Eat, Live, Work and Play

The client of almost every development, in the beginning, chants the mantra live, work and play. After planning and debatable budgeting stage client look for an architect who can design and turn their dream into a wonderland. With the vibrate proposal, sometimes over-ambitious, from Architects and Landscape Architects and after getting some authority approvals, marketing team starts developing selling strategies again highlighting the profusion of amenities and pretentious aspect of Live, Work and Play. Unfortunately, the entire process missed out a very subtle but important point – we need healthy food to eat to live a healthy life. Now the questing is how can we infuse agriculture in our architecture.

Why Urban Farming?

The benefits of urban agriculture can be categorised broadly under three sustainability pillars - Environmental, Social and Economic.

From the environmental sustainability perspective, urban farming ease waste management, water and energy conservation. As sustainable urban farming uses the compost generated from the household organic waste, the farming culture recycles the food waste and minimise pressure on landfill and GHG emission from organic waste. Urban farming also partially eliminates the GHG emission duration traditional agricultural practices in the rural area and carbon footprint generated due to transportation and logistics. Besides this, like a green roof, rooftop farming reduces the cooling load and enhance the building energy consumption and conservation. Finally, while water scarcity is the most significant concern in urban India, high-tech agriculture, for example, hydroponics, uses ten times less water and produce ten times more than traditional agriculture.

Under the societal lens, the production from urban farming is one of the effective strategies to tackle the urban food insecurity issue. Simultaneously, engaging in gardening activities, strengthen community bonding.  At the same time, human-nature interaction not only reduces our stress level, depression and anxiety, but it also has significant cognitive benefits. Thus, urban farming is a boredom reliever to the elderly, a stress reliever for the working community and an outdoor education opportunity for children.

For having a quick understanding of the economic benefit, one should have a look at the price of the organic vegetable. Yes, it is far more expensive than the traditional. However, instead of buying from the local vendor, many of us order an organic product on the internet. As our awareness about the negative impact of traditional agriculture is growing, the demand for chemical and pesticide-free food is increasing rapidly. Indeed, organic farming turns into a mainstream industry, and it provides alternative job opportunities. While producing vegetable on our balcony save money, midscale and large-scale production generate income. Therefore, sustainable urban agriculture practices have the potential to address urban unemployment.

How Can We Amalgamate Agriculture with Architecture?

While the benefits of urban farming are unquestionable, the concept is highly underrated. However, Small scale agriculture, gardening, and local food culture is an age-old concept. After World War I, food security was incorporated into many urban design projects. For Instance, Sir Ebenezer Howard’s idea of Garden cities (e.g. Welwyn Garden City, UK established in 1920) can be considered one of the successful examples. In today’s world, what is little challenging is that incorporate productive landscape in the postmodern architecture.

If we study some simple 20-30 years old independent landed properties, owned by a middle-class people, in an Indian city or town, we can find a less manicured productive landscape either at the frontward or at the backward. Oftentimes, the owner creates such space as an option of after retirement activity. Agriculture is very much rooted in our culture. We enjoy a sense of achievement when we successfully grow some vegetable or fruits in our garden. Unfortunately, as the trend of living in the apartment building is growing, the importance of productive domestic landscape is diminishing. Although we push us for a morning walk or enjoy our after-dinner stroll on meandering well-maintained pavement inside a manicured garden, we often forget that garden is a space which should produce vegetable to eat not just flower and spacious elegance. We rarely realise that at an individual household, we can always grow healthy organic vegetable on their balcony as the small-scale Hydroponics system is available in the market.

As landscape architects and horticulturists play a critical role in bridging engineering and ecology, they are the key player in bridging the agriculture, productive landscape and Architecture. Demands for various garden gardens (e.g. fruit garden, spice garden, edible garden, etc.), although not significantly, are growing in residential development. I think that landscape architect and horticulturists should take this opportunity to introduce urban farming to the clients and projects. As landscape architect demand for the additional beam to plant a tree on top of the podium, they should also demand space for a productive landscape space. Collaboration with horticulturist and a few rounds of consultation with the agro-engineering specialist may produce a fantastic pergola with some bright tomatoes hanging from it. Perennials Tulsi (Basil spp.) can act as a privacy hedge around the swimming pool. The hydroponic solution may turn the backdrop of the reception lobby into a spice garden. Yes, there are endless possibilities, not necessarily all should adopt a high-tech solution, can be explored.

Examples Around the Globe:

While it may sound utopic, but several projects have already embraced the concept in modern practices. For example, Around the world, people with futuristic mindset have started experimenting the idea in various scale – from building level to urban design level.

Building Level Solution:

The Head Quarter of Pasona, a Japanese recruitment company, designed by New York-based Architecture firm KONODESIGNS is a perfect example of the amalgamation of Architecture and Urban Farming. The Interior of the nine story-high building was designed with 200 species of fruits, vegetables and rice. While immediate after entering the building, we find a rice paddy, inside the conference room we find hydroponics and tomato vines, with suspended tomato from the grilled false ceiling.

In Europe, French architecture firm Ilimelgo designed the futuristic vertical farming complex in the Parisian suburb of Romainville, France. 1000 square meter greenhouse. While its ground floor houses educational space to teach and create awareness, the first floor uses for sales gallery, and other upper floors use for production.

Urban Design Solution:

In China, Sunqiao Urban Agricultural District, located between Shanghai airport and city centre, is an example the future generation urban design where urban farming has woven into residential and commercial life. The project is designed by the famous Boston-based interdisciplinary design firm Sasaki. The proposal of the 100 hectares land precinct is showcasing most of the sustainable agriculture practice.

Similarly, 40,000 SqM Business park project Mantes Innovaparc – Agrocity, in Buchelay France, also reflects the concept of Urban agriculture. Ilimelgo proposal transforms the traditional business park concept into “productive park”, comprising mix-used activities with aquaponics greenhouses on rooftops.