BANÁNIA

Banánia, promotes an alternative sustainable approach to growing bananas and minimising agricultural waste. The project evolved around the issues related to the imports of goods post-Brexit, and the overconsumption of petroleum based plastic containers and non-recyclable contaminated food packaging at London Heathrow Airport. Banánia includes large banana plant greenhouses covered with a tensile structured roof to achieve maximum sunlight. The tensile structure connects to the workshops and factories along the country-lane to create a sealed environment and minimise heat losses. The country-lane is the heart of Banánia, where co-dependent agricultural and industrial production cycles merge with the creative utilisation of the banana plant agricultural waste. The country-lane aligns to the north runway of LHR illustrating the desired agriculture transition from global to local, portraying LHR as an international gateway of imports and exports. The Banánia project will integrate the locals in the production process as any banana-plant agricultural waste will be utilised to produce by-products at the workshops. The factory will produce biodegradable banana leaf plates to supply the 18 restaurants at London Heathrow Airport, substituting the petroleum based single-use plates and the non-recyclable contaminated paper and plastic plates.