Playing With Green House Designs

As we head towards an ever increasing population and a more volatile climate (declared by the UN as climate adaptation) we are going to have to shift the way we think about our agriculture. Areas of the planet that were once fertile ground will become arid or flooded.

For example a report by the FAO on African agriculture suggests

“Agriculture losses of between 2-7% of GDP is expected by 2100 in parts of the Sahara, 2-4% & 0.4-1.3% in Western and Central Africa and Northern and Southern Africa respectively.”

So with the ‘climate adaptation’ theory, we are going to have to solve our issues through dogged human determination and that means a rethink in the way we feed ourselves.

Right now we seem to be taking mass steps towards urban techniques at small and large scale. Initiatives such as that of Cuba, where brown field sites are used as agricultural allotments, are springing up. An allotment site is 4 times as agriculturally productive as commercial farming. If we become a little more green fingered and set up farming techniques in our own gardens and homes that are similar to that of these urban techniques we can produce more yield for much less water and energy. Vertical farms currently use around 3 times less water than that of commercial farming, not only this reports show that allotments and gardens have a positive impact on mental health which is another challenge of our time.

Above: Ifarm - Vertical garden diagram showing how the process works. This type of farming can be retrofitted into greenhouses and even a spare window in your home.

Image above by FotoDocument - Urban allotments in Cuba. This process is up to 4 times more productive that commercial farming and adds a beautiful ever changing landscape to the urban environment. These allotments can even become bodies of activity where people can meet, chat, sit and relax, creating a community sense which can easily be lost in urban environments.

Recently Popbuild had a look at a site in Iceland to see what a potential off grid greenhouse in Iceland could look. Below are some of the images of the design called 'The Phos Building' (or 'The Light Building). Glass steel and existing rock from the site are the predominant materials. The rock being packing into metal mesh to form gabion facades and water harvesting pools. The steel and glass making up dining and growing spaces.

Iceland have natural heating systems through the use of thermal spa's. Essentially a more efficient ground source heat pump, Combined with solar panels and rainwater harvesting systems buildings can fairly simply become off grid structures.

As we tackle climate adaptation, it could be suggested that we do not need to be so sustainably focused, however we would argue this is not the case. Material are finite, especially gas, oils, fracking is so damaging to the environment it is absurd it would ever be considered; so the trend has to be off grid sustainable homes.

That is also an exciting prospect. Imagine not having to be reliant on an energy supplier whom (especially recently) can instantly increase prices to a rate that can be damaging to a family the the point of having to decide whether to spend money on food or heating.

For the future, home builders big or small must look to be as environmentally minded as possible. These are the challenges that will advance us all overtime. Below we can see a concept house designed by Popbuild to be off grid and affordable. It is an early concept but one we will be seeking to advance over the coming months and years.

We will explain more of the techniques explored here in another blog to be released soon.

References:

https://www.uncclearn.org/wp-content/uploads/library/fao34.pdf