It will not be long before we see that the cities are producing their own supplies instead of food coming in from rural areas from hundreds of miles. Presenting the urban skyscraper farms that will be able to produce food to satisfy the requirements of all people in the city. This will lead to lesser emissions of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere since transportation of food from the rural areas to the city will decrease. The urban skyscraper farm consists of a greenhouse type environment on top of a skyscraper. Conditions similar to a farm are created in the greenhouse. Rainwater harvesting and other methods to maximize production are used.
The farms will be a boon to mankind since by the year 2080, almost 80% of the world’ population will shift to the cities. There are about 5 designs proposed by different engineers that can make the skyscraper farms possible. The farm towers will revolutionize agriculture as the farms will be able to feed the large populations settled in the cities. In the long run, these strictures will not only provide food but will also relieve the burden from farmlands that are already overused.
The first design of urban skyscraper farms is a vertical farm project by Chris Jacobs. He started the project with his grandfather, Dr. Dickson. His ideology is to produce more energy, water and food for the residents of the building than they can consume. His mission is to work in collaboration with architects, economists and engineers to develop a highly sustainable urban farming system. It would not be long before every other skyscraper in the city will have a farm on the top.
Then there is renowned architect Atelier SOA who has gone a step further by devising his own design.
His proposal is of a vertical farming skyscraper where a light shaded skin is wrapped around the vertical structure and it opens automatically to let sunlight enter at particular designated locations for the sole purpose of farming. The building has an advanced heating and cooling system powered by wind and the systems circulates oxygen and carbon dioxide as per the requirements of the plants. The reinforced steel structure is quite simple in design but it can handle dead loads from the weight of floors and make the entire building durable.