Farmworks: Building as a Machine for Growing Food

Farmworks is a machine for growing: the wavelength of the lighting in this indoor environment is tuned to optimize plant growth and moves vertically in pace with the plant’s height, the HVAC system keeps temperature and humidity optimal, and the building envelope is insulated and pressurized to balance interior and exterior conditions and to prevent water from condensing in the exterior wall. Here, the entire supply chain of food production occurs in one building, producing the equivalent of one acre of land using only two-and-a-half 4’x9’ towers.

Keywords: Indoor Agriculture, High Performance Buildings, Vertical Farming, Building-Integrated Agriculture