This document discusses a conceptual design for a modern architecture project in New York City called the Dragonfly. The Dragonfly is a self-sustaining high-rise building inspired by the structure of a dragonfly's wings that would house vertical farms to grow food locally within the city. Designed by Belgian architect Vincent Callebaut, the Dragonfly aims to address issues of urban food production and transportation by bringing agriculture directly to the heart of New York through its unique glass and steel wing structures spanning over 700 meters and containing multiple indoor farms.

1. Hello everyone, we are from Foundation in Natural and Built Environment August intake year 2014.
(I am…, I am…, I am…, I am…) Today, we are here for our English 1 oral presentation. For the
presentation, we need to form a group of 4 and produce a 20 min video. The title of the oral
presentation that assigns to us is modern architecture designs inspired by nature. We are going to
introduce you a modern architecture that will affect the future of the New York City.
In the 21st century, city dwellers use less energy and more public transportation than their rural
counterparts, but urban landscapes often lack localized food production. A Belgian architect rethinks
urban food production for New York City and came out with a futuristic self-sustaining, twin-towered
high- rise complex that would bring organic farming right to the heart of the New York City.
This modern architecture is a metabolic farm for urban agriculture. It is also a bionic and
energetically self-sufficient architecture.
This building sets up along the East River at the South edge of the Rooselvelt Island in New
York between Manattan’s Island and the Queens’ district. Its surface area is 350m².
Spanning 132 floors and 700 vertical meters, the building can accommodate 28 different
agricultural fields for the production of fruit, vegetables, grains, meat and dairy.
Bio mimicry
This building is inspired by nature. When u look at the building, what will u think of it? A
Butterfly? ……?......? Actually, this building is inspired by a dragonfly. Which part of the dragonfly is it?
It is the dragonfly wing, more accurate is the exoskeleton of a dragonfly. The architect mimics the
wings of a dragonfly both for aesthetic merit and to facilitate the use of renewable energy resources
such as solar, wind and tide-turbine power. The farm has been appropriately named “Dragonfly” for
its unique glass-and-steel wings that stretch into the sky.
Modelled after the wings of a dragonfly, this incredible urban farm concept for New York City
intends to ease the problems of food mileage and shortage, and reconnect consumers with

2. producers. Urban farming is a growing trend amongst savvy city dwellers today, but in a densely
packed borough like Manhattan, growth must come vertically.
Design principles
This conceptual design focuses on creating a completely self-sustaining organism that not
only utilizes solar, wind, and water energies, but also addresses the pending food shortage
problem. The modern structure also accumulates rainwater to irrigate the farming.
The mixed programs in Dragonfly are centred around two main towers. These symmetrically
arranged towers allow growth to expand vertically rather than horizontally to account for the
crowded Manhattan conditions. A sprawling greenhouse links the two towers, which defines
the shape of the design, supports the load of the building. The complex is arranged in a way that
housing units and work offices are interspersed between meadows and farms.
Plant and animal farming is arranged throughout the Dragonfly’s steel and glass
set of wings so as to maintain proper soil nutrient levels and reuse of biowaste.
The spaces between the wings are designed to take advantage of solar energy
by accumulating warm air in the exo-structure during winter. Cooling in the
summer will be facilitated through natural ventilation and evapo-perspiration
from the plants.
Exterior vertical gardens filter rain water which is then mixed with domestic
liquid waste. Together they are treated organically before being recirculates for
farm use, preserving and distributing nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.
At the bottom of the complex, there would be a floating market on the East River for growers to sell
their organic produce.

3. Material used
The material used to build this building is just a simple material, that is metal and glass.The use of the material is
directly inspired by the structural exoskeleton of dragonfly wings
Plant and animal farming is arranged throughout the Dragonfly’s steel and
glass set of wings.
(….)
Green features
Each building would be self-sufficient and act as a mini-power station. Energy is harvested from the
sun and wind to heat and cool the building.
Two inhabited rings buttress around the ‘wings,’ and along the exterior of these are solar panels,
which will provide up to half the buildings electricity, with the rest being supplied by three wind
machines along the vertical axes of the building.
During the winter period, the spaces between the wings are designed so as to take
maximum advantage of solar energy through the accumulation of the warm air in the outer
part of the structure and the design of the spine would efficiently separate and recirculate
waste products from plants, human’s beings and animals. During summer, cooling will be
through natural ventilation and evaporation from plants.
Due to the appropriate sun and wind conditions within these wings, proper soil nutrient levels
can be achieved to maximize plant growth.
Plants and animal farming is arranged along the exterior of the structure as to maintain proper
soil nutrient levels and reuse of bio waste. Plants grow on the exterior shell to filter rain water,
which is captured and mixed with liquid waste from the towers, treated organically and used
as fertiliser.
Together they are an organic processing, before being re-directed for use on farms, storage
and distribution of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium
This urban farm will be cultivated by their inhabitants, thus completing the cycle of self-sufficient
existence.

4. Architect background
After listen to this, are you feel amazed by the architecture? Are you wondering who that
fantastic architect who designs this architecture is? Let me introduce him to you.
The architect who builds the dragonfly is Vincent Callebaut, a Belgian architect that is known for
his eco-friendly projects. He is born in year 1977 in Belgium, Western Europe.
Vincent Callebaut graduated at the Institute Victor Horta in Brussels, Belgium in 2000 (23
years old). He received the "Great Architecture, Réne Serrure prize" the best diploma project
upon his graduation for his project "Metamuseum of Arts and Civilisation"
After Vincent graduated, he received a bursery from the European Community (Leonardo da
Vinci) which allowed him to live in Paris in order to complete his internship at Odile Decq
Benoit Cornette Architects, Urbanists - Massimiliano Fuksas.
Since 1995 a great amount of exhibitions has also been hosted by Vincent Callebaut.
At the age of 28, the Edition Company of Seoul dedicated Vincent Callebaut his first
Architecture Monograph detailing all his completed and awarded projects and proposals.
During 2001 Vincent Callebaut won the Grand Architecture Prize "Napoléan Godecharle of
the Academe Royale des Beaux-Arts of Brussels" with which he was awarded the best hop
of Belgium Architecture with his incredible ecological project "Elasticity"
This was a great start for this incredible architect. Of course, his awards and recognitions are
numerous and I will not add them here because they would distract your attention.
Vincent Callebaut has completed a great variety of sustainable projects since 1999.
Some of the projects that design by him are Physalia, Lilypad, The perfumed jungle, The red
baobab, Liquid skin
Vincent Callebaut established an architectural firm known as "Vincent Callebaut
Architecture" which specifically specializes in sustainable design and development.
Currently Vincent Callebaut resides in Paris, France where he continuously proposes
various ecological and sustainable architectural projects. Vincent, being extremely
determined and driven, regularly attends conferences all over the world from Hong Kong to
Paris insufflating and raising important questions on ecological situations and projects within
our society.
Vincent is known for his eco vision. The way that he combines nature and raw concrete and
steel is incredible. The results are at least magnificent.

5. You will ask yourself, what drives the mind of this architecture genius to create such
amazing examples of sustainable building. The answer is these wonderful examples of
genius are simply meant to show us that people like Vincent Callebaut are here to remember
that our future as a society is conditioned only by the power of our vision.
If you want to know more about him, go to his company official website
www.vincent.callebaut.org
Conclusion
Callebaut's Dragonfly is probably too expensive for construction in the near future, but it's an
imaginative look at how cities can become more self-sufficient without sacrificing too much real
estate.
The Dragonfly is described by Callebaut as a "true living organism. Nothing is lost; everything is
recyclable." The goal is to bring agriculture and nature back into the urban core so that by 2050...we
have green, sustainable cities where humans live in balance with their environment. He hopes to cut
down on the amount of food needed to be trucked from all over world to feed the growing
population of big urban centres like New York City, which puts a strain on natural resources and the
environment.
Building another skyscraper in the middle of New York may not seem like the most
environmentally friendly thing to do. That is of course, unless said skyscraper is capable of
providing a sprawling urban populous with food, the reuse of natural resources and
biodegradeable waste
According to the evolution of the urban agriculture enhanced by the FAO (Food and
Agriculture Organization of the United Nations) that has been realising since 2007 that

6. the organic agriculture on a large scale would be able to nourish the planet, the
Dragonfly project challenges the city of New York to rethink its food production. In
response, this project of inhabited vertical farm replies to the contemporary dilemma
of producing not only ecologically but also more intensively on non-extensive earth.
This by merging also directly production place and consumption place in the heart of
the city!
That’s all for the presentation. I hope you gain more information about the….
If you interested in this Dragonfly building, Google search it, (just type )
Thank you for lending your ears and pay the attention. Goodbye.

7. Dragonfly

10. Physalia
Lilypad

11. The perfumed jungle
The red baobab

12. Liquid skin