This document discusses the concept of vertical farming as a solution to sustainably feed the growing global population. Vertical farms would grow crops in stacked layers inside buildings rather than horizontally across land. They use techniques like hydroponics and aeroponics to maximize yields. Some key benefits outlined include year-round local food production, reduced land and water usage, lower emissions from reduced transport, and protection from extreme weather. The document examines goals, considerations, limitations and case studies of potential vertical farm designs.

1. INTEGRATED FARMING
MODULAR VERTICAL FARMING:
TEAM: ELIXIRS
MEMBER: RONIT SAHA

2. Content
 Impending Disaster
 Solution
 Concept OF Vertical Farming
 Purpose
 Research Checkpoints
 Jargon Buster
 Advantage Factor
 Goals
 Scope
 Limitation
 Case Study
 Understanding the System
 Energy Implication
 SWOT Analysis
 Integrated Vertical Farming System
 Closed Loop Energy Generation
 Construction Materials
 Storage and Transport
 Waste Recycling
 Cost Estimation
 Profitability
 Conclusion
 Bibliography
 Reference

3. Impending Disaster
 By the year 2050, nearly 80% of the earth’s population will reside
in urban centers. Applying the most conservative estimates to
current demographic trends, the human population will
increase by about 3 billion people during the interim. An
estimated 109 hectares of new land (about 20% more land than
is represented by the country of Brazil) will be needed to grow
enough food to feed them, if traditional farming practices
continue as they are practiced today. At present, throughout
the world, over 80% of the land that is suitable for raising crops is
in use (sources: FAO and NASA). Historically, some 15% of that
has been laid waste by poor management practices.

4. Solution ?

5. Concept of Vertical Farming
 As the world's population grows, so does the land required
to produce the needed food. The concept of a vertical
farm was developed to remedy this crisis. A vertical farm is
farms stacked on top of one another, instead of branching
out horizontally. Developed in 1999 by Professor Dickson
Despommier, the farm uses conventional farming methods
such as hydroponics and aeroponics to produce more
yields faster

7. Purpose
 Vertical farming is the urban farming of fruits, vegetables,
and grains, inside a building in a city or urban centre, in
which floors are designed to accommodate certain crops.
These heights will acts as the future farms land and as
architects we can shape these high-rises to sow the seeds for
the future. The objective of this presentation is to investigate
the feasibility and plausibility of the vertical farming concept
in specific and interrelated research domains.

8. Jargon Buster
 Hydroponics is a subset of hydroculture and is a method of growing
plants using mineral nutrient solutions, in water, without soil.
Terrestrial plants may be grown with their roots in the mineral
nutrient solution only or in an inert medium, such as perlite or gravel.
 Aeroponics is the process of growing plants in an air or mist
environment without the use of soil or an aggregate medium
(known asgeoponics). Aeroponic culture differs from both
conventional hydroponics, aquaponics, and in-vitro (plant tissue
culture) growing. Unlike hydroponics, which uses a liquid nutrient
solution as a growing medium and essential minerals to sustain plant
growth; or aquaponics which uses water and fish waste, aeroponics
is conducted without a growing medium. Because water is used in
aeroponics to transmit nutrients, it is sometimes considered a type of
hydroponics.

9. Advantage Factor
 Increased and Year-round Crop Production. This farming
technology can ensure crop production all year-round in non-
tropical regions. 1 indoor acre is equivalent to 4-6 outdoor
acres or more, depending on the crop. For strawberries, 1
indoor acre may produce yield equivalent to 30 acres.
 Despommier suggests that a building 30 storeys high with a
basal area of 5 acres (2.02 ha) has the potential of producing
crop yield equivalent to 2,400 acres (971.2 ha) of traditional
horizontal farming. Expressed in ratio, this means that 1
high-rise farm is equal to 480 traditional horizontal farms.
 Furthermore, indoor farming will minimize infestation and
post harvest spoilage.

10.  Environment Friendly. Every land area that will be developed
for this farming technology will reduce by a hundred fold the
necessity of utilizing land for food production. These farms could
be reverted to their natural state. This will promote the regrowth
of trees which are effective in CO2 sequestration.
 Growing crops indoor reduces or eliminates the use of
mechanical plows, and other equipment, thus reducing the
burning of fossil fuel. As a result, there will be a significant
reduction in air pollution and CO2 emission that cause climatic
change. Furthermore, CO2 emission will be reduced from
shipping crops across continents and oceans. A healthier
environment will be enhanced for both humans and animals.
 Lesser disturbance to the land surface will also favor the increase
in the population of animals that live in and around farmlands.
Vertical farming therefore favors biodiversity.

11.  Energy Conservation and Production. Selling of the
crops in the same building in which they are grown will
significantly reduce the consumption of fuel that is used in
transporting the crops to the consumers.
 Vertical farms can also generate power. Although a 30-story
vertical farm needs 26 million kwh of electricity, it is capable
of generating 56 million kwh through the use of biogas
digesters and by capturing solar energy

12.  Water Conservation and Recycling. According to Despommier,
the vertical farming technology includes hydroponics which uses 70
percent lesser water than normal agriculture. Aeroponics will also be
used which consumes 70 percent less water compared to
hydroponics. Urban wastes like black water will be composted,
recycled and used for farming inside the building. Sewage sludge will
be converted to topsoil and processed for the extraction of water for
agricultural use or drinking water.

13.  Protection from Weather-related Problems. Because the crops will
be grown under controlled environment, they will be safe from extreme
weather occurences such as droughts and floods.
 Organic Crops Production. The advantages of this urban farming
technology can be further exploited by large scale production of organic
crops. The controlled growing conditions will allow a reduction or total
abandonment of the use of chemical pesticides.
 Human Health Friendly. Indoor farms will reduce the occupational
hazards associated with traditional, horizontal farming. Such risks
include: accidents in handling farming equipment, exposure to
infectious diseases like malaria, exposure to poisonous chemicals, and
confrontations with poisonous or dangerous animals.

14. Goals
 • Supply sustainable food sources for urban centers.
 • Allow agro Land to revert to natural landscape.
 • Sustainable organic farming techniques.
 • Black/grey water remediation.
 • Appropriate unused and abandoned urban spaces.
 • End food contamination.
 • Year round food production.
 • End reliance on pesticides, herbicides and petro based fertilizers.
 • Create sustainable urban space.

15. Scope
 1. Reduction in vehicular transport is also foreseen; there will be less demand for delivery
trucks, garbage trucks and other utilities.
 2. Overall wellness because city wastes will be channeled directly into the farm building's
recycling system, hence, less bacteria can find its way in the environment and the
atmosphere.
 3. Abandoned or unused properties will be used productively.
 4. Water can be used more efficiently in a vertical farm.
 5. The greywater from office etc can be used efficiently.
 5. The layers of atmosphere can be used effectively in vertical build ups.
 5. Less CO2 emissions and pollution by decreasing reliance on coal-burning power
 6. Crops will be protected from harsh weather conditions and disturbances like typhoons,
hurricanes, floods, droughts, snow and the likes. Food production as well as food transport will
not be affected.
 7. Crops will be consumed immediately upon harvest since there is no need to transport them
to far-off places. Spoilage will also be lessened.
 8. The use of chemicals as pesticides will be eliminated; hence, even vector borne diseases
can be prevented.
 9. Less deforestation and land use, this means less erosion and less flooding.

16. Limitations
 1. The initial phase will be cost intensive, and certain flaws integrated in the system
that may appear during its initial run can still dampen efforts for its full maximization.
 2. There will be fewer varieties of foods to choose from because not all plants and
vegetables are suitable in a controlled and limited environment.
 3. The public will find it hard to reconcile with the idea of using black water for food
production.
 4. "Blackwater," or the wastewater and sludge from soils, from the vertical farms
need an additional costly filtration system in order to be recycled and conservative
of the water resources.
 Displacement of agricultural societies, potential loss or displacement of traditional
farming jobs.

17. Research Checkpoints
 Generation of energy on site of farming to make the entire
system carbon positive and completely sustainable
 Investigation of carbon footprints between conventional
farming and vertical farming
 The final research checkpoint question is to investigate how
relevant stakeholders perceive the concept of vertical farming
and what they believe are current barriers and opportunities
towards uptake of the technology.
 The purpose of this investigation was to determine ways to
supply food to cities in an energy efficient and sustainable
manner from both a quantitative and qualitative approach.

18. Case Study
 "Living Tower" by SOA Architects-Rennes, France
 "The Eco-Laboratory" by: Weber Thompson
 "Sky Green"-SIngapore
 "Harvest Tower" by Romses Architects-Vancouver

19. Living Tower

20.  The Living Tower, a theoretical 30 floor high rise farming community
designed by Paris based SOA architects, would house: 130 apartments
on the first 15 floors, 9000 square meters of office space on the remaining
15 floors, a 7000 square meter shopping center, a library and even a
nursery in addition to the gardens distributed throughout the building.
 Living Tower architects have focused on specific crop productions and
believe the following estimates will represent respective crop yields:
 63000 kg of tomatoes per year
37 333 feet of salads per year
9 324 kg of strawberries per year
 The building design keeps efficiency and alternative power in mind as
well: two large windmills rotating on the roof will generate 200-600 KWH of
electricity per annum and will assist in pumping recovered rainwater
throughout the complex. Photovoltaic panels will cover the outer walls
while inside the tower, ventilation shafts draw in underground air keeping
temperatures comfortable throughout the year.

22. Eco Laboratory

25. Sky Green

26.  Patented vertical farming system
 Sky Greens patented vertical farming system consists of rotating tiers of growing troughs
mounted on a A-shape aluminium frame. The frame can be as high as 9 meter tall with 38
tiers of growing troughs, which can accommodate the different growing media of soil or
hydroponics. The troughs rotate around the aluminium frame to ensure that the plants
receive uniform sunlight, irrigation and nutrients as they pass through different points in the
structure.
 High yield
 When compare with traditional monolayer farms, the Sky Greens patented vertical farming
system intensifies land use and can result in at least 10 times more yield per unit land area.
 High quality
 The structures are housed in a controlled environment which enables stringent control of
input materials to bring about food supply, food safety, food security and food quality
assurances.
 High flexibility
 Made of aluminium and steel, the modular structures are robust and yet highly
customisable and scalable. Structures can be tailor-made to suit different crops, growing
media and natural conditions, even allowing cultivation on originally non-arable lands

27.  Low energy use
 With the harnessing of natural sunlight, there is no need for artificial lighting. Rotation is
powered by a unique patented hydraulic water-driven system which utilises the
momentum of flowing water and gravity to rotate the troughs. Only 40W electricity
(equivalent to one light bulb) is needed to power one 9m tall tower.
 Low water use
 With the plants irrigated and fertilised using a flooding method, there is no need for a
sprinkler system thereby eliminating electricity wastage, as well as water wastage due to
run-offs. Only 0.5 litres of water is required to rotate the 1.7 ton vertical structure. The
water is contained in a enclosed underground reservoir system and is recycled and
reused.
 Low maintenance
 Being housed in a protected environment ensures that the system can be relatively
maintenance-free and have low manpower dependency. The rotating troughs and
intensified plant to plot ratio also mean high manpower efficiency.

28.  Sky Greens is world’s first
low carbon, hydraulic driven
vertical farm. Using green
urban solutions to achieve
production of safe, fresh and
delicious vegetables, using
minimal land, water and
energy resources. Sky
Greens is the innovation
hub of its holding company,
Sky Urban Solutions
Holding Pte Ltd, where
continuous innovation in
next generation of urban
agriculture solutions take
place.

29. Harvest Tower
 The concept of ‘harvest’ is explored in
the project through the vertical farming
of vegetables, herbs, fruits, fish, egg
laying chickens, and a boutique goat
and sheep dairy facility. In addition,
renewable energy will be harvested via
green building design elements
harnessing geothermal, wind and solar
power. the buildings have photovoltaic
glazing and incorporate small and
large-scale wind turbines to turn the
structure into solar and wind-farm
infrastructure. In addition, vertical
farming potentially adds energy back
to the grid via methane generation
from composting non-edible parts of
plants and animals. furthermore, a
large rainwater cistern terminates the
top of the ‘harvest tower’ providing on-
site irrigation for the numerous indoor
and outdoor crops and roof gardens.

30.  While the harvest green project
supports the city mandate for
compact mixed-use communities
in and around transit hubs, it
further enhances the mixed-use
programming to include urban
farming as a reaffirmation of the
importance of the connection of
food to our culture and daily life.
In addition to food and energy
harvesting, the proposal
purposefully incorporates program
uses for residential, transit, a
largefarmers market and
supermarket, office and
agricultural research and
educational facilities, and food
related retail/hospitality. The result
will be a highly dynamic synergy
of uses that compliment and
support each other.

31. Understanding the System

32. Energy Implications

33.  There are various other ways of energy generation technologies
that can be applied, as well as several light transmission techniques
such as light tubes and tunnels to channel light further into the
building than direct sunlight allows. Currently the most promising
technique for using the compost is by extracting the methane and
then use cogeneration as a conversion technique.
 By burning the methane electricity is generated as well as heat. The
heat is then used for various tasks within the building itself and can
provide neighboring buildings with heating and hot water as well.
Even though burning would occur, this would be a carbon neutral
solution since the carbon was sequestered by the growing plants in
the first place in order for it to end up in the methane.

34. SWOT Analysis of Case Studies
1)Living Tower
Strengths
 Healthier products (no
insects or need for
pesticides)
 Regulation of climate (more
reliable production of
products)
 Use of renewable energies
as power ( Wind and Sun )
 No reliance on coal
Weakness
 Initial manufacturing cost
extremely high.
 Energy consumption is
quite high.
 Development of proper
technology is still a
decade apart.

35. 2)Eco-Laboratory
Strengths
 Less CO2 emissions and
pollution by decreasing
reliance on coal-burning
industries and
transportation, and
implementing renewable
sources of energy
 Water can be used more
efficiently in a vertical farm
as hydroponics only use
fraction of ground water
and water recycling is done
in a closed loop
Weakness
 "Black water" or the
wastewater and sludge
from soils, from the vertical
farms need an additional
costly filtration system in
order to be recycled and
conservative of the water
resources.
 Initial costs of designs and
renewable energy is often
unattractive to developers

36. 3)Harvest Tower
Strengths
 The vertical farming of vegetables,
herbs, fruits, fish, egg laying
chickens, and a boutique goat and
sheep dairy facility
 In addition, renewable energy will
be harvested via green building
design elements harnessing
geothermal, wind and solar power.
 In addition, vertical farming
potentially adds energy back to the
grid via methane generation from
composting non-edible parts of
plants and animals.
Weakness
 Initial cost of production not
lucrative to fund providers.
 Design requires test run and pilot
project trial.
 Controlled environment is quite
hypothetical.

37. 4) Sky Green
Strengths
 Currently the one and only fully
functional and working model of
vertical farming
 Production of pure and organic
vegetables and crops
 Reduction on dependency upon
import of vegetables and food
from other internationals.
 Novelty for countries where farm
land are quite scarse
Weakness
 Initial cost of construction and
price of vegetables slightly higher
than which is available in market.
 Displacement of agricultural
societies, potential loss or
displacement of traditional
farming jobs

38. Integrated Vertical Farming System
 Portable, light weight, renewable and lost cost storage modules
which could be built according to specific need and dismantled
when not in use.
 Modular design effective for transportation and lost cost
maintenance. Reducing wastage of land and energy.
 Running on Solar Energy, Wind Energy, Biogas and
Piezoelectricity generating pads. Modular design will be carbon
neutral.
 Production of biofuels on site of agriculture will provide sufficient
fuel to run generator to power pumps and motors.
 Intial fuel production can be achieved by recycling plastic waste as
the site will also serve the purpose of recycling waste plastic
products.

39. Closed Loop Energy Generation.
 Collection of Municipal Solid Waste and applying process of
plasma incineration/gasification to produce Syn Gas.
 Purified Syn Gas can be feeded up to internal combustion
engine or boiler to boil steam for production of electricity.
 By products of plasma gasification like slug can be used again
as construction material.
 This system eliminates the hazards of landfill and MSW
incineration.
 Further more production of biochar from pyrolysis of farm run
off acts as nutrient medium.
 The entire system is sustainable and ecofriendly since trapping
of methane from compost again contributes to energy
generation, thus making the system carbon positive.

40. Construction Material
 Greenhouse design can be constructed out of recycled plastic waste. The
plastic waste could be converted to Fiber Carbon and PMMA/ Acrylic Glass.
 Hence mitigating the problem of plastic waste and landfill hazards.
 Thus reducing cost of manufacturing as government funding is inevitable for
cutting edge sustainable technology and thus reduction the usage of
conventional construction materials.
 Modular and pre-fabricated columns will be used for structural support which
will also reduce manufacturing time and will drastically reduce cost.
 On top of modular columns, fabricated modular panels made out of acrylic
glass will be assembled. Thus completing the green house.
 'A' shaped aluminum channel is required for trench creation. This trench will be
covered with plastic buckets. Hydroponics will be used for plantation. Thus
reducing land usage and water usage

41. Storage and Transport
 The entire system is meant for reducing dependency on
conventional farming and to support urban population.
 According to specific requirements, Modular Cold Containers could
be built for storage of harvest. Recycled plastic, molded in form of
carbon fiber will be used as construction material.
 Each vertical farm will have a supermarket where freshly grown
vegetables will be sold to consumer, hence mitigating the
transportation cost, fossil fuel consumption and long duration
storage issues.
 Under controlled environment the risk of crop loss is minimum and
secondary benefit is that the centers will acts as research grounds
for agriculture scientist.

42. Waste Recycling
 The agency responsible for solid waste management in Mumbai is the
Solid Waste Management Department (SWMD) of the Municipal
Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) and its private contractors.
The 2009-10 budget of the SWMD is Rs.10.6 billion (US$228 million), and
is expected to increase to Rs.15.5 billion ($334 million) in 2010-11.
 The municipal corporation spends roughly Rs.1160 per tonne
($25/tonne) on collection, transport, and disposal of MSW. Collection
and transport together constitute roughly 80% of the cost. In India, the
average municipal expenditure on solid waste management is Rs.500
to Rs.1500 per tonne ($10 to $32 per tonne).
 This entire money is being wasted on simply land filling and
incineration. The vertical farms will also act as an waste recycling
center as the recycled products will be used for construction purposes.

43. Cost Estimation
Building Including Site= 111,5891994 Rupees
Equipment= 90,382,192 Rupees
Total Cost= 201,964,186 Rupees
Personnel= 2.050,000 Rupees
Power Demand= 5,390,941 Rupees
Plant Seeds= 44,406 Rupees
Nutrients= 424,919 Rupees
Fish Foods= 127,020 Rupees
Total Cost=8,037,286 Rupees
Interest Rates=3%

44. Profitability
 The above mentioned price could be further reduced by
1) Subsidy from government
2) Public-Private Partnership
3) Selling 50% of the complex to other companies and generating
revenue out of it.
4) Profit could be made from export of organic farm products.
5) The system will improve farmers live as it will eliminate the
concept of middle-man
6) Most important of all development of renewable technologies
will get a boost from a top.

45. The Future of Agriculture May Be Up
-The Wall Street Journal
 I can see how things are grown and made and how the animals are
treated. Being knowledgeable about the food you eat is extremely
important. Ignorance is no longer bliss when it comes to what goes
into your food.
-- Scargosun
 The locavore movement isn't just about getting food that is fresher,
but also about supporting the local economy. It is "worth it" to keep
our dollars and jobs within our community.
-- Carolyn Pearce
 The long-term benefits for our environment, local economies and
health far outweigh the expense and inconvenience. If more
people start buying local then the cost will decline.
-- Ben Schaub

46. Conclusion
 The report concludes as follows:
 The urban hydroponics model of Vertical Farming is both presently
realizable and profitable. The investment return is comparable to
stock market averages.
 Properly implemented renewable energy sources can significantly
reduce utilities expenditures, justifying their initial capital cost.
 Corporate and institutional investors are willing to finance Vertical
Farming as a result of the operations significant secondary benefits.
 Vertical Farming presents a unique investment opportunity as it aims
to revolutionize our understanding of food production and urban
development.

47. Bibliography
 The Vertical Farm: Feeding the world
in the 21st
century-Dr Dickson
Despommier
 Vertical Farming by Gilbert Ellis Bailey
 Charleston vertical farm design study-
Clemson University Institute of applied
ecology
 The Economics of Vertical Farming-
Chirantan Banerjee
 Breathing High Rise- Kukku Joseph
Jose
 Converting Waste Plastic Into a
Resource- UNEP
 Anscombe, Jim as in Charles Mkoka, Unchecked Deforestation
Endangers Malawi Ecosystems. Environment News Service. (2004, 16
November). Retrieved from Lester Brown's Plan 3.0B
 Baillie, Jonathan, Georgina Mace, Hillary Masundire, et al. (2005)
Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, Volume 1 - State and Trends
Assessment, Chapter 4 - Biodiversity. Washington, D.C.: Island Press
 Blackburn, Harvey W. & de Haan, Cornelius. (1999). Livestock and
biodiversity. In Wanda W. Collins & Calvin O. Qualset, eds.,
Biodiversity in Agroecosystems. Washington, D.C.: CRC Press
 Both, A.J. (1995). Dynamic simulation of supplemental lighting for
greenhouse hydroponic lettuce production. Ph.D. Dissertation.
Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Libraries. p.172
 Bourne, Joel K jr. Th e End of Plenty, (2009, June). National
Geographic. p.26-5
 Brown, A. Duncan. (2003). Feed or Feedback: Agriculture
Population Dynamics and the State of the Planet. Tuross Head,
NSW: International Books
 Brown, Lester R. (2008). Plan B 3.0: Mobilizing to Save Civilization.
New York: Earth Policy Institute, W.W. Norton & Company.
 Buringh, P. (1989). Availability of agricultural land for crops and livestock
production. D. Pimental and C.W. Hall (eds.) Food and Natural
Resources. San Diego: Academic Press, p.69-83

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