AGRI-TECTURE:

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 example, Clepsydra would be an ideal option for a hospital or large school that wants to provide healthy and fresh food to its inhabitants. 

Like many vertical farming concepts, Clepsydra utilizes the waste water from the building it is attached to as a means of filtration and fertilization for food production.  As mentioned in the link: “Supplying food and recycling resources are the keys to this environmentally integrated tool”. 

One of the major challenges facing vertical farming designers, is that once you build more than one floor of greenhouse, you must put systems in place to ensure that each level of the farm has the equal potential to grow food.  This means either designing rotation systems that move the crop to share the daylight needed for growth, or the installation of high cost, high energy consuming lights that simulate natural sunlight.  Clepsydra has multiple floors but addresses these challenges through passive design (utilizing the most light through the cylindrical shape of the building) as well as solar PV panels to assist in producing the energy needed to light the crops. 

More about the strengths of Clepsydra as a vertical farm from its architects:

“The autonomy of the stories facilitates the creation of the appropriate environment for each crop allowing year round production. The 1500 sq ft footprint urban lot prototype 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.”

I really like this project because it provides a solution to food security that can be attached to buildings and skips the complex challenges of integrating food production into existing ones.  So where will the first Clepsydra be built to meet these needs? According to the architects:

“We have considered potential applications in the different environmental and climate conditions of 3 Chinese cities, two of which are undergoing a massive planned migration from countryside to urban centers, where the large scale new housing typology proposed by Clepsydra could be a breakthrough.”

I am very impressed with Clepsydra and think that it opens the doors to a whole new area of Building Integrated Agriculture, one that is not just about the existing building itself, but utilizing the space next to buildings to attach prefabricated food production solutions.  I have been corresponding via email with Florencia Costa and hope to meet her in the coming weeks her in Italy and will be sure to report on our discussion on this blog. 

Don’t forget to watch this video about the project on Vimeo:

Clepsydra®VerticalFarm from florencia costa on Vimeo.

So, what do you think of Clepsydra?