Coming Soon: The Vertical Farm

The current 3.3 billion global urban population is expected to grow to 5 billion by 2025... Today our agricultural footprint is the size of South America...what will it be tomorrow...



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EDITT Tower (“Ecological Design In The Tropics”) is being built in Singapore with the financial support of the National University. The 26 story tower will have over half its surface area covered by organic local vegetation. Solar panels will generate up to 40% of the building’s energy demands, and human waste will also be converted into an energy source via an on-site bio-gas facility. The Architecture firm TR Hamzah & Yeang is constructing the building using recycled and recyclable materials when possible!









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Mithun Architects in Seattle designed a "Center for Urban Agriculture" -- an integration of crops and livestock onto a 7.2 acre urban plot.





Buckminster Fuller Challenge

Clepsydra Urban Farm by Bruno Viganò & Florencia Costa. The 1500 sq ft footprint urban lot prototype (10-story) produces the equivalent to 6 acres of farmland for certain crops or 40 tons of tomatoes a year. The prefab structural frame is built with mechanically assembled steel rods needing no welding, enable fast mounting, disassembling and maintenance operations. The enclosure is made of a transparent, resistant structural plastic membrane (ETFE). Clepsydra can be composed into multiple kits creating sustainable neighborhoods and cities.





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WORKac’s version of vertical farming combines farmers’ housing in a series of stepped terraces with a farmer’s market and public space below.





An Urban Garden. Lucie Sadacova's project aims to bring an innovative solution by designing multileveled vertical urban garden 'allotments' which in turn make use of derelict or underused spaces. Eventual multiple functions of the building, that is open to the public, include an interpretation centre for schools and seasonal use for those affected by S.A.D (Seasonal affective disorder). For more: www.luciesadakova.com





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Höweler + Yoon Architecture and Squared Design Lab proposes to build a vertical algae-powered bioreactor on the downtown Boston Filene's site.
The structure would be made of prefabricated modules, or "eco-pods," containing materials to manufacture biofuels. The robotic arms would reconfigure the pods to optimize growing conditions.





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The “Euromediterranee” project is a proposed vertical village for the city of Marseilles. By: Stéphanie Durniak, Baptiste Franceschi, Anthony Frutoso, Caroline Mangin.





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The 'first' vertical farm design -- by Chris Jacobs.





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Eco-Laboratory by Weber Thompson. A self sustaining, diverse ecological system. See their site.





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Gordon Graff's plans for a 58-story agricultural tower called the Sky Farm in Toronto. Its 8 million square feet of growing area, equal to over 180 acres, has the potential to provide enough food for 35,000 citizens per year.





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The Living Tower by SOA Architects. A proposal for a Parisian tower dedicated to agriculture. Lots more at the architects website.





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The Vertical Park by architects Remigiusz Brodzinski, Agnieszka Lepecka, Pawel Pawlowski, Michal Stys and Monika Tutaj-Wojnowska. A place to hear birds chirping, the rustling of leaves and the sound of your heart beat on the 30th floor.





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Rogers Marvel Architects' 'Sustainable Yard-Scraper' a proposal for the redevelopment of the Brooklyn House of Detention. Stacked brownstones each with their own yard. A vertical garden is included in the building design.




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Australian architect Ruwan Fernando's open vertical farming design consists of five stacked U-shaped structures allowing maximum sunlight and ventilation. The tower is meant to be placed in shallow water and uses tidal, wind and solar energy sources.










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Behold Belgian architect Vincent Callebaut's Dragonfly proposal for Roosevelt Island in New York! The multi-use building is designed to be completely self sufficient with 132 floors of residential and urban farming space with enough room to raise cattle and poultry and 28 different types of crops, all within a controlled energy producing environment.










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Architects Michaela Dejdarova and Michal Votruba have proposed a sustainable vertical farm for the city of Prague that is intended to be a communal farm for the city. The modular structure consists of a cluster of tetrahedrons grouped to create an exoskeleton, which further supports hundreds of green terraces for agriculture.




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UK architects James Murray and Tobey Lloyd propose a series of vertical hydroponic towers for Syria utilizing but ten percent of the water needed in regular farming. A waffle structure is the anchor for growth pods.















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The Living Skyscraper: Farming the Urban Skyline by Blake Kurasek. Lots more info here...










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'Urban Farm, Urban Epicenter' by Jung Min Nam. See source for many more pics.















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Aberrant Agriculture by Scott Johnson. Scott chose to mimic a sea cucumber. The structure combines vertical farming, residential, hotel, and retail functions into a self-sufficient whole.























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BrightFarm Systems and Kiss + Cathcart Architects are currently developing the first prototype Greenmarket system (hydroponic food production facility) to be built at Masdar City, in Abu Dhabi. This prototype system will act as a research and demonstration center for subsequent GreenMarket systems. The GreenMarket utilizes BrightFarm Systems pioneering rooftop and facade mounted, sustainable greenhouse designs, to integrate hydroponic food production into civic buildings. The layers of vegetation encased in the walls of the building provide shade for the building interior.





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Hydroponic and offices -- mixed use. SOA Architects, France. PDF Press Pack.





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The Aquaponic Merry-Grow-Round by Graham Murdoch. A loop system combining aquaculture and hydroponics is called “aquaponics.” The fish waste becomes plant fertilizer, while the plants clean the dirty water.






21 seconds of the Aquaponic Merry-Grow-Round.

MATscape

Mass Institute of Technology
Material Mosaic Triplex 1 Part Alive + 1 Part Energy Producer.
Mixed prefab construction with living surfaces. Wind Quills, generate power using piezoelectric cells (an MIT invention). Solar heating and water collection and re-use. www.archinode.com/c2c.html

Food Print Manhattan - This says it all... © The Why Factory.

Advantages of Vertical Farming

1. Year-round crop production; 1 indoor acre is equivalent to 4-6 outdoor acres or more, depending upon the crop (e.g., strawberries: 1 indoor acre = 30 outdoor acres)

2. No weather-related crop failures due to droughts, floods, pests

3. All Vertically Farmed (VF) food is grown organically: no herbicides or pesticides.

4. VF virtually eliminates agricultural runoff by recycling gray water

5. VF adds energy back to the grid via methane generation from composting non-edible parts of plants and animals

6. VF dramatically reduces fossil fuel use (no tractors, plows, shipping.)



Where to Start:

Valcent Products Inc. is a leader in the development and manufacturing of commercial vertical crop technology for global markets. Valcent is a pioneer and leader in eco-technology with its core research and development in sustainable, renewable, and intensive agricultural products. For more information, visit: www.valcent.net and www.valcent.eu.

BrightFarm Systems is a commercial design consultancy providing technical services in support of rooftop greenhouses and building integrated agriculture.

The company’s team presents a unique expertise in sustainable engineering, horticultural science, and ecological system design focused exclusively on the application of controlled environment agriculture to the built environment. http://brightfarmsystems.com

Read the new book by Dr. Dickson Despommier "The Vertical Farm: Feeding the World in the 21st Century" www.verticalfarm.com




'By the year 2050, nearly 80% of the earth's population will reside in urban centers. Applying the most conservative estimates to current demographic trends, the human population will increase by about 3 billion people during the interim. An estimated 109 hectares of new land (about 20% more land than is represented by the country of Brazil) will be needed to grow enough food to feed them, if traditional farming practices continue as they are practiced today. At present, throughout the world, over 80% of the land that is suitable for raising crops is in use (sources: FAO and NASA). Historically, some 15% of that has been laid waste by poor management practices. What can be done to avoid this impending disaster?' www.verticalfarm.com





Dickson talks about Vertical Farming: A 21st century hunger and conservation solution that promises, "urban renewal, sustainable production of a safe and varied food supply (year-round crop production), and the eventual repair of ecosystems that have been sacrificed for horizontal farming."

Dickson Despommier is the Emeritus Professor of Public Health and Microbiology at Columbia University, and the vertical farming concept grew out of a medical ecology course he taught in 1999. Articles about the subject have been published in The New York Times, U.S. News & World Report, Popular Science, Scientific American and Maxim. In October 2010, his first book on the subject, The Vertical Farm: Feeding the World in the 21st Century, was published. More can be learned through his website, verticalfarm.com.

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NICOLAOS MYLONAS
Posts: 12

AIR FOR BREATHE
Reply #12 on : Fri April 26, 2013, 12:37:12

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Fantastic Idea.
I just read the content of the website and I realized that found the solution to feeding the people.
Don't forget that with the growth rate of the world's population in 50 – 100 years from now will not be enough air to breathe.
This is the big problem?

Florian (Sustainable Futures Blog)
Posts: 12

Re: Vertical Farms
Reply #11 on : Sat February 02, 2013, 22:34:13

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This is a great compilation of ideas to bring nature and farming to the city - and if not always practicable those designs are definitely inspiring! That said, there's no doubt much potential in improving agricultural spaces we already have and then there's the little detail of about half of all produced food being thrown away - perhaps we should start with those easier things...? More on this and other sustainable futures ideas/trends over at http://sustainablefutures.info.

kim
Posts: 12

Re: Vertical Farms
Reply #10 on : Sat February 02, 2013, 14:15:11

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Jacque Fresco would have to be stoked! ..these building remind me of his designs. Fantastic..I love the whole idea.

daniel kilonzo
Posts: 12

urban farms on buildings
Reply #9 on : Fri January 25, 2013, 02:12:27

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Hi,
i am writing from nairobi kenya.
last night i dreamt that i was in westlands part of nairobi and was in a building there which was multistoreyed and evry floor was a farm.
crazy it sounded but i woke up went o google and found that this actually exists.i was flabbaergasted.thot it was just a silly dream coz there were also flying cars and roads all up in the air.

anyway,i belong to a group of urban profeesionals that have an interest in farming under the banner of KINGDOM BUSINESS NETWORK..a christian group that seeks to empower Gods children to apply his word principles in all facets of life.you can google it.

im more curious now of the potential it presents and how i can connect to you guys,

dan.tel:+254 712 84 90 94

Altaff Aumeeruddy
Posts: 12

VERTICAL FARMS
Reply #8 on : Mon December 10, 2012, 14:23:24

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Dear All,
I am CEO of Global Green Ocean (GGO), we are starting off small projects in Sustainability, hopefully our next big project supersise Bio VERTICAL FARM development in the most unlikely place in the world developing a desert in lush greenlands like Azhar Project In Cairo and Dubai Golf course conversion from Deserts. We are very interested in VERTICAL FARMS Networking. Obviously we need contacts in expertise or shared information for such development to take place. I am wondering can hydroponics help in Vertical Farming and what is quantity of water in such development is needed.

antara sarkar
Posts: 12

Re: Vertical Farms
Reply #7 on : Thu November 01, 2012, 08:41:02

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can we grow different seasonal plants at different levels of crops ie crops at various platyforms by somehow providing different climatic conditions?

elaheh samandi
Posts: 12

Re: Vertical Farms
Reply #6 on : Sun April 22, 2012, 06:06:13

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can these vertical farms be usefull for those countries that they don't have money,technology,good climate conditions...people who don't have anything but starving!for example some of the african countries.

TVP Supporter
Posts: 12

Re: Vertical Farms
Reply #5 on : Thu March 22, 2012, 18:39:02

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Overpopulation? Runing out of the soil?
http://www.the9billion.com/2012/02/22/construction-begins-for-plantagon-vertical-farm-in-sweden/

ramin
Posts: 12

hopeing
Reply #4 on : Thu October 20, 2011, 05:01:06

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Hi Dear teacher sir.
wowww if realy these big thouths goes to reality I think each town can perform the enouth food for her people.
thank you very much
whit my best regards
Ramin Saadat

Wayne Masters
Posts: 12

Eiffel Improv Garden
Reply #3 on : Mon September 19, 2011, 17:12:47

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I am working on a 14 ft version of the Eiffel Tower and there were kitchen food scraps making a compost supply that fed healthy tomatoes and edible grapes this summer. The residents were uplifted by this ever changing piece of art and they ain't seen nothing yet. As I am an LED shock and awe kind of guy synced to music. Of yeah I 'm the world's best soundman masquerading as the world's best videocameraman masquerading as the world's best film lab technician masquerading as the the world's most covert influence on politicians.
I lean out of the 99nth floor of this model with a TWEC skirt rotating about me, say WTF were are your prototypes?

constantinos
Posts: 12

Re: Vertical Farms
Reply #2 on : Mon April 18, 2011, 12:22:36

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Actually, outdoor crops are more prone to natural disasters than the VFs, and technology can evolve enough to make buildings natural disaster-proof.

Isabelle Morgan
Posts: 12

Vertical Farms
Reply #1 on : Sat April 02, 2011, 11:37:28

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Amazing expression of architecture however in recent years there have been far too many natural disasters such as earthquakes and tsunamis for Vertical Farms to be a practical and safe venue in our future. Beautiful to look at though, but that is half our problem, we put safety aside to be tall.