sahara forest project
Australia’s climate is changing. The first decade of the new century saw much of the country, and Victoria in particular, hit hard by drought whilst other states were hit equally hard by floods.
Whether this is down to climate change created by humans, or nature’s way of restoring a balance, our weather patterns are changing.
Melbourne is now off water restrictions with the Thompson Dam finally above 50% capacity, which for a while seemed like a feat that would never happen.
sahara forest project
In light of these changes, it is increasingly difficult to know how to produce effective green spaces, especially when they are becoming so very intertwined in our architectural planning. Vertical forests, green roofs, sky gardens and urban farming have all become such incredible sustainable architectural features, it does beg the question of just how we are able optimise plant growth in such erratic climes?
The answer is irrigation.
One development where weather extremes and natural environments are being turned inside out is the Sahara Forest Project. The project, which could easily be mimicked in Australia’s own central desert, aims to “provide a new source of fresh water, food and renewable energy in hot, arid regions, as well as providing conditions that enable re-vegetating areas of desert” says a project planning report.
sahara forest project
While climate does affect the growth possibilities for different plans, especially those who must be protected to extreme elements, without proper irrigation there is very little chance of vegetation survival. The simplest way to irrigate is through the re-use of storm waters, through drip systems or various other ways, all of which are easily surmountable.
The key to turning around the extreme arid nature of desertification is through the two key technologies of concentrated solar power and the Seawater Greenhouse. The seawater greenhouse uses evaporative technologies in order to distill the fresh water from seawater, which is then funneled around the greenhouse via an irrigation system. The left over humidified air is ejected from the space, and helps to create lush environments outside of the greenhouse.
seawater greenhouses
The huge amount of solar panels will work as a renewable energy source, the creation of masses of green energy aiding in the energy upkeep of facilities.
This is, however, a concept that needs to use drastic matters to aid in the growth of vegetation. All of us living in major cities have the ability to easily work within our natural environment, plant sustainably and use native plants to cater to our environmental needs.
