_The Architecture of Urban Farming:Plug-and-Play Urban Greenhouses by SOA Architectes

VegetationTopsoilBall clay

40/40 grating

Pallet racking

Culture tank

Sprinkler system

SOA has proposed a set of rooftop greenhouses as part of the reno-vation of a public-housing complex in the Paris suburb of Romain-ville. The structures are easily plugged in on top of the existing struc-ture. This allows the buildings to continue to mesh with the surround-ing buildings while adding a new green interest to the skyline. The greenhouses’ only source of heat will be the sun, requiring a shift to cold-resistant crops during the winter. The project is awaiting funding from the French state.

Alluvial Soil of the Red River Basin

_PlantaSymbioSystem

BioGas Power Facility

Bio gas

Peak Heat

District Heat

Plant Nutrients

CO2

Heat

Plant WasteOrganic Waste

The farm produces vegetation and left over resources mainly composed of organic plant material, as well as consumes carbon dioxide and is partially heated with excess heat from surrounding context. The organic waste from the farms is used in the production of biogas and fertilizers. This system works to facilitate a “cradle-to-cradle” symbiosis between the farm and the urban grid.

-Plantagon

This region of Louisiana is particularly ideal for the growing of these specific crops as well as other non-indigenous plants due to the climate and soil composition of the area.

Brooklyn Grange

Brooklyn Navy Yard Farm. Largest rooftop farm, covering 65,000 SQ FT. Rooftop farm accounts for 1 million gallons of storm-water filtration per year. Utilized 10-12” of RoofLite Ag Blend soil to contain vegetation and manage stormwater.

43,000 SQ FT rooftop farm on 38-17 Northern Blvd. 10” of light soil. Building below houses businesses that utilize the produce of the farm above.

New York City Apiary, located on 300 acres houses 20 independant hives, yielding honey and the honeycomb as well as increasing bee popula-tions in the area.

Stormwater and Grey-water Collection

Simple irrigation methods that have potential for the Allendale and Ledbetter Heights areas

Allendale-Scale Farm-ing Operations

Greywater is any water has previously been utilized for washing or cleaning. It can be used for a number of purposes rather than being sent to a sewage plant, including, irrigation, indoor reuse, water usage in extreme environ-ments, and heat reclamation. It can be recycled with or without purification depending on the particular need.

_Irrigation

_Other Farming Initiatives

The Greenhouse Project

Kiss+Cathcart project that partners with New York Sun Works and The Manhattan School for Children to integrate a greenhouse into the school. School greenhouse and separate barge greenhouse help facilitate cultivation learning in the children and allow an interface between the school and its students, the produce industry, and the surrounding neighborhoods.

The Science Barge, by New York Sun Works. The only total net zero carbon emissions, zero pesticides, and zero runoff facility in New York.

MiniFerme by SOA Architectes is an Allendale-scale proposal for implementation into the city core.

Recently completed project by SOA Architectes. A small urban farm and education center in Plateau d’Avron. Was designed to offer a connection between the people and surrounding farmland and agriculture.

_Other Farming Initiatives

The Science Barge by New York Sun Works

The Science Barge is a sustainable farm situated on a barge vessel that is powered by solar and wind power, biofuels, and irrigated by rain and river water. It provides a source of food for the city with zero total carbon emissions, no net water consumption, and no waste runoff. The produce on the barge requires 7x less land and 4x less water than standard field crops. Vegetation is grown using a system of hydroponics. The whole system is carbon neutral so there is no adverse affect to the environment.

Hydroponics is a subset of aquatic horticulture, where plants are grown in a mineral rich solution in the absence of soil. Almost all plants are capable of growing in this way. This method produces higher yield with no pesticides and reduced risk of plant disease.

_Anaerobic Digestion

Carbohydrates

Proteins

Fats

Sugars

Fatty Acids

Amino Acids

Carbonic Acids and Alcohols

Hydrogen Carbon DioxideAmmonia

HydrogenAcetic AcidCarbon Dioxide

MethaneCarbon Dioxide

Hydrolysis Acidogenesis Acetogenesis Methanogenesis

Anaerobic digestion is a serious of processes in which microorganisms break down biodegrade-able material in the absence of oxygen, hence an-aerobic. It consists of four different processes: Hy-drolysis, Acidogenesis, Acetogenesis, and Metha-nogenesis, which work to break down waste prod-ucts into useable methane and carbon dioxide. Chiefly used in renewable energy processes, an-aerobic digestion can produce renewable biogas for use as fuel or digestate for fertilizer.

Breakdown of complex waste products into use-able fuel components by various bacterial pro-cesses

LEED Platinum Biogas facility in Delhi, LA.