
P. Daniel
sumption (through fossil fuels) and lead to drastic CO2-output [21].
Furthermore food miles lead to direct and indirect costs on a social and economic level, and on the environ-
ment. This situation is one of the most important reasons why the ecological food footprint [22] multiplies the
per capita food production footprint per five times [23]—up to 15,000 m².
Especially for architects and urban planners these circumstances offer an opportunity to examine and develop
the typus of the Vertical Farm. The functional system borders of conventional agriculture can be described as
follows [24]:
Seeds, fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides have to be produced before they reach the cultivation area via
transport. After an energy intense cultivation and animal husband ry-period products, again through transport, get
provided or to food processing industries or wholesale trade systems (storage). In this moment huge amounts of
energy are needed for cooling systems, storage, packaging materials and packaging processes, before, again via
transport, food products get distributed to markets, households or again to decentralized storages [25].
These processes have to be closed in a system in Vertical Farms. Production of nutrition substances, animal
husbandry and edible biomass cultivation, food processing and waste management (eventually for energy pro-
duction), water management and implementation of installation technology (hvac) and lighting find place on a
local scale. This reimplementation of local social and economic interdependencies in this context can be read as
the biggest potential of Vertical Farms.
Material flow analysis—the comparison from conventional agriculture and the Vertical Farm is the nucleus of
the dissertation. The essential question comes up is: To what extend can the Vertical Farm be a contribution to
increase the overall energy efficiency [26] of urban agglomerations? What is the difference between the saved
energy through shrinking of system borders of food production [27] on a local level and the energy needed to
run a Vertical Farm?
Especially for the Symposium questions in this context should change their focus on spatial potential and
qualities to enable discussions on architectonic and urbanistic levels [28].
What are the potential spatial intersections between the production entity and the public space? Which new
concepts of public and semi-public spaces can be envisioned by implementing hybrid types (Vertical Farm-
Housing, Vertical Farm-Shopping Malls, Hyperbuildings···)? Which additional functions only can lead to a hy-
bridization (market, trade, multifunctional horizontal/vertical public spaces, parks, spaces for social gathering)?
References
[1] (2012) Oil&Gas2_Campbell update 2012.xlsx
[2] (2008) The Atlas of Food, Millstone.
[3] (2008) The Atlas of Food, Millstone.
[4] (2000) Global Agro-Ecological Zones Assessment, IIASA.
[5] (2010) Towards the Third Green Revolution, Harald von Witzke.
[6] (2009) World Resource Outlook to 2050, Jette Bruinsma.
[7] (2006) The Power of Community, How Cuba Survived Peak Oil.
[8] (1996) Local Food Systems and Sustainable Communities, Feenstra.
[9] (2010) The Vertical Farm, Dickson Despommier.
[10] (2004) Advanced Life Support Baseline Values and Assumptions Document, NASA.
[11] (2012) Tonnen für die Tonne, WWF und Harald von Witzke.
[12] (2012) Market Analysis for Terrestrial Application of Advanced Bio-Regenerative Modules: Prospects for Vertical
Farms, Chirantan Banerjee.
[13] (2009) Farm of the future, produced by Tim Green and Rebecca Hosking, BBC.
[14] (2010) The Vertical Farm, Dickson Despommier.
[15] (2010) The Vertical Farm, Dickson Despommier.
[16] (2004) NASA Advanced Life Support Baseline Values.
[17] (2012) Market Analysis for Terrestrial Application of Advanced Bio-Regenerative Modules: Prospects for Vertical
Farms, Chirantan Banerjee.
[18] (2005) Umweltauswirkungen von Ernährung-Stoffstromanalysen und Szenarien, Wiegmann/Eberle/Fritsche/Hünecke.