K-Farm / Avoid the obvious architect. Image © Imagennix | Scott Brooks Share Share
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https://www.archdaily.com/1021721/future-focused-food-production-integrating-high-tech-agriculture-into-cities
Crisis, crisis, crisis…and guess what? More crisis. Every time I hear those words, everything feels even more terrifying. But the point is, with every challenge comes opportunity. From the lack of affordable housing to the economic downturn to climate change, there are always new challenges and doors opening to new possibilities. But the truth is, none of these are isolated incidents. They are all interconnected in some way and form different aspects of the same story. Perhaps one of the things that is not often mentioned, especially when it comes to the built environment, is the global food crisis. This crisis has been (almost) quietly growing, waiting to come to the fore. This poses various challenges for future food production, especially in cities.
Benjakitti Forest / Turenscape + Arsomlip Community and Environment Architect. Image © Sriras Somsawat
In the current global situation, the increasing frequency of extreme weather events, escalating armed conflicts, and lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic have exposed the vulnerabilities of food supply chains. Around the world, we face catastrophic floods, droughts and geopolitical tensions that disrupt food production, drive up prices and, paradoxically, often remove food from our plates. creating supply chain bottlenecks thousands of miles away.
So what are the alternatives?
The use of terraces, balconies and vertical gardens for food production is becoming increasingly common, but these approaches face significant challenges in their relationship with the outdoor and built environment. Urban air and water pollution often contains heavy metals and chemicals, which can make food crops unsafe to consume. Additionally, environmental factors such as the heat island effect can reduce the scalability of these systems. The relevance of this issue becomes even clearer when you consider that, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 79% of the food produced worldwide is consumed in urban areas. Such statistics suggest that these urban gardening strategies can only address a portion of self-consumption, given the limited ratio of living space to area needed to grow food.
Hell’s Kitchen Farm Project in Manhattan. Image © Rob Stephenson for the Design Trust for Public Space co-constructed rooftop garden “Green Cloud Garden” / 11architecture. Image © Siming Wu
This is where technology comes into play. As we develop new scenarios that integrate urban food production and resilience strategies against different crises, we are witnessing the emergence of innovative proposals. They make full use of the technological possibilities and, when integrated with urban environments, open interesting avenues for consistently and effectively meeting future challenges in food production.
The rise of urban and peri-urban agricultural districts within cities.
Naturally, space and land are increasingly scarce resources, which are crucial for traditional architectural systems. Faced with this reality, we may witness the emergence of entire districts primarily focused on air farms. A strategic approach to land use planning allows these areas to be designated for agricultural use and incorporate both above-ground and potentially floating structures.
AeroFarm is an urban farming facility that uses a soilless growing system known as aeroponic farming, where plants grow in a controlled environment with their roots suspended in the air, receiving a fine mist of nutrients and water. Additionally, it incorporates advanced technologies such as LED lighting, automatic environmental monitoring systems, and water and nutrient recycling to maximize plant growth optimization. Now imagine a city filled with densely packed buildings dedicated to agriculture. Its scale and complexity may evoke Italo Calvino’s invisible city. Can you imagine walking through a cityscape where all you see are agricultural structures?
Architect of Vertical Farm Beijing/Van Bergen Colpa. Image © Weiqi JinFloating Farm Dairy / Goldsmith Company. Image © Ruben Daio Kleimeer
Combining retrofitting and agricultural power generation for green building solutions
Adaptive reuse has been presented as one of the most effective solutions for reducing the environmental impact of buildings. Looking to the future, the possibility of using part of the available building stock to transform it into an urban agricultural hub is being considered. Although this approach poses some challenges, such as the compatibility of buildings with the technical systems needed for food production, it also fosters innovation in architectural design.
Under energy retrofitting plans, these adaptations can be integrated with agricultural power generation systems to achieve dual use of space. Solar panels will now be able to grow food around them while producing energy, maximizing space and creating a symbiotic relationship between food and energy. Strategically locating these buildings in urban centers where access to basic services is guaranteed will shorten production and supply chains, contributing to a more sustainable, economical and efficient model. Possibly.
Grow Home/Design + Architecture Modern Office. Image © Ema PeterSiemens Healthiners Campus by Eller + Eller Architekten. Image provided by: moka-studio
Innovative architecture for agriculture 4.0
After all, architecture is not the only field that will benefit from technological advances. Agriculture is also experiencing impressive growth thanks to what many refer to as the Fourth Industrial Revolution, which includes a variety of technological innovations. For example, big data and artificial intelligence analytics make it possible to process large amounts of information to analyze trends, predict yields, and optimize agricultural decisions. This could lead to architectural programs that incorporate spaces for growing food and server rooms within urban farms and indoor planting facilities.
Robotics and artificial intelligence will also play an important role in building design. With the help of machines and robots, tasks such as planting, harvesting, and crop management can be performed more efficiently, reducing dependence on manual labor. This approach leverages technology to optimize the application of inputs such as water, fertilizers, and pesticides, thereby promoting precision agriculture that minimizes waste. Additionally, the same waste can be used to develop biomaterials with zero environmental impact.
Architect of Vertical Farm Beijing/Van Bergen Colpa. Image © Weiqi JinVertical Farm Beijing / van Bergen Kolpa Architect. Image ©Weiqi Jin
Undoubtedly, as we move towards a future where food insecurity is a growing reality, it will be essential to approach it with caution and self-criticism. This is necessary because much of the current crisis stems from our production, management and consumption habits and public policies that favor excess over more responsible approaches. Rethinking these patterns and adopting more sustainable practices in conjunction with technology is key to addressing these challenges. This can help reduce the impact of crises and build more resilient systems for the future.
Social, geographical and economic circumstances determine how we respond to these contemporary challenges. In this respect, the Global South could play an important role thanks to the ancestral knowledge it has cultivated about agriculture. At the same time, parallel debates may arise leading to questions about the future of the urban environment and even whether suburbs can become the new city. There are many possible directions, but it may be too early to predict what the future will hold. But to build a more just and sustainable future, we need to rethink our relationship with our production systems, the outdoors, and the built environment.
K-Farm / Avoid the obvious architect. Image © Imagennix | Scott Brooks
This article is part of ArchDaily’s topic “Outdoors and the Built Environment.” Each month we delve deeper into a topic through articles, interviews, news, and architectural projects. Learn more about topics on ArchDaily. And, as always, ArchDaily welcomes reader contributions. If you would like to submit an article or project, please contact us.
