gr8 design: Vertical Farm: Responding to the Food Security Crisis

Fortitude Valley Vertical Farm
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The issue of food security is becoming a hot topic in world circles. With the likely onset of climate change, land degradation, increasing urbanisation, growing populations and chemical resistant pests our food supplies are under attack.

So what are the answers? Well I am not going to pretend to be an expert but one design fueled solution may be that of Vertical Farms.

In 2010 I was given the opportunity through the university course to explore such a concept. I had done much research into Vertical Farms prior to this assignment and had designed a version in a previous year. However this time was an opportunity to produce a detailed, innovative and out of the box solution. As a result of this project I and three other students were invited by Greenleaf Engineers to present our work to a large crowd of assembled built environment professionals.

The project location was the Fortitude Valley and we had to consider the changing context of such a dynamic environment. Coupling this with what I had researched of Vertical Farms I came up with the concept of an adaptable and modular system that could change as the needs of the population changed. That as new technologies were developed the system could be adapted to incorporate it.

The farm is based on modular pods that are held to a modular steel spine, held in place by large holding clamps. Each floor can rotate around the spine to access equitable sunlight during the day and also to align with the crane.

The crane is used to bring an individual pod down to a work platform on which a crew can modify the outer shell and the inner assembly. The shell, and interior are all modular parts that plug in and out of a steel membrane. Parts can be stripped away, repaired, replaced or modified. The space can also then be adapted to suit the growing conditions of a particular crop or to raise chickens and fish. The manure from the animals can be maintained within the system, fertilising the plants.

The pods on each floor join to become a single large floor or they can be closed off separetly to grow individual crops, maintaing specialised climatic conditions for the ideal growing of a crop variety.

The steel spine also acts as the service core connecting to the ground plane to deliver fresh crops directly to the consumer. The spine which houses the plumbing and piping connects underground to the concealed worm farm. Worm farming is an ideal method of breaking down food scraps into a high nutrient fertiliser. The farm acts as a green waste collection depot for the surrounding area. This closes the loop of nutrient input and output.

The farm can manage efficient use of water and energy, which is supplanted through grey and black water recycling and energy collection through the use of photovoltaics.

The large pods at the front of the site are adapatable housing for farmers and their families. This allows employed farmers to maintain a connection and watchful eye over their crops just like out on the land, and it connects the grower with the consumer, increasing the faith in the source.

The site also has offices, storage and a specialised science testing lab for developing and testing new technologies, crop varieties and growing conditions before upscaling them to the farm.