flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

Check out this tree-like skyscraper concept for vertical farming

Check out this tree-like skyscraper concept for vertical farming

Seoul is envisioned as the location for this skyscraper farm. 


By BD+C Staff | July 16, 2014
The complex is envisioned with public garden space. Renderings courtesy of April
The complex is envisioned with public garden space. Renderings courtesy of Aprilli Design Studio, Fast Company.

The concept of vertical farms is well-known and has been played out in a number of different ways. Now, Aprilli Design Studio has stepped forward with a new idea for a vertical farm. 

The concept is intended to resemble a giant tree. It uses lightweight decks as outdoor growing space on a massive skyscraper, Fast Company reports. These decks can provide 24 acres for agriculture, with an indoor hydroponic farm for greens; solar panels and wind turbines would be located on the roof to power the whole undertaking. 

Seoul, South Korea, is envisioned as the location for this skyscraper farm. "It seemed to be an ideal place to test out our prototype since the specific area is very dense and highly active and has been suffering for a long time by all sorts of environmental problems resulting from rapid urbanization," said architects Steve Lee and See Yoon Park.

With its community gardens, park space, and a farmers market, this concept remains just an idea for now. On its future, Lee and Park told Fast Company: "Vertical farming really is not only a great solution to future food shortage problems, but a great strategy to address many environmental problems resulting from urbanization."

Check out project renderings below. All renderings courtesy of Aprilli Design Studio.

 
 
Aprilli envisions this vertical farm in the center of downtown Seoul.
 
 
 
 
Solar panels and wind turbines on the rooftop would power the entire complex.
 
 
 
 
In the "trunk" of the tree, the concept places a hydroponic garden.
 
 
 
 
Within the complex, there would be community gardens and a farmers market to provide food to the local community.
 
 
 
 
The architects have said that the complex could support more than 5,000 fruit trees.
 
 
 
 
Most of the farming would take places on outdoor decks.
 
 
 
Though well-fleshed out, this concept is still a only a concept.

Related Stories

AEC Tech Innovation | Apr 27, 2023

Does your firm use ChatGPT?

Is your firm having success utilizing ChatGPT (or other AI chat tools) on your building projects or as part of your business operations? If so, we want to hear from you.

Concrete Technology | Apr 24, 2023

A housing complex outside Paris is touted as the world’s first fully recycled concrete building

Outside Paris, Holcim, a Swiss-based provider of innovative and sustainable building solutions, and Seqens, a social housing provider in France, are partnering to build Recygénie—a 220-unit housing complex, including 70 social housing units. Holcim is calling the project the world’s first fully recycled concrete building.

Multifamily Housing | Apr 21, 2023

Arlington County, Va., eliminates single-family-only zoning

Arlington County, a Washington, D.C., community that took shape in the 1950s, when single-family homes were the rule in suburbia, recently became one of the first locations on the East Coast to eliminate single-family-only zoning.

Architects | Apr 21, 2023

Architecture billings improve slightly in March

Architecture firms reported a modest increase in March billings. This positive news was tempered by a slight decrease in new design contracts according to a new report released today from The American Institute of Architects (AIA). March was the first time since last September in which billings improved.

Green | Apr 21, 2023

Top 10 green building projects for 2023

The Harvard University Science and Engineering Complex in Boston and the Westwood Hills Nature Center in St. Louis are among the AIA COTE Top Ten Awards honorees for 2023. 

Multifamily Housing | Apr 19, 2023

Austin’s historic Rainey Street welcomes a new neighbor: a 48-story mixed-used residential tower

Austin’s historic Rainey Street is welcoming a new neighbor. The Paseo, a 48-story mixed-used residential tower, will bring 557 apartments and two levels of retail to the popular Austin entertainment district, known for houses that have been converted into bungalow bars and restaurants.

Design Innovation Report | Apr 19, 2023

Reinforced concrete walls and fins stiffen and shade the National Bank of Kuwait skyscraper

When the National Bank of Kuwait first conceived its new headquarters more than a decade ago, it wanted to make a statement about passive design with a soaring tower that could withstand the extreme heat of Kuwait City, the country’s desert capital. 

Design Innovation Report | Apr 19, 2023

HDR uses artificial intelligence tools to help design a vital health clinic in India

Architects from HDR worked pro bono with iKure, a technology-centric healthcare provider, to build a healthcare clinic in rural India.

Design Innovation Report | Apr 19, 2023

Meet The Hithe: A demountable building for transient startups

The Hithe, near London, is designed to be demountable and reusable. The 2,153-sf building provides 12 units of business incubator workspace for startups.

Metals | Apr 19, 2023

Sherwin-Williams Coil Coatings releases new color forecast for architectural metal coatings

The Coil Coatings division of Sherwin-Williams has released its latest color forecast, FUSE, for architectural metal coatings. The report aims to inspire architects, product manufacturers and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) in the coil and extrusion market over the next 3-5 years and beyond.  

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category


Urban Planning

Bridging the gap: How early architect involvement can revolutionize a city’s capital improvement plans

Capital Improvement Plans (CIPs) typically span three to five years and outline future city projects and their costs. While they set the stage, the design and construction of these projects often extend beyond the CIP window, leading to a disconnect between the initial budget and evolving project scope. This can result in financial shortfalls, forcing cities to cut back on critical project features.



Libraries

Reasons to reinvent the Midcentury academic library

DLR Group's Interior Design Leader Gretchen Holy, Assoc. IIDA, shares the idea that a designer's responsibility to embrace a library’s history, respect its past, and create an environment that will serve student populations for the next 100 years.

halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021