project”

system diagram of project “regeneration tower”

exploded axonometric of regeneration tower

sunlight analysis to maximize daylight hours available for algae bioreactors.

perspective render of regenerator tower

frontal view of 1:200 model