WEBVTT

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Hello everyone.

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I am here today to introduce you
to our architectural concept

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called Archibiotic.

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Indeed, biotic art is a new kind
of transdiciplinary Eco-concept

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aiming to create new cities
and intelligent buildings,

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that is, zero carbon emission buildings.

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They are self-sufficient in energy
or even energy-positive

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that is, they produce
more energy than they consume.

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These buildings also recycle
all their waste

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following nature's cycles.

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Archibiotic wants to reinvent tomorrow's
lifestyle in a transdisciplinary way

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by partly rejecting the anxiety-inducing
situation in which we live today

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at the crossroads of major
ecological and economic crises.

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Indeed, since childhood, I have always
been inspired by the forms of nature,

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by ecosystems, when I walked
through my grandparents' gardens,

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in agricultural fields or in forests,

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analyzing the different life forms.

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I incorporated this passion into my job,

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developing new organic architectures

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inspired particularly by biomorphism,
bionics, and biomimicry.

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Indeed, thanks to biomorphism,

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today we are able to analyze
life forms very accurately

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and incorporate them
into our architecture.

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For example, analyzing
the spiral shape of the nautilus,

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in a project in Morocco, allows us

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to build an aerodynamic architecture
that has natural ventilation.

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In bionics, we no longer study the form,

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but we study the structures
and materials of living things

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to incorporate them into our architecture.

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For example, we are inspired
by dragonfly wings or water lily leaves

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that have significant
structural capacities

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which can be transferred,
thanks to our engineers,

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to some of our projects.

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Then we study biomimicry,
which goes even further,

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studying large scale ecosystems,
mature ecosystems,

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that is, those organisms in our biosphere

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that have learned to create
interactions between themselves

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to transform waste and constraints
into natural resources and opportunities.

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The city of tomorrow will be dense,
green, and connected.

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Indeed, for a decade, I have been
in favour of building green cities,

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fertile, sustaining cities,
which can bring back to the city

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not only ecosystems and biodiversity
following nature's cycles

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but also agriculture to reintegrate
modes of food production

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in places of consumption.

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I am also in favour of a dense city
because, as you know,

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the denser a city is,
the less energy-intensive it is.

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We are therefore campaigning to limit
horizontal sprawl as much as possible,

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which can currently be seen
in most of our European cities.

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I am also in favour
of ultra-connected cities,

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using the efficiency of information
and communication technologies

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to completely streamline
our modes of consumption,

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by dematerialization,
and also by reducing land use,

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reducing systematic recourse
to our means of transport,

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public or private.

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The first archibiotic I will present
to you is our Lilypad project,

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which was initiated in 2008
due to the climate crisis,

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which has been highlighted
by many international observers.

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We wanted to create
a floating, mobile platform,

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an amphibious city, in total harmony
with the marine environment.

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The city moves on the oceans,
from the equator to the poles,

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and offers a new way of housing
future climate refugees

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who will appear during the 21st century.

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Indeed, according to the scientific scene,

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we now know that an increase
in global temperatures of one degree

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will increase the level
of the oceans by one meter.

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This increase in the level of the oceans
will make some areas disappear,

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such as 1% of Egypt,
7% of the Netherlands, 17% of Bangladesh,

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and up to 80% of the Maldives archipelago.

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So we wanted to create
a possible alternative in advance

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for the 50 million climate refugees
predicted for 2030.

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This figure will increase
to 250 million by 2100.

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We therefore wanted to suggest
to the municipality of Kiribati

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the creation of a city
that is self-sufficient in energy,

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which is submerged
as much above the water level

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as below the water level.

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We therefore suggested
an amphibious model,

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integrating all renewable energies.

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This city is inspired
by biomimicry of the structure

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of the Amazon waterlily's
giant leaves Victoria regia,

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which has exceptional plasticity with
its radial and concentric pattern of veins

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and makes for the most stable platform
possible floating on the oceans.

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Our engineers transcribed this structure
on to architectural and engineering plans

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to explore how a structure can
withstand being driven by marine currents

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stabilized by a central
ballast of fresh water,

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which is actually the rainwater recovered
and phyto-purified by hanging gardens.

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The town is organized around
three multi-functional mountains

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given over to trade, leisure and work,

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covered with hanging gardens

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and a network of streets,
lanes, and passageways

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leading to housing that is
completely covered with plants.

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Each apartment's balcony
is a hanging orchard or kitchen garden

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which makes each inhabitant
into an organic food farmer.

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This city is completely amphibious.

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We presented it especially
in many nursery and primary schools,

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to educate the younger generation
and our children,

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to increase awareness of urban ecology

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and thus we present positive answers

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saying that today it is possible
to build sustainable cities.

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This project has also been suggested
to the European Community

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to raise geopolitical and social awareness

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about how future environmental
migrants can be housed

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whilst also granting them
rights and obligations.

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This project has also been
suggested to certain cities,

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such as Monaco or Hong Kong

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so they can extend
their limited territory offshore.

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The second project
is the Dragonfly project,

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a pioneering project focusing
on the agriculture of the future.

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Indeed, in the near future,
there will be 9 billion of us on Earth,

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and of these 9 billion human beings
more than two thirds will live in cities.

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So today, it is essential to invent

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a new way of thinking about
our modes of food production.

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While the intention is for rural
agriculture to produce grain for food

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in developing
and under-developed countries,

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it will also aim to create
second generation bio-fuels,

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that is bio-fuels that are not made
from the edible part of the plant,

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but from the waste.

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So local agriculture can be reinstated

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directly in the heart of cities
in places of consumption:

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vertical farms that would create
layers of agricultural fields.

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This vertical farms project
is inspired by dragonflies' wings,

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which are finely veined, mimicking nature,

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because, in fact, nature always uses
the minimum amount of materials to build

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the strongest possible structures.

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We have also retransposed
this structure into our project,

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our plans, and our sections,

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to study bioclimatic organic
architecture with our engineers.

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Actually, in summer we can naturally
ventilate and cool this vertical farm

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and we can build up hot air from
the winter sun so there is a buffer

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meaning the temperature is kept constant.

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The city of New York has
large differences in temperature:

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between minus 25° in winter
and 40° in summer.

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This city is completely organic,

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and so allows layering
of agricultural fields

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with vertical farms

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where dairy products, meat,
and eggs can be produced

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for a closed-loop city.

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Today's Western city is based on a loop
that always imports raw materials

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and wealth, and which exports
pollution and waste.

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We want to break this loop
by using intelligent buildings

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that work in a closed environment
managing to be self-sufficient in energy

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through the integration
of renewable energies.

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This is the chance we have today:
having self-sufficient buildings

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where, here, you see a vertical farm
that has a photovoltaic shield

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producing 50% of the electrical energy
needed for running this urban farm.

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The rest of the electricity is supplied
by axial and vertical wind turbines

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integrated directly into the hull
in line with the prevailing winds.

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With its architectural
and mixed composition,

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we have suggested to investors building

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an office tower and a housing tower

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very close to large
bioclimatic greenhouses.

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Using this multifunctional design,

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energy production can be reduced by 50%

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because in fact, for example, the heat
emitted in offices in the daytime

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is retransmitted
in the evening into homes.

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This greatly reduces energy consumption.

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What we wanted to do
is create a veritable Central Park,

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turned vertically,

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which feeds the city's inhabitants.

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Here are a few views
of the central marina,

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which accommodates
bio-taxi moorings or floating markets,

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or floating markets, the surplus food
produced by the vertical farm

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in the city of Manhattan.

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A few views of hanging
greenhouses, and of bio-lofts,

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where, eventually, agriculture
has spread across different floors:

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agricultural fields, community orchards,

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or individual hydroponic balconies.

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After considering floating cities
and vertical farms,

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we wanted to explore a project
in partnership with a U.S. oil group

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to produce third generation
clean transport,

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which works in the same way
as nature recycles its wastes,

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and transforms them
into natural resources,

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we wanted to work using green algae
produced by our intensive agriculture,

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which produces too many nitrates,

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found especially in our groundwater
and near to beaches.

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By putting these green algae
into cells in vitro,

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we use biochemistry
to create accelerated photosynthesis,

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which is capable of degrading

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plastics found in the oceans
and in all petroleum derivatives.

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So we wanted to create a marine farm

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that is a great purifier of the seas

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retrieving these plastics
and breaking them down to form biogas.

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This biogas could be injected
into vertical zeppelins

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that could serve areas

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affected by natural disasters
or by health emergencies.

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These vertical zeppelins
could also be used

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to send food and agricultural produce

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from Western countries
to developing countries.

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We always wanted to create buildings

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that are actually living ecosystems,

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which interact with nature

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and recycle waste
by transforming it into opportunities.

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The fourth project
that I will present to you,

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the Coral Reef project,
is a vertical ecovillage,

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which is currently in the city
of Haiti's planning system.

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It is based on the standardization
of a prefabricated module

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brought on a cargo ship,
allowing construction within 6 months

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of 1,000 passive houses

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that do not need to be heated
in winter or cooled in summer.

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It is a steel and wood construction

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covered with hanging gardens,

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in order to enhance
the lives of its inhabitants,

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which is self-sufficient in energy.

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Most of these projects
could seem utopian to you,

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but they are currently
being explored in my agency,

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and now we are succeeding in obtaining
international calls for tenders

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from China and the United Arab Emirates,
and in South America,

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to construct these intelligent buildings
that emit zero carbon,

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are self-sufficient in energy,
and recycle their own waste.

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I invite you to visit our website
www.Vincent.callebaut.org

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where we present a new project
called Agora Garden,

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a residential towers contest
we won in 2010,

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which is currently under construction.

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It has the peculiarity
of being a residential building

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completely covered with hanging gardens,
orchards and vegetable gardens

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in the heart of Taipei City
at the foot of the 101 Tower.

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I thank you.

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(Applause)