NexLoop™ AquaWeb™ (October 2017)

Biomimicry Global Design Challenge (BGDC) - Launchpad Accelerator Phase

Winner ($100K Ray of Hope Prize)

Collaborators: Anamarija Frankic, C. Mike Lindsey, Alexa Nicolas, Jacob Zindroski, Dale Clifford, Jake Shuster

When we moved into the Launchpad accelerator phase of the Biomimicry Global Design Challenge 2017, which required the development of a business plan and prototype, we started to hone in on various market segments that we saw as potential users of the product. It was during this phase that we pivoted the product to develop a simplified MVP, which could address a larger group of users and agricultural applications. This entailed shifting from the residential window pod design from the Ideas Phase to a modular system for vertical facade integration.

The AquaWeb™ design is a modular, scalable building envelope system for food production applications, such as greenhouses, indoor vertical farms, and container farms. The system mimics multiple functions from species like spiders, ice plants, and mycorrhizal fungi, to capture, filter, store, and distribution water for food growing.