Cocoon_FS: Pohl Architects Unveils Prefab Plankton-Inspired Pod Building in Germany

Cocoon_FS is a brilliant and bizarre-looking lightweight modular building inspired by marine phytoplankton and pioneered by&nbsp;<a href="http://www.pohlarchitekten.de/expl.html" target="_blank">Pohl Architects</a> in cooperation with&nbsp;<a href="http://www.planktontech.de/" target="_blank">PlanktonTech</a>. A high strength to weight ratio, translucent shell, and low material usage make this eye-catching prefab fantastically easy to transport. Click through the&nbsp;slideshow to see what this plankton pavilion is made of!

The illustrious Cocoon_FS pavilion was constructed from <a href="http://inhabitat.com/energy-harvesting-eco-leaf-shade-doubles-as-a-light-source-at-night/" target="_blank">leaf-like panels</a> of fiber-reinforced polymer.

Fifteen original base modules were designed and a total of 220 were manufactured. Each leaf-like component fastens to the next to form a super strong, self-supporting dome.

Both exterior and interior walls are defined by the same variety of pores, ribs, minute spines, marginal ridges and elevations that characterize the silica cell walls of the slimy brown surface algae that inspired it.

The temporary <a href="http://inhabitat.com/designer-unveils-cocoon-furniture-spun-by-silkworms/" target="_blank">featherweight structure</a> weighs in at just 1650 pounds and measures under ten feet tall.

Researchers at <a href="http://www.planktontech.de/" target="_blank">PlanktonTech</a> used microtechnology to transfer the richly patterned plankton shells to a 3D model. These models were then analyzed and optimized using various computations to unlock biomechanical qualities and repurpose them for architectural design.

The translucent shell of Cocoon_FS admits light during the day and illuminates its surroundings at night.

The <a href="http://inhabitat.com/green-guide-to-prefab-the-history-of-the-kit-home/" target="_blank">prefab</a> plankton building debuted in Germany and will travel around the world drawing support for PlanktonTech's ongoing investigation of <a href="http://www.fastcoexist.com/1677884/in-the-future-everything-will-be-made-of-algae" target="_blank">plankton-based solutions</a>.