Vertical Farming Concepts For INDIA PDF

“BREATHING HIGHRISES”
Vertical farming as an emerging option for the urban resources management in future cities
THIRD SEMESTER
M.ARCH - DISSERTATION
Submitted by :
KUKKU JOSEPH JOSE
REG NO : 11201665
LOVELY SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE

Lovely Professional University
Jalandhar - Delhi G.T. Road,
Phagwara NH 1,
PB 144411
LOVELY SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE
Lovely Professional University
Jalandhar - Delhi G.T. Road,
Phagwara NH 1,
PB 144411
Certificate
Certified that this Dissertation entitled ― BREATHING HIGHRISES ‖

being submitted by Kukku Joseph Jose in partial fulfillment of the requirements
for the award of Master‘s Degree in Architecture in the Lovely Professional
University is a bonifide work carried out under my guidance and Supervision.
Guide Dissertation Co-ordinator
Head of the Department
LSAD - Breathing Highrises 2

THIS DISSERTATION IS DEDICATED TO MY TEACHERS AND PARENTS
WHO LEAD AND GUIDE ME TO REACH THIS SPECTRUM OF MY STUDY

DECLARATION
I do here by declare that this Dissertation entitled

―BREATHING HIGHRISES‖ is a bonifide record of the study done by me
independently during the 3rd semester M.Arch, Degree course in the Lovely
School of Architecture, Lovely Professional University, Jalandhar - Delhi G.T.
Road, Phagwara and that this dissertation has not previously formed the basis
of M.Arch Degree course in any other institution.
Jalandhar
Date Kukku Joseph Jose

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I express my sincere gratitude to my guide Prof. Sarbeswar Praharaj and our

dissertation co-ordinator prof. Sonakshi Kohli, Asst.professors, Lovely School
of Architecture, Lovely Professional University, Jalandhar - Delhi G.T. Road,
Phagwara, whose valuable support and guidance helped to make this
dissertation a success.
I would also use this opportunity to express my thanks to all our faculty
members of Lovely School of Architecture, for their valuable inputs towards this
Dissertation.
I am also thankful to all my friends and classmates who helped me in all stages
of my dissertation.
I am also thankful to my father, mother and all my family members and to the
Almighty ‗God‘ for the blessings.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
1.0 ABSTRACT………………………………………………………………………..07
CHAPTER 1
1.1 INTRODUCTION…………………………………………………………….…...10
1.2 PROJECT BRIEF....………………………………………………………….…..10
1.3 AIM…………………………………………………………………………….…...11
1.4 OBJECTIVE………………………………………………………………….……11
1.5 METHODOLOGY…………………………………………………………….…. .12
1.6 SCOPE………………………………………………………………………....….12
1.7 LIMITATION……………………………………………………………….………13
CHAPTER 2
2.1 BOOK REVIEWS
a. The Vertical Farm:..……………………………………………………16

Feeding the World in the 21st Century -Dickson Despommier
b. Growing Better Cities:…………………………………………………20
Urban Agriculture for Sustainable Development - Luc J. A. Mougeot
2.2 LITERATURE STUDY
a. The quick facts about vertical farming…………………………..…22

b. Large Scale Urban Agriculture……………………………….….….29
The scales and possibilities of urban agriculture……………..…..30
c. Advantages of vertical farming …………………………………….32
CHAPTER 3 - CASE STUDIES
3.1 ―The Living Tower‖ by: SOA Architects……………………………...…...37

3.2 ―The Eco-Laboratory‖ by: Weber Thompson……….………………...…43
3.3 Harvest tower Green Project Vancouver, BC…….………………….....46
CHAPTER 4
4.1 ANALYSIS……………………………………………………………...….50
4.2 CONCLUSION……………………………………………………..……..61
4.3 BIBLIOGRAPHY……………………………………………………...…..67

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS:
p.8 Fig. 1.0 “Agriculture’s evolution”

Gordon James Graff for Sky farming
p.18 Fig. 2.0 'Urban Farm, Urban Epicenter'

Jung Min Nam
p.22 Fig. 3.0 “The living tower” was one of the earliest vertical farm designs in Paris-France
SOA architects - SPA Atelier
p.23 Fig. 4.0 The Spiral Garden system.

Elise F and Sindy V
p.24 Fig. 5.0 “The Green farms- Queens land Australian concept”
Oliver Foster
p.24 Fig. 6.0 ―The Pyramidal Vertical farm” Dubai

Eric Ellingsen
p.25 Fig. 7.0 “The Vertical Farm”

Chris Jacobs
p.25 Fig. 8.0 “The Framscapers”

Gordon Graff
p.26 Fig. 9.0 Concept indicating images

Author - Google.
p.27 Fig. 10.0 Crop possibilities

The Living Skyscraper: by Blake Kurasek
p.28 Fig. 11.0 Methods of water treatment in vertical farms – illustration

The Living Skyscraper: Farming the Urban Skyline by Blake Kurasek
p.29 Fig. 12.0 Hydroponics

Prof. Vassilev
p.29 Fig. 13.0 Aeroponics

Prof. Vassilev
p.29 Fig. 14.0 Aeroponic system

Prof. Vassilev
p.29 Fig. 15.0 Float Stem system

Prof. Vassilev

Figure 1: "Agriculture’s Evolution”
1.0 ABSTRACT:
Vertical farming is the urban farming of fruits, vegetables, and

grains, inside a building in a city or urban centre, in which floors are designed to
accommodate certain crops. These heights will acts as the future farms land and as
architects we can shape these high-rises to sow the seeds for the future. The
objective of this dissertation was to investigate the feasibility and plausibility of the
vertical farming concept in three specific and interrelated research domains. The first
research question was to investigate whether enough energy can be generated
onsite to meet the needs of the building. The second research question was to
investigate the carbon footprint of produce grown vertically and compare that to
produce grown conventionally (greenhouse and outdoors). The final research
question was to investigate how relevant stakeholders perceive the concept of
vertical farming and what they believe are current barriers and opportunities towards
uptake of the technology. The purpose of this investigation was to determine ways to
supply food to cities in an energy efficient and sustainable manner from both a
quantitative and qualitative approach.
What is a vertical farm?
As the world‘s population grows, so does the land required to produce the needed
food. The concept of a vertical farm was developed to remedy this crisis. A vertical
farm is farms stacked on top of one another, instead of branching out horizontally.
Developed in 1999 by Professor Dickson Despommier, the farm uses conventional
farming methods such as hydroponics and aeroponics to produce more yields faster.

CHAPTER: 1

1.1 INTRODUCTION
It is predicted that the world population will reach 9

billion by 2050, of which 70% will live in urban centres. This change, alongside a
changing climate, will strain Earth‘s resources, specifically the ability to supply food.
A valuable investigation would be to determine other ways to supply food to cities
alongside current agricultural practices in a sustainable manner.
One idea is the concept of vertical farming. Vertical
farming can be defined as farming fruits, vegetables, grains, etc. in the middle of a
city inside of a building where different floors have different purposes (one floor for a
certain crop, another floor for a vegetable, etc.) using hydroponics[1](water with
nutrients). The concept of supplying food in cities is not a new one as the history of
urban agriculture goes back to many ancient civilizations, including the Mayans, the
city of Tenochtitlan (Mexico City today), etc. There are many developments taking
place today that apply the concept of urban agriculture, and the concept of vertical
farming is a large scale extension of urban agriculture.
It is becoming increasingly understood that both our
forms of settlement and methods of sustenance are functionally incompatible with a
planet of limited natural resources. Modern cities exhibit decisively ―linear‖ resource
metabolisms where food, fresh water, energy, and other resource demands are
imported from great distances, consumed, and then swiftly dispensed as sewage or
rubbish that the natural world cannot easily process. Likewise, the high-yield farming
methods that support our immense population are characterized by their insatiable [2]
consumption of our limited reserves of freshwater, fossil-fuel energy, and soil.
A glimpse of humanity‘s predictable future indicates
that the way cities and agriculture consume the Earth‘s precious natural capital will
only worsen with the passage of time. The projected addition of 2.25 billion people to
the global population by 2050 and another 2 billion by the end of the century forces
us to consider what our world will be like with nearly twice as many consumers.
Considering humanity‘s current population is already effectively degrading the
ecological conditions we require to thrive, it appears the only way to avoid both a
global ecological tragedy and widespread famine in the next century is to
significantly transform the way cities and agriculture utilize natural resources.
This dissertation presents an argument for the implementation of
an emerging building typology, the vertical farm, as potential solution to the conflict
between ecological stability and humanity‘s persistent and economic growth.
1.2 PROJECT BRIEF
This dissertation is comprised of 4 parts or chapters. The first part deals

with the introduction to the vertical farming. Here am mainly dealing with the
agriculture‘s effect on human and ecological systems, and explores the philosophies
central to rationalizing high-density indoor agriculture with the objectives of human
sustainability. The second chapter comprises of book reviews and literature studies
regarding the vertical farming concept and urban farming, focuses on exploring the
technologies and design strategies of the vertical farming concept.
Chapter 3 includes the three relevant case studies regarding the
vertical farms. It talks about the scope and emergence of high-density indoor farming
with the blueprint of human civilization as it has evolved since the Neolithic
Revolution.

The initial chapters include a summary of the precedents pivotal to the emergence of
the vertical farming concept, a description of its associated technology, and an
explanation of vertical farming‘s advantages over contemporary farming systems.
And finally the 4th chapter is dealing with the analysis and
conclusion parts. The dissertation concludes with an analysis of vertical farming’s
potential impact on the form and function of urban areas. After using systems theory
to explain the similarities and distinctions of ecosystems and cities, the vertical farm
is identified as an emergent trend capable of significantly altering the city‘s
relationship to its external environment. By establishing a new ‗producer‘ trophic
level within the homogenously[3] consumptive metabolic structure of urban areas,
vertical farms can encourage cities to express, and thereby become more
sustainable with, the Earth‘s ecology.
1.3 AIM
To evaluate the scope of the vertical farming concept in

the building levels of the future cities. And thereby to analyze how well this concept
can integrated be into the urban to sow the seeds for the future and to resolve the
long-standing paradox[4] of humanity‘s inclination towards exponential demographic[5]
and economic growth while inhabiting a planet of limited resource material means.
1.4 OBJECTIVE
Vertical farming is the urban farming of fruits, vegetables,

and grains, inside a building in a city or urban centre, in which floors are designed to
accommodate certain crops. The objective of this dissertation was to investigate the
feasibility and plausibility[6] of the vertical farming concept in three specific and
interrelated research domains.
 The first research question was to investigate whether enough energy can be
generated onsite to meet the needs of the building.
 The second research question was to investigate the carbon footprint of
produce grown vertically and compare that to produce grown conventionally
(greenhouse and outdoors).
 The final research question was to investigate how relevant stakeholders
perceive the concept of vertical farming and what they believe are current
barriers and opportunities towards uptake of the technology.
 The purpose of this investigation was to determine ways to supply food to
cities in an energy efficient and sustainable manner from both a quantitative
and qualitative approach.

1.5 METHODOLOGY
 Literature reviews to examine the current agricultural practices were

exhausting our natural resources, and whether it was sensible to explore
other farming options.
 Knowing the history and overview of urban agriculture. The history of urban
agriculture was provided because it offered a sense of the history and
development of the concept, its applications in the past and today, and the
advantages and disadvantages associated.
 To quantify the energy flows in the building. Also to study how much energy
can be generated on site and how much energy will be used on site. The
energy generation source was from photovoltaics[7], and the energy was used
to pump the water, light the building (for indoor cultivation), and ventilate the
building.
 Conduct the carbon foot print[8] analysis for horizontal conventional and
vertical farming methods.
 Conduct life cycle analysis of leafy veggies grown vertically.
 An exploration of social perceptions of relevant stakeholders, and this includes
architects, engineers, and the general public.
 Conduct semi structured interviews to explore the concept.
 Conduct the experiments and study to find out the crop growing condition at
different levels of atmosphere.
 Detailed case study on vertical framing and bio climatic sky scrapers to know
the design process and approach.
 Comparative studies of crop cultivation and yielding in a conventional method
and vertical farming.
 Finding out solutions for the correct implementation of techniques and
materials for the same.
1.6 SCOPE
1. Reduction in vehicular transport is also foreseen; there will be less demand for
delivery trucks, garbage trucks and other utilities.
2. Overall wellness because city wastes will be channeled directly into the farm
building's recycling system, hence, less bacteria can find its way in the environment
and the atmosphere.
3. Abandoned or unused properties will be used productively.
4. Water can be used more efficiently in a vertical farm.
5. The greywater[9] from office etc can be used efficiently.
5. The layers of atmosphere can be used effectively in vertical build ups.
5. Less CO2 emissions and pollution by decreasing reliance on coal-burning power

plants and transportation, and implementing renewable-sources of energy.
6. Crops will be protected from harsh weather conditions and disturbances like
typhoons, hurricanes, floods, droughts, snow and the likes. Food production as well
as food transport will not be affected.
7. Crops will be consumed immediately upon harvest since there is no need to

transport them to far-off places. Spoilage will also be lessened.
8. The use of chemicals as pesticides will be eliminated; hence, even vector borne
diseases can be prevented.
9. Less deforestation and land use, this means less erosion and less flooding.
1.7 LIMITATIONS
1. The initial phase will be cost intensive, and certain flaws integrated in the system
that may appear during its initial run can still dampen efforts for its full maximization.
2. There will be fewer varieties of foods to choose from because not all plants and
vegetables are suitable in a controlled and limited environment.
3. The public will find it hard to reconcile with the idea of using black water for food
production.
4. ―Blackwater,‖ or the wastewater and sludge from soils, from the vertical farms
need an additional costly filtration system in order to be recycled and conservative of
the water resources.
5. Displacement of agricultural societies, potential loss or displacement of traditional

farming jobs.

Footnotes: ( Chapter 1)
1. Hydroponics - is a subset of hydro culture and is a method of growing plants using mineral
nutrient solutions, in water, without soil.
2. Insatiable - (of an appetite or desire) impossible to satisfy. "an insatiable hunger for success"
3. Homogeneous - of the same kind; alike. "if all jobs and workers were homogeneous"
4. Paradox - is a statement that apparently contradicts itself and yet might be true. Most logical
paradoxes are known to be invalid arguments but are still valuable in promoting critical
thinking.
5. Demographics - are the quantifiable statistics of a given population.
6. Plausibility - Seemingly or apparently valid, likely, or acceptable; credible: a plausible excuse
or giving a deceptive impression of truth or reliability.
7. Photovoltaics (PV) - is a method of generating electrical power by converting solar radiation
into direct current electricity using semiconductors that exhibit the photovoltaic effect.
8. Carbon footprint - has historically been defined by Championne as "the total sets of
greenhouse gas emissions caused by an organization, event, product or person."
9. Greywater - is generally accepted as being wastewater generated from wash hand basins,
showers and baths, which can be recycled on-site for uses such as WC flushing, landscape
irrigation and constructed wetlands.

CHAPTER 2

2.1 BOOK REVIEWS
a. The Vertical Farm:

Feeding the World in the 21st Century -Dickson Despommier
Dr. Dickson Despommier is considered one of the world's foremost

experts on vertical farms - a theoretical concept that may offer a solution to our food
production problems in the future. Supporters and critic of this concept were highly
concerned with how vertical farming could be misused, poorly executed and could
rack up extreme costs. Dr. Despommier in his book, The Vertical Farm: Feeding the
World in the 21st Century spokes all about his critics concerns.
In this book he is mainly focusing on the many benefits of vertical farming and
explains that it is the only way for us to sustainably and efficiently provide food for
the world in the future. Although there are no existing vertical farms, Despommier
says that we have all the technology we need to create them, we are just lacking in
funding. He here lists the many benefits of the concepts of vertical farming and why it
will be needed in the coming years and thereby he gives the same spark of his
concept to the minds of architects, engineers and scientists.
He in this book mainly explains the many advantages of vertical farming. As

Despommier rallies, vertical farms could enable every country in the world,
regardless of climate or agricultural land, to be able to grow food in an efficient and
sustainable manner. They could also save energy, reduce toxins, save water,
provide new employment opportunities, restore ecosystems, and much more.
Granted, very few vertical farms have actually been built — there are a few small trial
projects that utilize hydroponic growing techniques. Vertical farming is still largely
theoretical, however Despommier makes the case that all the technology needed is
available and at hand – it‘s just there‘s no funding for it yet. As Despommier says,
―Every new idea will cost a lot to create, witness the cell phone and plasma screen
TV, but as more of them become constructed and their cost will go down.‖
Despommier‘s stroke of genius, The Vertical Farm, has excited scientists, architects,
and politicians around the globe. These farms, grown inside skyscrapers, would
provide solutions to many of the serious problems we currently face, including:
allowing year-round crop production; providing food to areas currently lacking arable
land; immunity to weather-related crop failure; re-use of water collected by de-
humidification of the indoor environment; new employment opportunities; no use of
pesticides, fertilizers, or herbicides; drastically reduced dependence on fossil fuels;
no crop loss due to shipping or storage; no agricultural runoff [1]; and, many more.
Vertical farming can be located on abandoned city properties, creating new urban
revenue streams. They will employ lots of skilled and unskilled labor. They can be
run on wind, solar, tidal, and geothermal energy etc.
Despommier tells the story of how farming has changed over time; how food
production has been influenced by human need, greed and thoughtlessness, how
this has impacted the environment, the individual, society and even business and
government. He places farming into context of the bigger picture while addressing
the diverse factors of influence upon it, such as biology, ecological sciences,

architecture, engineering and materials science, sociology, history, and politics, to
more effectively illustrate the magnitude of the problems facing us now and the
challenges that could lie ahead.
This is, perhaps, one of the particular strengths of the book, and one reason for its
broad appeal to such a diverse audience. The author does not offer dire threats or
short term solutions, but he does let the reader look at where we‘ve been, shows us
how we got there, and then tells us to look up.
Think beyond rooftop gardens. Vertical farms are entire buildings filled with plants
and fruits and vegetables which will provide local food sources 24 hours a day, 365
days a year, for entire cities and beyond. There will be no need of concern about
unpredictable weather; no need for pesticides, fertilizers and herbicides; no shortage
of water because it will be collected and reused from the indoor environment.
Because of the production being local, there will be employment of local residents;
development of local specialties and opportunity for small local business growth.
There will be a drastic reduction of our dependence upon fossil fuels; less crop loss
due to shipping and storage. This is not science fiction. Architects are already
designing prototypes. Scientists are discussing the possibilities.
Another strong point made for the author‘s argument is his use of illustrations to not
only show the bad news; where land and water sources are being depleted, where
agricultural practice is eroding resources, but also, the good; actual architectural
renderings of vertical farms with detailed explanation.
―In its most complete configuration, the vertical farm will consist of a complex of
buildings constructed in close proximity to one another.
They will include a building for growing food; offices for management; a separate
control center for monitoring the overall running of the facility; a nursery for selecting
and germinating seeds; a quality control laboratory to monitor food safety, document
the nutritional status of each crop, and monitor for plant diseases; a building for the
vertical farm workforce; an eco-education/tourist center for the general public; a
green market; and eventually a restaurant. Aquaculture and poultry will be housed in
adjacent but separate buildings with no physical connection to the vertical-farm
building to ensure safety for the plants.‖

Example: 'Urban Farm, Urban Epicenter' by Jung Min Nam:
Figure 2:'Urban Farm, Urban Epicenter'

Despommier presents a well-researched argument: First, giving the history of
farming- farming the land in a natural way and then moving into how for
convenience, for profitability and a myriad[2] of other reasons, food production has
become the managed, regulated, commercial business it is today. And then,
suggesting a viable solution which has been well-researched, which includes
practices and technology already available.
No longer limited to backyard or rooftop gardens, no longer reliant upon the

unreliability of the weather, or the instability of big business, the depleted resources
of land and space, ―Vertical farms can be built in abandoned buildings and on
deserted lots, thus transforming our cities into urban landscapes. They can be built in
countries with little or no arable land, turning nations that are currently unable to farm
into top farm producers.‖
While the author of ―The Vertical Farm‖ describes a viable option for future practice
and provides sound theoretical perspective regarding the reasons for doing so, he
remains realistic about the possibilities of implementation [3].
Encouraged by reception of his message, Despommier is confident that this will

happen, and in the near future. Not at all a ‗how to‘ book for small scale change, the
plan described will influence the future of more than just farming. Despommier invites
the readers to realize a bigger future of sustainability, even better than we can
imagine.
b. Growing Better Cities:

Urban Agriculture for Sustainable Development - Luc J. A. Mougeot
The United Nations predicts that over the next 25 years nearly all population growth
will be in the cities of the developing world. At current rates, 60% of the world‘s total
population will live in cities by 2030. As the cities grow, so does the number of urban
poor. Unemployment, hunger, and malnutrition are commonplace. In the big city,
most of any cash income the poor might bring home goes to feeding themselves and
staying alive; any food that does not have to be bought is a bonus. As a result, more
and more people are attempting to grow at least some of their own food to
supplement poor diets and meager incomes. But farming in the city — urban
agriculture — is too often seen by municipalities as a problem to be eradicated rather
than as a part of the solution to making the city and its environment more
sustainable.
In fact, urban agriculture has a long history. Throughout the developing world,
municipal policymakers are waking to the fact that properly managed agriculture can
make a major contribution to a city‘s food security. It also has potential to provide
employment, improve the environment, and make productive use of vacant spaces
within the city. This book reviews the research experience of IDRC[4] and its partners,
including local governments, into the issues surrounding urban agriculture, with a

particular emphasis on the influence that research has had on government policies. It
describes the growth of city networks in Africa, Asia and Latin America that focus on
accommodating urban agriculture and improving the lot of urban food producers. And
it offers specific recommendations aimed at helping policymakers at all levels of
government to maximize the potential of urban agriculture. The book concludes with
a vision of how such policies might transform cities in the near future.
In its ideal scenario for the city of the future, IDRC‘s CFP program listed a number of
key principles:
 Integration into urban management — supporting and valuing UA as an

integral part of urban development and an effective tool for urban
management;
 Self-reliant local food systems — actively supporting UA through policies
and research to develop a more robust urban food supply;
 Productive green spaces — helping to purify the air and bridge the
inequality of access to such spaces between rich and poor;
 Resource recovery — recognizing the efficient treatment and reuse of solid
and liquid wastes as a valuable resource for UA;
 Producer access — organizing formerly marginalized producers into groups
that can more effectively negotiate access, utilize research findings, and
market their produce at a fair profit.

2.2 LITERATURE STUDY
A. Quick facts about vertical farming :
Figure 3: "The living Tower"
 Dickson Despommier coined ―vertical farming‖ in 1999

 Despommier is a microbiologist, ecologist, and professor
 Vertical farming is not new to the world, but fairly modern to urban
environments.
 Vertical farms build on the idea of rooftop farming by capitalizing on space
vertically and utilizing natural light to produce energy.
 Vertical farms create urban communities in which individuals can both live and
work in a sustainable environment.
 The vertical farm acts as a mini eco-system[5].
 With the population increasing and the supplies decreasing, it is necessary that
we think of innovative and creative ways to feed and nourish everyone.

A.1 Why is it innovative?
Figure 4: "The spiral Garden System"
 Vertical farms build on the idea of rooftop farming by capitalizing on space

vertically and utilizing natural light to produce energy.
 Vertical farms create urban communities in which individuals can both live and
work in a sustainable environment.
 The vertical farm acts as a mini eco-system.
 With the population increasing and the supplies decreasing, it is necessary that
we think of innovative[6] and creative ways to feed and nourish everyone.

A.2 How is it sustainable?
Figure 5: Queensland, Australia Concept Figure 6: Pyramidal farm to capture more light
 Saved space per 1 acre of vertical farm = 4 to 30 acres of flat land depending
on crop.
 Creation of sustainable spaces in urban environments.
 Decrease in ―food miles‖ our produce travels, because we can grow a larger
variety of produce year-round in a controlled environment we will no longer
have to import seasonal fruits and vegetables.
 All VF[7] food is grown organically: no herbicides, pesticides, or fertilizers
 Able to control and recycle any waste created
 The eventual repair of ecosystems that have been sacrificed for horizontal
farming
 VF adds energy back to the grid via methane generation from composting non-
edible parts of plants and animals
 VF dramatically reduces fossil fuel use (no tractors, plows, shipping.)
A.3 Challenges on Vertical farming:
 Building urban vertical farms will initially need large amounts of resources for
building and construction
 According to VF critic George Monbiot[8] ―Unless a new method of solar-
powered lighting is developed, light to grow crops will be very expensive-
resulting in a non-sustainable business model‖
 And the biggest problem, according to Monbiot, is LIGHT ―The light required to
grow the 500 grams of wheat that 1 loaf of bread contains would cost, at current
prices, $15.81. That's just lighting: no inputs, interest, rates, rents or labor.
Somehow this minor consideration – that plants need light to grow and that they
aren't going to get it except on the top story – has been overlooked by the
scheme's supporters.‖

A.4 How is it designed?
Figure 7 : "The vertical Farm‖ Figure 8 : "The Farm scrapers”
 Multi-storied buildings growing different crops at each floor.

 Integrated assembly line including: seed sorting facilities, distribution.
 Continuous planting system including monitoring growth and harvesting
 All creating a 'miniature eco-system' that acts to enable the urban population to
manufacture and produce food locally.
 The architecture itself:
 Requires innovative design concept & architectural knowledge.
 Integrating greenery alongside traditional architectural forms.
A.5 Impact of Vertical farming:
 Reduction of energy costs in transportation.

 Year-round crop[9] production preparation protection from weather.
 Crops are then sold within the same infrastructure (reduction of crop waste).
 Elimination of crop machinery fossil fuel emissions.
 Growth of enough food to replace lost productivity as farmland is urbanized.
 5 acres of land in traditional farming would produce the same amount of crops

to that of a 30 story building (2,400 acres of land).
A.6 Vertical farming future impact
 When the global population increases by 3 billion people, 80% of them will live in
or near urban areas
 Our Current land-intensive practices will not be able to support the world‘s
demanding population
 Cities currently investing in VF projects: NYC, L.A, LAS VEGAS, ABU DABHI,
PARIS, SEATTLE,BANGALORE, TORONTO, PORTLAND, INCHEON,SURREY
A.7 Why vertical farming?
 2050- 80% of world population will be around Urban Centers + 3 Billion[10] more
People.
 70% of all Fresh water is used in irrigation for traditional agriculture.
 Unsustainable factory farming techniques.
 Approximately 800 million hectares of land being used for farming = area of
Brazil.
A.8 Reclamation of landscapes
Figure 9 : Concept Indicative images
 Example of Yanomani[11] tribe in the Brazilian Jungle.

 Shifting agricultural methods
 Cut down trees to farm, burn to enrich soil.
 Grow crops on one plot of land, allow another to regrow.
 Replace acres of farmland (Monoculture) with natural overgrowth.
 Allow natural ecosystems to rebuild themselves.
A.9 Goals:
 Supply sustainable food sources for urban centers.
 Allow agro Land to revert to natural landscape.
 Sustainable organic farming techniques.
 Black/grey water remediation.
 Appropriate unused and abandoned urban spaces.
 End food contamination.
 Year round food production.
 End reliance on pesticides, herbicides and petro based fertilizers.
 Create sustainable urban space.

A.10 Crop possibilities:
Figure 10 : Crop possibilities – In Living skyscraper
 Sugar- typically grown in tropical location, extreme demand in the US. Need
constant moisture monitoring. Sugar Cane, Sugar Beets
 Corn- 80.9 million acres planted in the US. Yield of 11.8 billion acres, $23 Billion
 Rice- 2.5 billion people rely as a food staple. Hydroponics, Nitrogen absorption
 Pharmaceuticals- Use plants as sources for drugs.
 Aquaculture - Tilapia fish ( Asia , U.S and Europe )
 Farm culture - Pig and Chicken ( Europe and Asia )

A.11 Systems used in Vertical farming:
Figure 11 : Water treatment option in vertical farms – Living Sky scraper
 Hydroponics-Cultivation of plant life through continuous flow of oxygenated,

nutrient rich water.
 Nutrient-flow technique.
 Network of narrow channels of recycled nutrient rich water.
 Float Stem- rectangular reservoirs filled with water.
 Aquaponics [12] - combine hydroponics and aquaculture. One system, fish waste
as nutrient for plants.
 Drip/container culture- Soil less indoor growing- media bags
 Aeroponics[13] - exposes roots, nutrient rich mist pumped into air chamber 100%

humidity
Figure 12 : Hydroponics Figure 13 :Aeroponics
Figure 14 : Aeroponic system Figure 15 : Float stem Technique
B. Large Scale Urban Agriculture: Supplying food for the city
This explores the possibility of large scale agriculture in an urban

setting, and options to increase the world‘s supply of agricultural capacity, reduce
food related transportation, assist in waste and water filtration loads of cities, and
other possibilities. It discusses technical, economic and social ramifications [14] of
urban agriculture.

B.1. Introduction:
Food is such a basic asset and requirement to our society, that it is often
overlooked. Our ways of producing the majority of our food has in many ways
changed little over time, while virtually everything else, the way we live, work and
interact, has changed dramatically.
We have a choice in how we produce food, and while the world is changing, it is
important to investigate alternatives to our traditional way of food production. One
reason for doing so is that the traditional way of producing food has turned into a
specialization of crop areas, monocrop[15] cultures that result in poor ecological
diversity. Second, major transport operations are necessary to distribute the crops
across continents.
Thirdly, current agricultural methods can use more than 80 times the amount of
fossil fuels in energy than what it produces in food calories. Most importantly, our
agricultural land capital is decreasing, and the world‘s population and living
standards ever increasing, with a large part already having difficulty securing food.
While to some extent world hunger is due to unequal distribution and politics, the
pressure on marginal areas is measurably going up.
C. The scales and possibilities of urban agriculture:
Urban farming can be in a variety of scales, starting with a

few consumable plants in the window sill to large scale vertical farming industries. It
is useful to divide these different types in three scales, since they require different
approaches to effectuate.
Small scale urban farming is not uncommon in large parts of the world. Typical of
the small scale is that the food is produced by the same people that consume it. In
many communities people enjoy growing certain herbs or spices in their own
domain to guarantee freshness or a flavor they cannot obtain otherwise.
Sometimes a hobby in food gardening can extend itself to the cultivation of an

allotment garden, not uncommon in the United Kingdom, Germany and Sweden.
These provide important community functions as well as educational and leisure
services to a wide range of age groups.
However, their food production is limited and inefficient due to a high degree of
fragmentation and it cannot be expected for small roof gardens to be a major
contribution to actual agricultural land. Its benefits should mainly be sought in its
sociological and ecological benefits, such as water collection, waste recycling and
educational purposes.

C.1 Medium scale urban farming:
This is usually an enterprise organized by a single entity in which members of the

community it feeds are employed, either paid or voluntarily, to provide food for this
community. They often focus on a certain environmental approach to food
production that normal channels do not provide or only at a high premium such as
organic and specialty crops.
Usually the grounds are in the vicinity of the organization benefiting from them. A
good example of medium scale urban farming is university food gardens, providing
some or all of the food for a number of residential colleges or dining halls. The
gardens are usually run and maintained by the university, with students from the
community assisting where members of the community work to grow the food.
Medium scale urban farming is a good way to use smaller fragmented areas of
urban fabric for food production as well as providing a visually, culturally and
socially stimulating space, while aiding biodiversity, urban heat island effects and
providing for functionally active open spaces.
It is interesting to note that traditional Chinese gardens, admired around the world
for their quality and sophistication, were food gardens for the most part. Also Cuba
has employed medium scale urban farming to overcome the hardships it faced after
the soviet block fell and the economic boycott of the United States put the economy
under pressure and increased the prices of oil significantly.
Cuba reverted to the use of oxen and manpower for its agricultural needs in favor of
tractors and machinery, and converted open areas in and around cities to small
farming enterprises, an advantage in relation to the rest of the world, because of its
increasing independence from oil. With the rising oil prices, Cuba will be hardly
affected and has meanwhile ensured a more sustainable method of operating.

Still, medium scale urban farming is difficult to extend to something larger than a
local community, and while it usually makes use of land that would otherwise not be
used for food production, does not add to farm land capital as a whole in a
structural sense. Therefore this article focuses on large scale urban farming, which
will be discussed in the next chapter.
C.2 Large scale urban farming profile:
Urban farming on a large scale is a different animal than medium and small scale
altogether. Relying on a large volume of production it is hard to imagine this being
organized by anything other than a single professional entity that employs people
on a full time basis to operate its facilities.
To achieve a large volume of production in urban areas, and observing the

economic forces at play in such an environment, agriculture will need to be stacked
to make use of the costly land as efficiently as possible. Depending on the price of
land this could be just several stories or as many as those of the tallest skyscraper.
This alters the way agriculture is performed in many ways quite radically, and the
interaction with such a farm in a city context is also an entirely different experience
than traditional farming allows. Current research profiles a possible enterprise to
feed up to 50.000 people based on a caloric intake of 2,200 people, a staple built
up from the Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion‘s dietary requirements and 19
floors on a 250.000 square foot area, or 43 floors on a 90.000 square foot area.
This would include the growing of Tilapia in tanks (the most nutritious fish), and
breeding chickens for mainly egg production.,Of course the farms could be larger
(which might be impractical in an urban setting), and there is no reason to assume
a somewhat smaller farm won‘t operate less efficiently, given a certain minimum
size, which seems to be at around 100-150 m2, in our experience, more or less
dictated by local economic conditions.
Urban farming requires a different approach to traditional farming, for instance,

since one has less access to daylight, artificial light has to be provided. Also, since
working with soil is impractical, various soil-less techniques can improve the
growing conditions, and by regulating the environment high efficiencies can be
reached.
D. Advantages of vertical farming:
D.1. Reliable harvests:

Vertical Farm Systems growing cycles are consistent and reliable, allowing
commercial growers to confidently commit to delivery schedules and supply
contracts. In a well-managed Vertical Farm System there are no such things as
'seasonal crops' and there are no crop losses. Vertical Farm Systems are fully
enclosed and climate controlled, completely removing external environment factors
such as disease, pest or predator attacks. It also means our farms are not
dependent on fertile arable land and can be established in any climatic region
globally irrespective of seasonal daylight hours and extremes in temperature.

D.2. Minimum overheads:
Production overheads in Vertical Farm Systems installations are commercially
competitive and predictable. In some cases profitability of over 30% has been
demonstrated even after deducting full amortization of capital equipment over a 10
year period. Minimum overheads and grow costs are maintained through:
D.2.1.Low energy usage:

The use of high efficiency LED lighting technology ensures minimum power
usage for maximum plant growth. Computer management of photosynthetic
wavelengths in harmony with phase of crop growth further minimizes energy
use while ensuring optimized crop yields.
Greatly reduced energy usage for climate control is the direct result of not
requiring sunlight inside the growing area which enables the use of high thermal
efficiency buildings rather than poly greenhouses, and the vertical design of our
systems means that for the same growing area the total air volume of a Vertical
Farm Systems building is around 88% less than the air volume of single level
growing systems.
The potential for use of green energy and the elimination of fossil fuel powered
tractors, irrigation pumps and other horticultural equipment, Vertical Farm
Systems can be structured as carbon emissions competitive.
D.2.2 Low labour cost:

Vertical Farm Systems are fully automated growing systems with automatic
SMS text messaging for any faults. Manual labour is only required on-site for
planting, harvesting and packaging of crops - and the required skill levels are
very low.
D.2.3 Low water usage:

Being a totally closed growing system with controlled transpiration losses,
Vertical Farm Systems use only around 10% of the water required for traditional
open field farming and around 20% less than conventional hydroponics. Water
from transpiration is harvested and re-used and spent nutrient water is also
processed for re-use.
D.2.4 Reduced washing and processing:

Vertical Farm Systems growing environments are fitted with strong bio-security
procedures to eliminate pest and disease attacks. Total elimination of the need
for foliar sprays, pesticides and herbicides in cropping systems results in
produce that does not require holding times or expensive and product
damaging washing or post-harvest processing.
D.2.5 Reduced transport costs:

Vertical Farm Systems can be established in any geographic location with
suitable power and water supplies. Strategic positioning of facilities close to the
point of sale or in distribution hubs dramatically decreases the time from
harvest to consumer and also reduces costs for refrigerated storage and
transport.

D.3. Increased growing area and space saving:
For the same floor area, Vertical Farm Systems multi-level design provides nearly 8
times more growing area than single level hydroponic or greenhouse systems. This
compact design enables cost-effective farming installations in industrial estates,
urban warehouses and other low cost and typically under-utilized environments not
previously associated with high-quality high-margin agricultural activities. It is
estimated that every acre used for vertical farming is equivalent to 4 acres of
horizontal farming.
D.4. Maximum crop yield:

Irrespective of external conditions, Vertical Farm Systems can reliably provide more
crop rotations per year than open field agriculture and other farming practices. Crop
cycles are also faster due to the systems‘ controlled temperature, humidity, daylight
hour‘s optimization and the use of biologically active organic plant nutrients. The
systems can produce market grade produce of several crops within just 21 days.
D.5. Wide range of crops:

Vertical Farm Systems has a wide range of crops that are able to be grown in their
systems. The crop growth is controlled by a comprehensive computer database that
manages and maintains the optimum growing conditions for each specific crop
variety being grown
D.6. Fully integrated technology:

Profitability in commercial horticulture requires the ability to cost-effectively and
consistently provide plants with optimum growing conditions from germination
through to harvest. Vertical Farm Systems monitors and controls the levels of air,
water and nutrition to provide optimum growing requirements with a fully integrated
computer management system.
D.6.1 Optimum air quality:

Temperature and humidity levels are closely monitored and maintained in an
optimum range for each crop being grown. In warehouse installations the
addition of CO² is an optional addition that further increases crop growth and
yield rates.
D.6.2 Optimum water quality:

All fresh water into Vertical Farm System installations has particulate, fluoride
and heavy metal contaminants removed and are sterilized before entering the
system.
D.6.3 Optimum light quality:

High-intensity low-energy LED lighting has been specifically developed and is
used for maximum growth rates, high reliability and cost-effective operation.
The duration and intensity of the specific parts of the light spectrum that plants
use during different stages of their growth is carefully programmed into the
computer management system. This ground-breaking technology has
dramatic effects on plant growth rates and yields.

1. Run-off - may refer to: Surface runoff, the flow of water, from rain, snow melt, or other
sources, over land.
2. Myriad - (Ancient Greek) is a classical Greek word for the number read as "ten thousand" in
English. Similar to the use of 萬 or 万 in East Asian languages, it can also be used generically
to denote any "numberless", "countless", or "infinite" large quantity.
3. Implementation - is the realization of an application, or execution of a plan, idea, model,
design, specification, standard, algorithm, or policy.
4. IDRC - International Development Research Centre.
5. Ecosystem - is a community of living organisms (plants, animals and microbes) in
conjunction with the nonliving components of their environment (things like air, water and
mineral soil), interacting as a system. These biotic and abiotic components are regarded as
linked together through nutrient cycles and energy flows.
6. Innovation - is the application of better solutions that meet new requirements, in articulated
needs, or existing market needs. This is accomplished through more effective products,
processes, services, technologies, or ideas that are readily available to markets, governments
and society.
7. VF – Vertical Farming.
8. George Joshua Richard Monbiot - (born 27 January 1963) is an English writer, known for
his environmental and political activism. He lives in Machynlleth, Wales, writes a weekly
column for The Guardian, and is the author of a number of books, including Captive State:
The Corporate Takeover of Britain (2000) and Bring on the Apocalypse: Six Arguments for
Global Justice (2008). He is the founder of The Land is ours, a peaceful campaign for the
right of access to the countryside and its resources in the United Kingdom.
9. Year round Crop – Throughout a full year harvesting.
10. Billion - In numbers: Long and short scales, 1,000,000,000, one thousand million, 109, in the
short scale 1,000,000,000,000, one million million, 1012, in the long scale.
11. Yanomami tribe - The Yanomami, also spelled Yąnomamö or Yanomama, are a group of
approximately 35,000 indigenous people who live in some 200–250 villages in the Amazon
rainforest on the border between Venezuela and Brazil.
12. Aquaponics - is a food production system that combines conventional aquaculture, (raising
aquatic animals such as snails, fish, crayfish or prawns in tanks), with hydroponics (cultivating
plants in water) in a symbiotic environment. In normal aquaculture, excretions from the
animals being raised can accumulate in the water, increasing toxicity. In an aquaponic
system, water from an aquaculture system is fed to a hydroponic system where the by-
products are broken down by nitrogen-fixing bacteria into nitrates and nitrites, which are
utilized by the plants as nutrients. The water is then recirculates back to the aquaculture
system.
13. Aeroponics - is the process of growing plants in an air or mist environment without the use
of soil or an aggregate medium (known as geoponics). The word "aeroponic" is derived from
the Greek meanings of aero- (air) and ponos (labour). Aeroponic culture differs from
conventional hydroponics, aquaponics, and in-vitro (plant tissue culture) growing. Unlike
hydroponics, which uses a liquid nutrient solution as growing medium and essential minerals
to sustain plant growth; or aquaponics which uses water and fish waste, aeroponics is
conducted without a growing medium. Because water is used in aeroponics to transmit
nutrients, it is sometimes considered a type of hydroponics.
14. Ramification - is the divergence of the stem and limbs of a plant into smaller ones, i.e. trunk
into branches, branches into increasingly smaller branches, etc. Gardeners stimulate the
process of ramification through pruning, thereby making trees, shrubs and other plants
bushier and denser.
15. Monocrop - Monocropping is the high-yield agricultural practice of growing a single crop year
after year on the same land, in the absence rotation through other crops. Corn, soybeans,
and wheat are three common crops often grown using monocropping techniques

CHAPTER 3 - CASE STUDIES

3.1 “The Living Tower” by: SOA Architects[1].
―Living Tower‖ by SOA Architects, the vertical farm is located in Rennes, France.
This tower is very modern in style and portrays a wrapping of sorts around the
exterior façade. This artistic wrap is very functional as well due to the combination
on of program consisting of not only farming but housing and business.
The idea from the start was to see if it would be possible to integrate the key
farming aspect into a mixed program. From the outside the clear glass
accommodates the farming aspect, while the darker band consists of small
windows for the apartments and meeting rooms. In this fashion, each floor plate is a
mix of two types of programs with one always being the farming.

Fig 15: site plan
Fig16: Ground floor plans (Market area) Fig17 : upper floor plans (apartments and
offices with integrated framing)

In section it can be seen that the farming is actually sloped just as it is perceived
from the façade. This is most likely for purposes of sun orientation so that the crops
can receive the most.
Fig18: Section - Showing vertical circulation core and plant locations sloping throughout.

Also, the center contains the core of the building with all circulation as well as
harvesting and containment of the crops.
Fig 19 : construction details and façade

fig21: Housing / planting wrap
fig20: Structure fig22: Energy production

fig23 : Interior – showing crops
fig24 : Interior – Business meeting rooms

3.2 “The Eco-Laboratory” by: Weber Thompson
The Eco-laboratory by Weber Thompson[2] is a combination of a laboratory,

housing, and of course, farming. A strong emphasis is put into making the building
sustainable. First through building ventilation a variation of temperatures can be
customized for different crop species through mechanical louvers. The system
starts outside capturing fresh air from a patch, another name for a garden, and
forces that air into the building. The cool air is pumped up from the bottom
exhausting the hot hair out of the top. Vents can be closed to keep the temperature
warm for tomatoes for instance that prefer the hotter climates.
fig25: building ventilation

In terms of energy, the laboratory tries to capture as much energy as possible from
all elements. Wind turbines are located on the rooftop. Solar panels to capture the
sun‘s rays are not only located on the roof but on the southern façade too. This
building also takes methane from the plants waste.
fig26: energy cycle
 The water cycle is another interesting aspect.
 The shape of the roof was designed in a shape to best capture rainwater.
 The rainwater is then used for all of the housing throughout the building.
 Once used both grey water and black water are recycled through a waste water
treatment greenhouse.
 After treatment all of the water is considered grey water and now continues
onto the hydroponic systems for the plants.

fig27: water cycle
fig28: NE view fig29: section

3.3 Harvest tower Green Project Vancouver, BC
In March 2009 the city of Vancouver ran an idea‘s competition which asked the
contestants to address the problems of sustainability and urban density. Vancouver
based Romses Architects won the Secondary category for their housing proposal
and received honorary mention for the Harvest tower in the primary category. Both
proposals were focused on sustainability and vertical farming. The Harvest tower
was a proposed mix use tower that devoted a majority of space to vertical farms.
The Housing proposal is a scheme to turn a portion of people‘s backyard into a
laneway.
The prominent piece of the Harvest Green Project is the proposed tower that will
house the actual vertical gardens. Besides vertical farming, the tower also makes
room for an aquaponic fish farm as well as a livestock grazing plain for chickens
and cows. These additions expand the notion of the vertical farm to the idea of a
vertical food production plant for the surrounding neighborhood. The tower also
boasts its use of green energy to power its functions. Wind turbines and solar
panels collect renewable energy, while the decomposing of organic material
creates methane which is then turned into energy via a turbine.
The Program
Vertical Farming is not all that the Harvest Green Project houses. Included in the
program of the tower is a transit line and station, Live/Work lofts, an organic food
store, super market, as well as a ‗Harvest Green‘ restaurant that utilizes produce
grown in the tower. This diverse program really sets the Harvest Green Project
apart from other Vertical Farming towers in that it is not only productive (i.e.
producing food) but also performative in that it utilizes the locally grown food on site
(i.e. the store/super market and restaurant).

Residential Laneways:
The second part of this proposed project deals with the residential condition of low
density housing and its unsustainable nature. This secondary proposal serves as
an appendage to the main Harvest Green Tower. The idea initiating these
residential laneways is that the large backyard space behind residential houses sits

empty and unutilized. Reclaiming 10m at the end of the residential plot creates a
new laneway that can be filled with sustainable and productive buildings of varying
sizes. These buildings could be small residences, community gathering places, or
even small recycling collection centers. Either way they would serve to reconnect
the residential neighborhood.
1. SOA Architects - SOA Architects practices diversity while basing itself on the personal
interest and strengths of its associates: architecture, design, ethnology, town planning and
conceptual art. This collective working method marks each production with strong theoretical,
aesthetic and sociological aspects, founded on the analysis of the multiple constituents of
geographical and social territories.
2. Weber Thompson - was founded in 1988 as an architectural firm focused primarily on urban
infill, mixed-use projects. The firm has since evolved into a highly-diversified design agency
with capabilities in four complementary design disciplines: Architecture, Interior Design,
Community Design and Landscape Architecture. With special attention to our client's vision,
the environment, and careful collaboration between client and design/construction teams, our
primary objective is to design exceptional, sustainable projects that help our clients find
success.

CHAPTER 4

4.1 ANALYSIS
4.1.1 Analysis of the research’s question, regarding the case studies with
focus on the impacts of environment, society, and cost:
Case study 1: ―The Living Tower‖ by: SOA Architects.
 Healthier products (no insects or need for pesticides)

 Regulation of climate (more reliable production of products)
 Use of renewable energies as power ( Wind and Sun )
 no reliance on coal
Case study 2: ―The Eco-Laboratory‖ by: Weber Thompson:
 Energy: While conserving energy through infrastructure design and

decreasing energy costs, the vertical farm will also implement renewable
sources of energy, decreasing reliance on coal-burning industries.
 Water: Collection and recycling of water will be done in a sustainable and

mindful practice.
 Aesthetics: As a societal impact,Weber Thompson supports the infrastructure

design as jointly visually pleasing and functional in energy conservation.
The possibilities of Vertical Farms with respect to waste management practices, the
ecology of a city, and other societal impacts (a summary of ideas of research)
Advantages Disadvantages
Water can be used more efficiently in a ―Black water‖ or the

vertical farm wastewater and sludge from
soils, from the vertical farms
need an additional costly
filtration system in order to be
recycled and conservative of
the water resources.
Less CO2 emissions and pollution by Initial costs of designs and
decreasing reliance on coal-burning renewable energy is often
industries and transportation, and unattractive to developers.
implementing renewable sources of
energy.

Less deforestation and land use, N/a
which means less erosion and less
flooding ( Natural ecosystem )
Healthier products and ―urban‖ Displacement of agricultural

farming jobs societies, potential loss or
displacement of traditional
farming jobs.
Natural hazards and impacts on ecosystem:

Contribution of Ecosystems to Historical Radiative Forcing and
Current Greenhouse Gas Emissions:

Unsustainable Water Withdrawals for Irrigation:
Changes in Agricultural Land (Pasture and Cropland) and Breakdown of

Global land cover:

Global Production, Prices, and Undernourishment:
Proportion of Population with Improved Sanitation:

Proportion of Population with Improved Drinking Water:
Estimated Total Reactive Nitrogen Deposition from the Atmosphere (Wet and
Dry) in Early 1990s, and Projected for 2050 :

Locations Reported by Various Studies as Undergoing High Rates of Land
Cover Change in the Past Few Decades:
Characteristics of the World’s Ecological Systems:

4.1.2 Current technology and state of development:
Current research is exploring two paths along which to develop

methods of vertically stacked farming. One is Hydroponics, using artificial non-
consumable substrates on which the plants are anchored through which water
flows with added nutrients. Without the involvement of soil, the process becomes
cleaner, and the plants grow more efficiently.
When a full day and night cycle is employed for growth using artificial light, an
efficiency of up to five times compared to traditional agricultural practices might be
achieved. Using Aeroponics, in which the roots of plants are suspended in dark
boxes in which a vaporized nutrient solution is channeled; the growth efficiency can
be even higher. Using the inedible parts of the grown plants as well as the compost
influx energy can be generated using methane conversion to power the lights,
assisted by Photovoltaic on the roof and built into the windows.
There are various other ways of energy generation technologies that can be
applied, as well as several light transmission techniques such as light tubes and
tunnels to channel light further into the building than direct sunlight allows. Currently
the most promising technique for using the compost is by extracting the methane
and then use cogeneration as a conversion technique. By burning the methane
electricity is generated as well as heat. The heat is then used for various tasks
within the building itself and can provide neighboring buildings with heating and hot
water as well. Even though burning would occur, this would be a carbon neutral
solution since the carbon was sequestered by the growing plants in the first place in
order for it to end up in the methane.
Taking all this together and performing a rough but conservative energy balance
analysis it has been concluded that it is very likely that a farm can be built that uses
little to no energy from exterior sources .
Most if not all of these technologies are realities and are in effect in various
configurations around the world. They have not yet been combined, and the
challenge of building a vertical farm lies in connecting and operating these separate
technologies as one efficient system.

4.1.3 Economic viability:
Under the direction of Dr. Dickson Despommier of Columbia

University a financial analysis was performed to investigate the viability of a
vertical farming enterprise.

The report concludes as follows:
1. The urban hydroponics model of Vertical Farming is both presently realizable

and profitable. The investment return is comparable to stock market averages.
2. Properly implemented renewable energy sources can significantly reduce utilities

expenditures, justifying their initial capital cost.
3. Corporate and institutional investors are willing to finance Vertical Farming as a

result of the operations significant secondary benefits.
4. Vertical Farming presents a unique investment opportunity as it aims to

revolutionize our understanding of food production and urban development."
The report is positive about the financial viability of a vertical farming project, but
understands and recognizes that a project with normal return on investment
characteristics but with a high risk factor will not be easy, and that emphasis should
be placed on the secondary benefits of vertical farms such as water filtration
functions, reduction of food transportation costs, increase in food quality and laying
the foundations for a sustainable urban development. Funding for the first,
experimental, vertical farm should be sought in the area of Philanthropic
organizations as well as Venture Capital firms, according to the report.
However, I believe that in countries with active participating governments such as in

Scandinavia, Germany or the Benelux, it should be possible to create an
experimental project to serve as a foundation for further investment on a larger
level. With countries such as the Netherlands taking pride in environmental
technological achievements (e.g. Delta Works), and having agricultural innovations
in greenhouse technology as a major export product, it would suit their international
agendas by being the first to develop the technology and expertise to build and run
these operations. Once the experimental nature of vertical farms has been explored
and the knowledge has been gathered to implement these effectively, they could be
used to effect an even more substantial gain by providing developing countries with
the ability to build and maintain these operations.
An example for this can be sought in existing algae plants. Highly profitable
Spirulina[1] Algae plants have been built in Africa to aid small towns in both
generating nutrition and economical resources. The "Central Food Technology
Institute has been active since 1960 (ref) in implementing algae growing plants in
India quite successfully, and the African Green Future initiative in cooperation with
IIMSAM (Intergovernmental Institution for the use of Micro-algae Spirulina against
Malnutrition) uses algae plants built by hand out of mud and some bricks to treat
large quantities of raw sewage and turn it into animal feed, fertilizers and biofuel.
It should be noted that algae plants are of a technological very different nature from
vertical farms, and the latter usually requires a higher standard of maintenance,
operation and investment. Also, Spirulina plants are highly profitable and require
little investment. Their development profile is quite substantially different from a
vertical farm. That said, their usefulness is limited, one can only do so much with
algae. While it can be used for human consumption (it is also one of the few non-
animal sources of vitamin B12), it really is not diverse enough to become a staple of

nutrition for a nation.
Once success has been achieved with simpler methods such as algae farms, low-
technology vertical farming techniques could be experimented with to aid in the
increase of agricultural capital and crop diversity.
4.1.4 Social and Political consequences:
Imagining a future where urban vertical farming

becomes an important driver of the food production industry, the consequences on
a social and political level would be difficult to predict, but they would be
substantial.
Major shifts in food distribution networks would ensue and therefore changes in
political trade balances between nations and regions. Urban farms would compete
and most likely gain the upper hand in the production of the majority of food in
urban regions, leaving agricultural land to be used for more specialized uses, or to
be returned to a natural state. Of course the production of food crops on land will
quite likely remain financially beneficial as its primary investments are low, but as oil
and energy prices rise, the transportation of these crops will gain an increasing
share in the cost of traditionally cultivated food.
On a sociological level people in dense urban environments would be partially

reconnected with the cycle of resources that exists in the natural world. Waste
would be locally treated and used to grow nutrients that are then consumed locally.
The requirements of the vertical farms in terms of labor and maintenance would
mingle a modern agrarian work force with that of more typical urban dwellers, which
might prove for an interesting cultural interchange.
It might serve to re-establish a certain respect and understanding for natural

processes in the educational system as farms and schools can be co-located and
other functions are integrated as well. It would not be a large stretch of the
imagination to envision the merger of public places and food production, after all if
Chinese gardens did it in ways we admire now, why not apply it to a new urban
development? For developing worlds the farms could be a center for development,
and substituting some high technology solutions with labor intensive solutions
provide for employment for a substantial number of people.
For developing areas it would mean a more reliable source of food, a more solid
infrastructural foundation to build a society upon and a basis for a more solid
economy. In addition it would likely reduce the amount of food related traffic within
the city, although that is difficult to quantify. The quality of food could be regulated
better and the water filtration properties of a vertical farm are paramount to healthy
future development, this being a major issue in many developing areas. It could
assist in providing employment for women in countries where women have lower
(agricultural) social status and provide for a framework of reintegration of these
classes and an emancipation of this status.

But not just for developing countries vertical farms could be a solution to multiple
problems. Countries like Iceland, Chili and Japan, which have very little agricultural
land available, could start reducing their dependence on imported goods, reducing
their vulnerability to market fluctuations.
4.2. Conclusion:
The implications of vertical farming in an urban ecology
This dissertation will conclude by examining how

vertical farming can encourage a more resilient, cyclical resource metabolism to
emerge in the microcosm of human society, the city.
Large scale urban farming, in the shape of vertical farms, can thoroughly affect the
way we provide for our daily necessities. Its potential is enormous, positively
affecting transportation, food quality, the economy of cities, skyline and the
sociological landscape of urban areas. However, it depends on its level of
implementation how influential it can be.
Also as a long vision future is urban totally. And here the vertical farming concepts
can really act as an emerging trend for resource (oil, land, water etc.) management.
The impact of urban agriculture, vertical or not, could range from large to small. The
range spans from a nice and functional addition to the agricultural services
providing some places with a percentage of their food contribution in highly
developed countries, to revolutionary development in food production that shifts the
balance from rural to urban and empowers developing countries in economical,
political and social ways as not seen before.
In the case of architecture it really helps the city to shape its skyline and
sociological landscape of urban areas .As architects it is necessary to continue to
push for experimentation and exploration of this realm. The challenge of architects
for this vertical farm is to maximize sunlight penetration and provide facilities for the
public and commercial sectors. The crops areas should place on top and envisaged
to the south, to take advantage of the southern sun. Scaffold framed structures and
meshes can be used to keep farm area light. The technologies are known, but
they've hardly been used in such a way before. Also, the economical characteristics
are not entirely known. Without test sites and further research into the
implementation of vertical farms into the fabric of the city it will remain guess work.
What is certain is that vertical farms provide an enormous potential for changing the
functional operations of cities the world over, and that whoever manages to harness
them in an economically and ecologically sound way has a bright future ahead of
them. International cooperation to achieve the first few plants would be a good
start, and a number of experimental vertical farms the next step. No matter how it
will be done, large scale urban farming is a viable opportunity in architecture that
can play a very important role in the next century, if executed correctly.

To effectively explain vertical farming‘s impact on urban resource metabolism it is
important to address the underlying systematic behavior of cities in relation to that
of their sustaining natural ecosystems. Like ecosystems, cities are classified a
―complex adaptive systems‖; complex in that they are diverse and composed of
multiple interconnected agents, and adaptive in their capacity to evolve in response
to stimulus. Both can be described as emergent phenomena wherein their overall
form and behavior are determined not by the sum of their constituent parts, but
rather the patterns that emerge from the interactions of their constituent parts. Both
are also strongly influenced by their contextual forces: the hydrological and
thermodynamic signature of a region for ecosystems and the regional economic,
demographic, and environmental forces for cities. Urban systems will expand or
contract, evolve or become stagnant over time, just like ecological communities.
The evident behavioral distinctions

between cities and ecosystems can be explained primarily by the differing levels of
diversity among their respective constituent agents. It is widely understood that
ecosystems exhibit a complex cyclical metabolism. This is enabled by the
heterogeneous[2] array of organisms that compose ecosystems, where the waste
material discharged by one organism can become the nourishment for another.
This metabolic structure is astonishingly self-reliant, requiring few inputs beyond
sunlight and externalizing no material output waste.
fig: Resource metabolism of natural ecosystems

On the other hand, modern cities have overwhelmingly linear
metabolisms distinguished by their insatiable appetite for natural resource inputs
and substantial production of waste outputs. This simplistic resource usage pattern
is a product of the homogeneity of a city‘s composition. In contrast to the internal
diversity of ecosystems, cities are largely composed of entities fulfilling the role of
heterotrophic consumption.
Urban citizens consume food, water, and other commodities, their buildings and
appliances consume electricity, and their vehicles consume fuel – the latter two also
involving the consumption of raw materials in their manufacture.
Without the complimentary metabolic functions of producers or decomposers urban

agents must obtain these resources from sources found outside the community,
while also creating wastes of little use to the community, forming the traditional
input and output externalities of urban life.
fig: Resource metabolism of industrial society

Stated simply, vertical farming is the urban replacement of imported rural
agriculture. It introduces the possibility for large-scale agriculture to exist within the
confines of dense urban environments, enabling cities to achieve greater self-
sufficiency in their nutritional demands. The impact of this transition on the
resilience of urban economies is hard to overstate. For example, a network of
vertical farms would protect cities from the temporary instances of volatility that can
disturb the importation of vital commodities, such as extreme weather and social
unrest. Increased commodity security is particularly important for food, since most
food products have a limited shelf life and must travel thousands of miles to reach
urban markets.
fig: Resource metabolism of industrial society decoupling from environmental impact
Additionally, vertical farming would increase a

city‘s resilience to the more long-term, systemic alterations that human society is
widely expected to experience in the coming decades. With vertical farming‘s
maximally efficient resource use and functional segregation from the natural world,
cities could achieve food security amidst the environmental transformations and
resource shortages that would cripple a conventional urban food network.
The elegance of the vertical farming concept is
that it reduces the ecological impact of food production by harnessing the existing
momentum of technological innovation, rather than requiring the resistance of
humanity‘s instinctual desire for improved material comfort and convenience. By
disconnecting food production from the Earth‘s fragile ecosystems and integrating it

with the industrial ecology8 of urban centers vertical farming could help establish a
new paradigm for urban resource metabolism characterized by improved resource
productivity and the cyclical exchange of materials.
With respect to its advantageous material input demands

and output yields, vertical farms would fill two vacant roles in conventional urban
ecologies: autotrophic production and detritivoric[3] decomposition. In perfect
contrast to the consumption of food products and production of sewage and organic
wastes that urban life necessitates, a vertical farm would serve as a consumer of
organic waste and a producer of the food cities require. In doing so vertical farming
would allow the metabolic mutualism synonymous with cyclical resource flows to
become a regular phenomenon in urban ecology.
The metabolic impacts of the discussed vertical farm typologies would be clearly
visible at the neighborhood scale. Agro-Arcology‘s[4] most visible impact would be
the establishment of a mutually beneficial resource interaction with its adjacent
urban vicinity, as the building would collect the bio waste generated from its
neighbors and off era stable supply of fresh fruit and vegetables in return.
Beyond this its metabolic impact would be largely commensal in nature, as its on-
site production of electricity and purification of water and air would likely only
benefit the building‘s residents. However, to fully appreciate the building‘s effect on
urban resource metabolism one must look more broadly at the potential impact of
the typology in general. The vertical farm arcology is a unique variant of a very
prevalent, existing building type – the multi-unit residential building. If vertical farm
arcologies were adopted by developers and urban planners as a more
advantageous residential model they would allow multi-unit housing to evolve from
its existing parasitic requirement for external resources to one defined by resource
self-reliance. This mutation of multi-unit housing could enable the world‘s cities to
accommodate the massive population growth expected in the 21st century without
significantly increasing its dependence on the external environment.
In contrast, large vertical farms like SkyFarm and the Ontario Vertical Food
Terminal represent entirely new building types that could reconfigure the resource
metabolism of entire regions of existing urban fabric. In addition to displacing
existing external food importation with an urban alternative, large scale vertical farm
could function as regional bio waste processing facilities. This metabolic role would
enable urban ecologies to productively utilize bio waste, a provision that could
ultimately reduce municipal waste impositions on the natural environment by over
34%. Moreover, as the soil fertilization and fortification benefits of the resultant
anaerobic digestives are desirable commodities in rural areas, such vertical farms
would allow urban ecologies to help replenish the natural lands they have
consumed for millennia.
Using the economic analysis as a

benchmark, both SkyFarm and the Ontario Vertical Food Terminal would
undoubtedly cost well over a billion dollars to construct. At this scale vertical farms
could only be realized by developers with virtually endless capital and the capability
of operating massive, logistically complex buildings.

My response to this is that one must realize that vertical farming can exist at a wide
range of scales like conventional farming. Designs like SkyFarm and the OVFT
should be understood as conceptual explorations of the concept at the extremities
of its potential realization, much in the same way Frank Lloyd Wright‘s Mile High
Illinois[5] served as a provocation for super tall skyscrapers. With the projected
trends of rising food prices and the improving efficiency of grow lights in mind, it
appears the vertical farming model advocated in this dissertation can expect its
gross revenue per unit of production to rise while its major capital and operating
costs will shrink. Therefore, vertical farming will likely be an accessible venture for
community-scaled businesses in the future; a scenario that would enable vertical
farming to infiltrate the food production system of liberal economies through the
phenomena of bottom-up, emergence.
Moving forward, the question of how best to facilitate this shift to a more resilient,
self-contained urban metabolism presents itself. After acknowledging the obvious
necessity for the continued advancement of the technologies that improve resource
productivity, one interesting development could see an expansion to the scope of
urban planning to include the adaptive management of urban metabolism. If armed
with a thorough understanding of the science of system‘s theory and the mechanics
of industrial ecology, urban planners could introduce informed by-law amendments
and zoning changes to encourage metabolic attractors like vertical farms to gain a
foothold where they are needed most. Through this practice we may ultimately
learn that effective stewardship of the natural environment begins with the
stewardship of our own industrial ecology.
"Farming itself is blight on the natural landscape. It‘s only

12,000 years old. We have been a species for over 200,000 years. Farming has
eliminated our hardwood forests. Producing food in tall buildings will allow us for the
first time to feed everyone on earth and still return land to its original ecological
function." (Dr. Despommier)
1. Spirulina algae - Spirulina is a cyanobacterium that can be consumed by humans and

animals and is made primarily from two species of cyanobacteria: Arthrospira platensis and
Arthrospira maxima.
2. Heterogeneous - Homogeneity and Heterogeneity are concepts relating to the uniformity in a
substance. A material that is homogeneous is uniform in composition or character; one that is
heterogeneous is distinctly nonuniform in one of these qualities.
3. Detritivores - also known as detritophages, detritus feeders, detritus eaters, or saprophages,
are heterotrophs that obtain nutrients by consuming detritus (decomposing plant and animal
parts as well as organic fecal matter).[1] By doing so, they contribute to decomposition and
the nutrient cycles.

4. Arcology - combining "architecture" and "ecology",is a set of architectural design principles
for enormous habitats (hyper structures) of extremely high human population density. These
largely hypothetical structures would contain a variety of residential, commercial, and
agricultural facilities and minimize individual human environmental impact. They are often
portrayed as self-contained or economically self-sufficient. The concept has been primarily
popularized, and the term itself coined, by architect Paolo Soleri, and appears commonly in
science fiction.
5. The Mile High Illinois - Illinois Sky-City, or simply The Illinois was a proposed skyscraper that
would have been 1 mile (1,600 m) high, described by Frank Lloyd Wright in his 1956 book, A
Testament. The design, intended to be built in Chicago, would have included 528 stories, with
a gross area of 18,460,000 square feet (1,715,000 m2). Wright stated that there would be
parking for 15,000 cars and 150 helicopters. Had it been built, it would have been the tallest
building in the world by far, being more than four times the height of the then tallest building in
the world, the Empire State Building, and it would be nearly twice as tall as the world's current
tallest building, the Burj Khalifa The design of the Burj Khalifa, the current tallest building in
the world, is said to have been inspired by that of The Illinois.
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1. Albright, Louis (2004) CEA: Controlled Environment Agriculture

http://www.cornellcea.com/about_CEA.htm.
2. Bourne, Joel K Jr. The End of Plenty, (2009, June). National Geographic.
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Canada, 2009 summer.
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12. Albright, Louis (2004) CEA: Controlled Environment Agriculture
http://www.cornellcea.com/about_CEA.htm
13. Anscombe, Jim as in Charles Mkoka, Unchecked Deforestation Endangers Malawi
Ecosystems. Environment News Service. (2004, 16 November). Retrieved from Lester
Brown‘s Plan 3.0B
14. Baillie, Jonathan, Georgina Mace, Hillary Masundire, et al. (2005) Millennium Ecosystem
Assessment, Volume 1 – State and Trends Assessment, Chapter 4 – Biodiversity.
Washington, D.C.: Island Press
15. Blackburn, Harvey W. & de Haan, Cornelius. (1999). Livestock and biodiversity. In Wanda
W. Collins & Calvin O. Qualset, eds., Biodiversity in Agroecosystems. Washington, D.C.:
CRC Press
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lettuce production. Ph.D. Dissertation. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Libraries. p.172
17. Bourne, Joel K jr. Th e End of Plenty, (2009, June). National Geographic. p.26-5
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State of the Planet. Tuross Head, NSW: International Books
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Institute, W.W. Norton & Company.
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Pimental and C.W. Hall (eds.) Food and Natural Resources. San Diego: Academic Press,
p.69-83

21. Caldwell, John C. & Caldwell, Bruce K. (2003) Was there a Neolithic Mortality Crisis?
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Washington: Center for Global Development and Peterson Institute for International
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Cambridge, Mass: Belknap Press
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“BREATHING HIGHRISES”

LOVELY SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE

Certified that this Dissertation entitled ― BREATHING HIGHRISES ‖

Guide Dissertation Co-ordinator

Head of the Department

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I do here by declare that this Dissertation entitled

Date Kukku Joseph Jose

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I express my sincere gratitude to my guide Prof. Sarbeswar Praharaj and our

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2.1 BOOK REVIEWS

a. The Vertical Farm:..……………………………………………………16

2.2 LITERATURE STUDY

a. The quick facts about vertical farming…………………………..…22

CHAPTER 3 - CASE STUDIES

3.1 ―The Living Tower‖ by: SOA Architects……………………………...…...37

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p.8 Fig. 1.0 “Agriculture’s evolution”

p.18 Fig. 2.0 'Urban Farm, Urban Epicenter'

p.23 Fig. 4.0 The Spiral Garden system.

p.24 Fig. 6.0 ―The Pyramidal Vertical farm” Dubai

p.25 Fig. 7.0 “The Vertical Farm”

p.25 Fig. 8.0 “The Framscapers”

p.26 Fig. 9.0 Concept indicating images

p.27 Fig. 10.0 Crop possibilities

p.28 Fig. 11.0 Methods of water treatment in vertical farms – illustration

p.29 Fig. 12.0 Hydroponics

p.29 Fig. 13.0 Aeroponics

p.29 Fig. 14.0 Aeroponic system

p.29 Fig. 15.0 Float Stem system

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Vertical farming is the urban farming of fruits, vegetables, and

What is a vertical farm?

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It is predicted that the world population will reach 9

1.2 PROJECT BRIEF

This dissertation is comprised of 4 parts or chapters. The first part deals

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To evaluate the scope of the vertical farming concept in

Vertical farming is the urban farming of fruits, vegetables,

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 Literature reviews to examine the current agricultural practices were

3. Abandoned or unused properties will be used productively.

4. Water can be used more efficiently in a vertical farm.

5. The greywater[9] from office etc can be used efficiently.

5. The layers of atmosphere can be used effectively in vertical build ups.

5. Less CO2 emissions and pollution by decreasing reliance on coal-burning power

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7. Crops will be consumed immediately upon harvest since there is no need to

5. Displacement of agricultural societies, potential loss or displacement of traditional

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a. The Vertical Farm:

Dr. Dickson Despommier is considered one of the world's foremost

He in this book mainly explains the many advantages of vertical farming. As