Westfield Creates Urban Farm On Top Of French Shopping Mall
10th January 2019
Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield has opened the first urban farm on top of a shopping centre in France.
The 270 square metre farm is located on the roof of the So Oeust shopping centre. It produces vegetables and plants through vertical agriculture – free from herbicide, pesticide or fertiliser.
Since the opening in June, over one ton of fruits and vegetables have been harvested including tomatoes, basil, mint, strawberries, bell peppers, chilli peppers, kale and thyme.
The products are sold to customers in a dedicated popup store within the shopping centre.
The farm will be extended to 600m this year.
Jean Collet, Director of URW Link, said: “Overall, the circular and collaborative approach of Sous Les Fraises adds true value to our assets: it exploits unused space and promotes a pragmatic and positive vision of agriculture. This enriches our buildings, making them more sustainable and in tune with their environment. We are accelerating on this topic and look forward to new projects with Sous Les Fraises.”
Last year, Westfield unveiled its vision for a ‘hyper-connected micro-city’ fuelled by social interaction and community. Destination 2028 predicts the key trends in retail.
Michael Mander
I am a journalist from Essex, England. I enjoy travelling, and love exploring attractions around the world. I graduated from Lancaster University in 2018. Twitter @michael_mander.