Global warming and polar ice melt is one of the most concerning environment problems we are facing in these days. There are many side effects of the climate change and the adorable emperor penguins have the same issue, which have failed to produce chicks in almost three years.
Iranian architect Sajjad Navidi’s Penguin Protection System aims to address both the threat to emperor penguins as well as the polar ice melt that prohibits their breeding.
Penguin Protection System Structure
The two-part system is split vertically with an igloo shape on top that serves the penguins, and an under-water shell that addresses the polar ice melt.
Upper portion – Penguin’s shelter
The upper portion provides a man-made replacement for the penguins’ shrinking natural habitat of the Antarctic ice shelves. In the new igloos, penguins can continue to lay their eggs and huddle together to warm the eggs without fear that the structure will melt before the chicks can survive without the shelter.
Lower portion – Cooling system
The sea sponge like lower structure is connected to a swinging underwater pendulum. When the pendulum is moved by waves, electricity is generated and used to cool the area. By cooling the water in melting areas, Navidi hopes that his proposal would help manage the rapidly melting polar ice. In Navidi’s design, these lower structures can be detached from the temporary penguin homes so that they may be moved to areas that need more assistance in managing melting ice.
The Penguin Protection System is still a conceptual project and without a solid scientific background, I won’t be able to verify will that even work. But it does demonstrate a good attempt to help the threats caused by clement change. This concept is designed in response to the “Innovation for the Sea” category of the Fondation Jacques Rougerie’s biannual Architecture and Arts Competition, where it earned seventh place.