Vertical Farms Grow Amid Skyscrapers In A Plan to Help Feed China’s Largest City

Vertical Farms Grow Amid Skyscrapers In A Plan to Help Feed China’s Largest City

Laura Brehaut | June 1, 2017 9:39 AM ET
More from Laura Brehaut | @newedist

Sasaki Associates

Sasaki Associates

The hydroponic vertical farm will be dedicated to growing Shanghai staple greens such as kale, lettuce and spinach.

As Shanghai sprawls outward, architecture firm Sasaki Associates has announced plans for a farm that grows upward. The hydroponic vertical farm will be built amid the skyscrapers of China’s largest city. Like most vertical farms in use today, it will be dedicated to growing staple leafy greens such as kale, lettuce and spinach, according to Dezeen.

Space-saving is the aim of the project, Dezeen reports. Sasaki Associates intends the multi-storey farm to act as an alternative to the vast swaths of land — and associated costs — required for traditional agriculture. The project will also incorporate urban farming techniques such as algae farms, floating greenhouses and a seed library.

Vertical farms exist in cities worldwide, providing fresh produce, fish, crabs and other foods to residents in cities such as AnchorageBerlinSingapore and Tokyo. Advocates say that vertical farms have a reduced carbon footprint, use fewer pesticides and guzzle less water than traditional farming. Opponents argue that there are many unanswered questions about the practice, and question its economic viability.

Construction of the Shanghai project is expected to start in late 2017 as part of a new development — the Sunqiao Urban Agricultural District. The district will also feature markets, a culinary academy, interactive greenhouses and an education centre for members of the community.

The latest video in our Dezeen x MINI Living Initiative series investigates a design for a hydroponic vertical farm nestled among the skyscrapers of Shanghai. US architecture firm Sasaki Associates has designed the farm to produce food for the inhabitants of China's largest city.
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