Keisuke Hatakenaka Architects Studio

Aquaponics is a next-generation, sustainable, circulatory farming method that combines hydroponics and fish farming. In this system, microorganisms decompose fish waste, and plants absorb this as nourishment. This purifies the water, which is returned to the fish tank. This innovative system balances productivity and environmental considerations.
Given that aquaponics' defining characteristic is its circulatory system, we thought the system's characteristics could be best utilized in places with little water or soil, leading us to devise a unit that could be installed indoors, like furniture.
This is the first prototype of Gaku-poni (a coined term abbreviating “framed aquaponics,” where "Gaku” refers to a picture frame in Japanese.) This unit consists of an aquaponics circulatory system inside a picture frame, with a fish tank and plant beds stacked vertically, giving the appearance of a landscape painting in which fish are growing vegetables.
The goldfish tank in the upper part of the display is a shallow, horizontally elongated cylindrical tank based on data indicating that goldfish, which have weak swim bladders, prefer horizontal movement to vertical movement. The tank is designed so that grown goldfish can be moved to another tank by removing the silicone caps on either side.
The fish waste in the tank flows into the lower plant beds in the overflowing water. The plant beds are filled with hydro-balls, which provide a habitat for microorganisms. The waste is decomposed by the microorganisms here and absorbed by the plants as nutrients.
The water purified in the plant beds overflows again into the circulatory pump at the bottom layer and is returned to the fish tank by the pump.
This time, we installed internally illuminated lighting on the top layer as a trial. Spotlights, like those used to illuminate paintings in a gallery, can also promote photosynthesis.
Gaku-poni is not just an aquaponics system but a piece of furniture designed to visually enjoy the symbiosis of plants, fish, and microorganisms and familiarize people with the fascination of aquaponics.