The Physalia – Floating Laboritories and Museum

The Physalia, inspired from “Physalia physalis”, is a whale-shaped design from Vincent Callebaut Architects. It is a greatest creation combining the nature and the biotechnologies because it can float on rivers and purify water without generating emissions.

This floating garden is 80m in length, 14.9m in width and 11.4m in height, accounting a surface area of 2000 square meters. The roof contains a double pneumatic membrane chiselled with smooth photovoltaic solar cells. Under its hull, the hydro-turbines transform the energy of the fluvial stream in hydro-electricity and enable to adjust the soft navigation. Its surface is made of aluminium, covering the multi-hull steel structure. This silver-plated dress is covered by a TiO2 layer that can reduce the water pollution by reacting with UV rays. Actually, in addition to being a self cleaning vessel, it enables to absorb and recycle by photo-catalytic effect, the chemical and carboned waste from the fluvial water rejected by the traditional boats and by industrialists. Moreover, the project is crossed in its double hull by a hydraulic network that enables to filter the fluvial water and to purify it biologically thanks to its planted roof.

The interior of Physalia can be divided into four thematic gardens named water, fire, earth and air. They are dedicated respectively to every four elements bringing by symbiosis their typical aspect and complementarily to the final assembling of an amphibious global landscape.
If available, it will be navigated on the main extra-European rivers between Danube and Volga, between Rhine and Guadalquivir, or also between Euphrate and Tiger. As a purifying tool, this whale will be attractive enough.