New York's Dragonfly Concept

In the race to insure food for ever-larger urban populations, designers and architects are working on vertical farms inside cities.

As I have written about both Vancouver's Harvest Tower and Dubai's Food City, New York City is looking to join the club in a big way.

Vincent Callebaut Architectures has designed the Dragonfly building, based on two vertical towers. According to World Architectural News and Fast Company.com:

"Callebaut's 132 floor, 600-meter-high farm contains 28 different agricultural fields for fruit, vegetable, meat and dairy production. The fields are surrounded by houses, offices, and research laboratories laid out over several floors. The building, which is completely powered by solar and wind power, also purifies liquid waste into water suitable for crops and composts solid waste for fertilizers."

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Although there isn't sufficient surface area for a traditional green roof, the benefits of a green roof are captured in the grey water recycling as well as the CO2 reduction by the plant life.

The core of the building is a greenhouse, in the shape of a dragonfly's wing. This core supports the weight of the building and allows sunlight to pass through the building.

Mountain House Freeze-Dried Food

The significance of urban farming is to provide sufficient agricultural goods to the city while limiting the shipping traffic traditionally associated with feeding it. There is an opinion that reducing the need for rural farm land will allow that land to revert to its original state.

While it is clear that the Dragonfly concept isn't capable of being built today, the concepts included in the design can influence future buildings.

Food in the City

Vancouver seeks to been one of the greenest and sustainable cities in the world. To help reach their goal, they held the FormShift Vancouver Competition, and Harvest Tower won an Honorable Mention.

Inhabitat.com reports that this new complex, a tower, green roofs, and grazing area, "... consists of interlocking tubes that grow various fruits and vegetables, house chickens and contain an aquaponic fish farm." Hydroponic garden

While this is more ambitious than Los Angeles's edible green roof, it is in the same league as Dubai's Food City. Vancouver also boasts Canada's largest green roof.

Other agricultural products include, "... a livestock grazing plain, as well as a bird habitat and boutique sheep and goat dairy facility." There will also be a restaurant, and grocery store.

Sustainability is also important in this project, through the use of wind turbines, photovalic glazing, and methane captured from composting. I think composting is a euphemism for manure. Water will be provided by a large rain cistern on the roof. Water Barrels and Storage The green roofs will also provide filtration, mitigate storm water runoff and reduce air pollution.

While vertical farming is being studied elsewhere by "...Dr. Dickson Despommier, an environmental health scientist at Columbia University, his work reveals that for every one acre of indoor farming, four to six acres of outdoor land can be saved." While farming in the city keeps the food local and reduces transport pollution, the once-farmed land can be returned to natural habitats.

Dubai's Food City

As I have written about both Abu Dhabi's green roofs, and Los Angeles's edible green roof, Dubai has outdone both.

Inhabitat.com reports that Dubai, in coordination with green landscaping firm, GCLA, are going to build a "Food City," complete "...off-the-grid, self-sufficient metropolis." Taste the Purest Tea on the Planet – Organic and Fair Trade Certified Shop Numi Organic Tea

How does one do that in Dubai, one of driest climates on earth? The answer (starting with green roofs!):

"...atmospheric water harvesting, solar desalination through concentrated solar collectors, grey water recycling, and application of hydroponic sand to minimize water loss."

All of this requires significant electricity, which will done via solar collectors focused on towers. Water Barrels and Storage

I wish Dubai luck, though I feel the project may be a bit ambitious.