Rise to the challenge : vertical farming within the urban environment

RESEARCH QUESTION: How can Vertical Agriculture be integrated into the urban environment on a large enough scale to benefit Auckland City? There has been a rapid increase in the world’s population in the last one hundred years with the total world population increasing from 1.65 billion to 7.5 billion. Population rise has caused city sprawl, higher density living and increased demand for both food and jobs. Due to the increase in the population, our carbon footprint and impact on the environment has increased exponentially. Pollution and global warming is the direct result of population growth and consumerism. With agriculture being the highest form of pollution (methane gas) we need to review the way we look at farming with more input on design and planning. Global warming and climate change have become a major concern in today’s day and age. We need to start designing with little to no impact on the environment, with passive and sustainable architecture at the four front of the development. This research proposal aims to: • Introduce a new type of farming system that is both modern and self-sustainable into New Zealand. • Understanding and gaining a wider knowledge on the necessary steps needed for Vertical Farming to be applied to New Zealand as a growing country. • Produce a well thought out architectural building, designed to display the entire overall outcome of my findings on Vertical Farming within New Zealand. It is important we allow form, functionality and efficiency to drive the design. • Reviewing farming practices as they are today and re-interpreted how we see farming. As a growing world, it is imperative to review these current processes and make them more efficient and less destructive to the environment. The overall outcome this project will focus on, is to positively integrate the Vertical farming aspect into the urban environment in Auckland The proposed project is a Vertical Farm facility that encourages education and research for both students and the public about modern age farming. The vertical farm specific to this project can be defined as not only an educational facility but one that grows and produces plant products