It’s not news that the ice caps are melting, nor is it news that we are rapidly using up our natural resources, including fresh water. But the winners of this year’s Jacques Rougerie Competition have come up with a solution that can help with both problems: the Arctic Harvester.
Chobani's prototype would take advantage of global warming for the good of humanity
Designed by architectural students led by Meriem Chabani, the Arctic Harvester is a donut-shaped floating “farm” where workers would collect small icebergs, melt them, and use the fresh water to feed plants that would be grown in an attacked hydroponic greenhouse. The “farm” is designed to support up to 800 people, who would then supply their fresh fruits and vegetables to those still living on the mainland.
Chabani’s team reportedly wants to place their Arctic Harvester off the coast of Greenland, where icebergs will congregate naturally thanks to oceanic currents. It’s donut-shaped design will allow the facility to create a constant supply of fresh water—at least until all of the ice caps finally melt out of existence.
“The vessel as a whole is designed to drift with the currents that carry the icebergs during the course of their lives, often circling on the ocean currents between Greenland and the coast of Labrador for up to two years, before heading south past the east coast of the United States,” said Chobani in a statement on FastCOExist.
The harvested fresh water would be used to power a hydroponic green house like this one
While their design won first prize, the team is currently searching for the necessary funding to build a small prototype. The idea is certainly worth pursuing, though we’ll definitely a long way from having futuristic ice-harvesting colonies all across the world.
Source Mashable
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