The New York Times this week highlighted Dickson Despommier's idea for "vertical farms" and one of the images looked awfully familiar.
The professor of public health at Columbia University, working with his students, coined the concept about a decade ago, but it's being taken up recently by several imaginative architects.
It's been estimated that a prototype vertical farm would cost $20-30 million, but it would cost hundreds of millions of dollars to build the kind of 30-story towers that could feed 50,000 people.
For its originator, the concept speaks to ways that environment and human health converge, and architectural renderings now imagine such facilities.
It was a little easier for us. We thought that you, like us, would find one of the renderings particularly familiar. It's the fourth image on the New York Times' vertical farm slide show.
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8 comments:
Nive puc of a cuter pyramid.
Finally!
Something to do with that SEARS BUILDING!
Change the heads on the fire supprssion and the feder valves to timers and pump in flourescent grow bulbs. And paint that thing.
Is there a signed lease on our pyramid yet?
No signed lease yet.
Why don't we do something like this with our empty icon? This is way cool and tells people that Memphis isn't really a backwater town. We keep getting told that the fish store in the pyramid connects to our hunting and fishing traditions. How about connecting to our ag traditions but with a futuristic twist?
We have a film commission that is essentially neutered by the state to keep all progress in Nashville.
We have profesionals in Memphis paying rent and geting not too much work because their facilities are too small.
We have film makers and production staff moving away because there is no really good sized place to shot scenes indoors with sets and NOT MUCH WORK.
We have a music commission that, in league with the devil, believes a communist system will work, even though the music busineess is a busines and should be for profit so little faces can be fed and sheltered in Memphis.
Why don't we add it all up under one roof, support local business, get some rent (better than none) for the pyramid and make incentives for out of state film makers to come here for the rest of the debt amount?
In other words, add how much gets paid on that thing anyway, and put the package together that equals that amount to make the whole thing happen, incentives, rents, the whole shmear for the same amount as we are already paying with the possibility of geting something more for it.
Turn it into an opportunity that actually can be realized right now.
I didn't read the article closely but doesn't an indoor farm require lots of light? The Pyramid is metal-clad and so there's the cost of replacing all that shiny stuff. I can't imagine that's cheap.
The material that replaces it will introduce questions about structural integrity (something you've already raised in another context, SCM).
Someone (hint, hint) should see about bringing those folks down here to have a look at the Pyramid and discuss the feasability. Couldn't hurt, might help.
I really want to see further progress on this concept because I think this is could be a solution to are rising food shortage…I am involved in a campaign to build the first functioning tower: http://www.thepoint.com/campaigns/vertical-farm-in-new-york-city
So, what is the main purpose to create something like that? I'm thinking it has other meaning, well I agree it would cost a lot of money, but the real purpose I'm sure is other one.
This cannot really work, I feel so.
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