May 2012
2 posts
A rooftop fish farm for every family? →
unexpectedtech:
It may look nothing more than an oddly shaped greenhouse, but the “Globe (hedron)”, a collaboration by food futurists Urban Farmers AG and and designer Antonio Scarponi of Conceptual Devices, is a concept for a self-contained rooftop aquaponics dome that its designers hope will help address global food security. The company is seeking funding to turn the concept into a...
April 2012
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Ultra-Cool Hydroponic Furniture at Milan Furniture...
I must apologize for being MIA for the past few weeks. I had to go to Milan for work and now am in the midst of final exams. Agritecture is still growing though and over the summer you should all expect a site revamp. Stay tuned!
For now, here are some images from an ultra-cool set of hydroponic furniture designed by UNIT 3. These guys are really doing an amazing job of pushing the envelope...
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March 2012
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Agritecture Can Revitalize Industrial Brownfield...
This next concept was the Holcim Awards “Next Generation” 1st prize winner. The project is aimed at the adaptive re-use of an industrial site for urban agriculture in Pretoria South Africa. The images for these are large so please click on them to get a better resolution. The detailing on the images are not to be missed so don’t forget to check out our high res image gallery.
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"Farm of the Future" Opens to the Public -... →
Traditional farmers are turning to vertical hydroponics to improve their farms:
Farm of the future? Not sure that I would call this project that exactly but it does employ aspects of the future of farming business. As water becomes more scarce more farmers will be buying the systems described in this post: hydroponic modular towers that save water and protect the crops. This article is worth...
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February 2012
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NEWS: Agritecture is taking off in NYC!
Three companies that all build rooftop farms: BrightFarms, Gotham Greens, and Brooklyn Grange are all competing for rooftop space in the nearby boroughs of Queens and Brooklyn according to a recent article on nydailynews.com.
What does this mean?
Urban farming is becoming an increasingly feasible business endeavor for small and medium businesses. While the systems that these companies use...
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WatchWillkommen an alle unsere Fans aus Deutschland! Ich hoffe, dass Sie die Inhalte dieses Blogs interessant und anregend finden. Früher habe ich in Frankfurt für zwei Jahre zu leben und zu bewundern Deutschland für viele seiner nachhaltiges Bauen. Schreiben Sie uns Ihre Kommentare und Ansichten zu diesen Agritecture Blog-Posts und teilen Sie sie mit Ihren Freunden. Ich würde schätzen Ihr Feedback (in...
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The "Spiral Garden" - A Vertical Garden Made of...
I was browsing through Dickson Despomier’s vertical farm blog (now moved here) and stumbled upon this simple and beautiful vertical garden concept. The structure is designed to support community agriculture practices and because of its vertical construction, could store significantly more plots than traditional gardens. I really like the circular ramp that winds up the structure because it...
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The Eco-Laboratory: Pure Agritecture
Every now and then you come across a sustainable design project that really inspires. This concept agritecture project is from 2008 but has not been featured on this blog yet. This project is a perfect example of how agriculture can be integrated into our buildings and provide multiple benefits to the structure, the environment, and its residents. Besides producing crops, this building uses...
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WatchFirst Fruits Farm is trying to raise money to build a renewable energy hydroponic farm. While the video above isn’t the best quality, I did find it fascinating to see how they are constructing their project using mainly salvaged materials. Also, their solution to heating the greenhouse using compost is a cool, off-grid solution that I would like to learn more about. This is an interesting...
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Food Prices on the Rise: Is the Only Way Up?
Over the past view days the charity Save the Children has reported disturbing news on rising food prices that are making it impossible for millions of families in the developing world to feed themselves.
Half a billion children could grow up physically and mentally stunted over the next 15 years because they do not have enough to eat.
The charity found that many families could not afford...
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We Grow Our Food for Transportation, Not for...
I have spent the last couple of posts discussing how our current food system is failing us. I highly recommend this TED talk by Paul Lightfoot, CEO of BrightFarms (a company that has been featured on this blog several times).
In this video, he explains why the food that we consume in cities like New York has a limited quality and mediocre taste. As an efficiency expert, he clearly outlines...
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NEWS: NYC to amend laws so that rooftop...
Rooftop greenhouses are probably the most sensible of all Agritecture solutions, so I was very excited to hear that NYC plans to allow commercial buildings to convert their rooftops to greenhouses! Check it out:
Given how valuable space is in New York City, the city’s rooftops are strangely empty. But a proposal from the city’s planning department could change that by making 1,200 acres of...
January 2012
8 posts
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“It is not simply the farmer who is to be educated, it is the man and the citizen”
– -The American Quarterly Journal of Agriculture and Science (1845)
The farmer pays for all. Lithograph by Chicago Lithographing Co., 1869.
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Vertical Farm at Chicago Airport: Simple and Cool! →
I just stumbled upon this great post about a new Vertical Farm project at Chicago airport. Check out the images and notice the varieties of foods that can be grown on these small food production towers.
Set in a seemingly unused nook of the G Terminal, a mezzanine space has been transformed into a high-tech urban garden. I see a lot of projects like this one – usually they have a DIY vibe...
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Agriculture Crisis: How did we get here and how...
As the first month of the new year comes to an end, I have spent a lot of time thinking about how I want this blog to evolve and grow. I have recently started an MS in Sustainability Management at Columbia University in New York with the goal of learning how I might make building-integrated agriculture more of a reality for our urban centers. Yesterday I went to my first “Food, Famine,...
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Kitchen Garden: modern design meets home food...
Now this is something worth mentioning: a super modern kitchen that both looks great and supplements your domestic food consumption!
Growing food at home can seem tedious and messy but now more and more designers are implementing agriculture into areas of the home effectively. This kitchen garden is a perfect example of how Agritecture is evolving and pushing into new arenas of design.
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Windows that grow food: Watch this video about...
I truly enjoyed this Ted Talk which offers more information about WindowFarms. Hydroponic growing systems are developing and evolving quickly and I love the idea that urban residents are taking it into their own hands and experimenting with Agritecture at home.
I just moved into a new apartment in NYC and my room has two windows! Once I am settled, I have decided to try and make one of...
December 2011
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WatchThis video is a great introduction into Aeroponics, which is another method of growing dense agriculture indoors. Although the video is a bit long, I selected it because of the resolution quality and the extent that you can see the facility that they grow the micro-crops in. Listen to the the science of how bio solutions can actually improve plant health, yield, and independence from inorganic...
November 2011
9 posts
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“We are entering an era when we have to look at more and more systems as a whole....”
– From PlantLab: A very smart company that grows food underground in the Netherlands. I leave for Amsterdam tomorrow and am really hoping to meet with them or at least check out their project when I there!
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The Living Tower: A building that "weaves"...
I think that the most interesting Agritecture solutions truly integrate agriculture growing systems into the building in a way that:
Makes ecological sense: the efficient use of space, light, and the water cycle of the structure.
Makes aesthetic sense: is visible to the inhabitants on the inside and outside of the building.
My reasoning for this is that Agritecture should improve the...
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Center for Urban Agriculture Seattle: "The coolest...
From aesthetics to architecture to science, this project by Mithun embodies the philosophy of Agritecture. This residential complex was designed for a contest in 2007 and it is sad to say that it is yet to be realized. Mithun truly took the time to consider the elements of energy production, food production, and water collection and created a beautiful design that I think most of us would love...
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This podcast is the perfect introduction into...
If you are interested in hearing about Vertical Farming from the best source, then you must listen to this Treehugger podcast with Dickson Despommier!
Dickson Despommier on the Rise of the Vertical Farm by TreeHugger Podcast
Mr. Despommier is considered the global expert on vertical farming and discusses the concept itself as well as several wicked cool cases and examples. I was especially...
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Sky Vegetables: Another company that wants to turn...
One of the purposes of this blog is to share how much Agritecture already exists and how rapidly it is developing. Multiple companies are already integrating agriculture into buildings successfully and I will be featuring each of them on this blog. I have already featured BrightFarms who are doing a beautiful job of converting the rooftops of Whole Foods markets outside the NYC metro area into...
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Watch
The video above is a great introduction into hydroponic growing systems which are fundamental to the development of Building-Integrated Agriculture. It covers the many different ways in which food can be grown hydroponically and even explores Aquaculture, an area of Urban Farming that is developing rapidly and something I will surely be writing about soon.
We have been growing food in...
October 2011
6 posts
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Clepsydra Urban Farming →
Clepsydra is by far one of the most impressive vertical farming projects that I have come across. The project is the brain child of architects Florencia Costa and Bruno Viganò. What makes their design unique is that it is not a solitary structure that grows food but rather a supplementary structure that can be attached to buildings that could benefit from producing their own food. For...
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WatchThis video isn’t explicitly about Building-Integrated Agriculture, but it is about Urban Green Architecture. Its very cool. This video is about a viaduct in Rotterdam that is being redeveloped into a “highland” park for residents. It also improves the energy efficiency of buildings near it.
I think that this is a great change that we will hopefully see in many cities: Cities...
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WatchThis company has really made an incredible impression on me. I first encountered them while I was studying Urban Agriculture and Food Security and looking for a job. In my opinion, they have come up with a smart, sensible business solution to the food production challenges that we face:
“BrightFarms designs, finances, builds and operates hydroponic greenhouse farms at supermarkets,...
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Building Integrated Agriculture: →
We don’t have to grow food far away from the urban centers that consume it. Buildings should be designed so that they integrate the most important human needs. They should integrate water collection, energy production, and agriculture. By wisely integrating these needs into the structures within which they live, we can improve the sustainability of our societies.
Building Integrated...