Studio NAB’s new Superfarm project is a 110-foot-tall vertical farm prototype that sits on a 40-foot by 40-foot platform built on the water in an urban area. The prototype goes beyond what typical vertical farms offer by creating an entire ecosystem across its six stories.
The Superfarm will use a combination of soil and soilless cropping techniques and will forgo the use of pesticides. Each floor will have its own specific function, but will work harmoniously with all the other floors to create a vertical ecosystem.
Aquaponics level.
The ground level and Level 1 will be set aside for administration purposes. The Ground Level will include the entrance, cold rooms, storage, order preparation, and space for sale and delivery. Level 1 will include offices bathrooms, and a break room.
See Also: An apiary for the sanctuary
Level 2 is where the growing of plants begins. It is an open platform that will include ginseng, klamath, spirulina, and aloe vera cultures. Level 3 is reserved for insect breeding. Beetles, chenilles, locusts, and grasshoppers will all have a dedicated space on this floor. Level 4 will be dedicated to algae cultures, including chlorella and spirulina. Level 5 will be the aquaponics floor and will include tilapia and trout breeding and young plant cultures. The aquaponics floor will also feed the greenhouse on Level 6. The greenhouse will include an apiary, açaí berry cultures, acerola cultures, goji berry cultures, and aloe vera cultures. Above the greenhouse will be a series of wind turbines and solar panels that will power the farm.
Level 2 platform.
The goal of the Superfarm is to decrease the amount of land needed for agriculture while simultaneously feeding more people, and restore a social link between the produce and the consumer in the city, providing easier access to the products by allowing the consumer direct access to the farm.
Level 6 greenhouse.
Related Stories
Green | Jul 8, 2024
Global green building alliance releases guide for $35 trillion investment to achieve net zero, meet global energy transition goals
The international alliance of UK-based Building Research Establishment (BRE), the Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA), the Singapore Green Building Council (SGBC), the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), and the Alliance HQE-GBC France developed the guide, Financing Transformation: A Guide to Green Building for Green Bonds and Green Loans, to strengthen global cooperation between the finance and real estate sectors.
Sustainability | Jul 1, 2024
Amazon, JPMorgan Chase among companies collaborating with ILFI to advance carbon verification
Four companies (Amazon, JPMorgan Chase, JLL, and Prologis) are working with the International Living Future Institute to support development of new versions of Zero Carbon Certification.
Products and Materials | Jun 30, 2024
Top products from AIA 2024
This month, Building Design+Construction editors are bringing you the top products displayed at the 2024 AIA Conference on Architecture & Design. Nearly 550 building product manufacturers showcased their products—here are 17 that caught our eye.
Sustainability | Jun 26, 2024
5 ways ESG can influence design and create opportunities
Gensler sustainability leaders Stacey Olson, Anthony Brower, and Audrey Handelman share five ways they're rethinking designing for ESG, using a science-based approach that can impact the ESG value chain.
Sustainability | Jun 24, 2024
CBRE to use Climate X platform to help clients calculate climate-related risks
CBRE will use risk analysis platform Climate X to provide climate risk data to commercial renters and property owners. The agreement will help clients calculate climate-related risks and return on investments for retrofits or acquisitions that can boost resiliency.
Building Technology | Jun 18, 2024
Could ‘smart’ building facades heat and cool buildings?
A promising research project looks at the possibilities for thermoelectric systems to thermally condition buildings, writes Mahsa Farid Mohajer, Sustainable Building Analyst with Stantec.
University Buildings | Jun 18, 2024
UC Riverside’s new School of Medicine building supports team-based learning, showcases passive design strategies
The University of California, Riverside, School of Medicine has opened the 94,576-sf, five-floor Education Building II (EDII). Created by the design-build team of CO Architects and Hensel Phelps, the medical school’s new home supports team-based student learning, offers social spaces, and provides departmental offices for faculty and staff.
Codes and Standards | Jun 17, 2024
Federal government releases national definition of a zero emissions building
The U.S. Department of Energy has released a new national definition of a zero emissions building. The definition is intended to provide industry guidance to support new and existing commercial and residential buildings to move towards zero emissions across the entire building sector, DOE says.
Mass Timber | Jun 10, 2024
5 hidden benefits of mass timber design
Mass timber is a materials and design approach that holds immense potential to transform the future of the commercial building industry, as well as our environment.
Mass Timber | May 31, 2024
Mass timber a big part of Western Washington University’s net-zero ambitions
Western Washington University, in Bellingham, Wash., 90 miles from Seattle, is in the process of expanding its ABET-accredited programs for electrical engineering, computer engineering and science, and energy science. As part of that process, the university is building Kaiser Borsari Hall, the 54,000-sf new home for those academic disciplines that will include teaching labs, research labs, classrooms, collaborative spaces, and administrative offices.
