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Old Chicago warehouse retrofitted as urban aquaponics farm

Old Chicago warehouse retrofitted as urban aquaponics farm


Drew Ballensky | May 16, 2012

An old meatpacking warehouse in Chicago is being turned into an urban aquaponics farm. Called “The Plant,” the facility is already operating as a fish hatchery, hydroponic garden, commercial kitchen and brewery for both beer and kombucha tea. The waste from one part of the farm serves as raw material for another, making it a net-zero system.

Fish feed on spent barley from the brewery, and plants feed on waste from the fish. Kombucha tea cultures feed off oxygen produced by plants, while plants feed off carbon dioxide produced by the kombucha cultures. In about a year, The Plant will have an anaerobic digester, which will convert waste to biogas that will be used to power turbines to create electricity. Once the anaerobic digester is installed, The Plant will be completely off the grid. (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/07/the-plant-explained-chicago-urban-farm_n_1497832.html?ref=topbar#s=more224918)

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Drew Ballensky | Dec 16, 2013

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Drew Ballensky | Dec 9, 2013

Bethlehem, Pa., receives preservation award for Bethlehem Steel building renovation

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Drew Ballensky | Dec 2, 2013

Army Corps of Engineers workers displaced during renovation of federal building in Huntington, W. Va.

A $47.6 million overhaul of the Huntington Federal Building in Huntington, West Virginia, includes altered traffic lanes on adjoining streets and the displacement of some of the more than 500 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers employees who work in the building.

Drew Ballensky | Nov 25, 2013

Plans for massive redevelopment of Ft. Monmouth in New Jersey likely to be revised

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Drew Ballensky | Nov 18, 2013

Office design trends spurring office building renovations in Grand Rapids, Michigan

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Drew Ballensky | Nov 11, 2013

Reconstruction of historic Salzburg, Austria railroad station took complex planning

Salzburg, Austria’s Central Station remained in operation during reconstruction, a feat that required complex planning.

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