Brilliant floating greenhouse sustains itself with sun & harvested rainwater (Video)
By Kimberley Mok, Treehugger, 25 November 2014.
By Kimberley Mok, Treehugger, 25 November 2014.
In a time when traditional agriculture is giving way to hybridized methods of production, urban rooftop farms and other forms of unconventional cultivation, many are looking for ways to maximize production that is not land-based.
Aiming to create a low-cost alternative using recycled materials, Italian designers Antonio Girardi and Cristiana Favretto of Studiomobile created this floating modular greenhouse that sits upon 96 repurposed plastic drums. Dubbed "Jellyfish Barge," the idea behind this curious octagonal structure is to empower families and communities that live in coastal areas or near a body of water to grow their own food, without the need for land.
Crops are grown hydroponically in this 750-square-foot space, and are nourished with rainwater that is harvested through seven solar stills in a self-sustaining, solar-powered system. The fans and pumps that are necessary to the functioning of the solar stills are powered by the sun, enabling the system to collect, process and circulate up to 150 litres (39.6 gallons) of clean, purified water daily, be it sea water or rainwater, suitable for cultivating crops. Best of all, the whole system can be controlled remotely, streamlining the food-growing process into a simpler and more productive activity.
The barge's modular design means that it can be scaled up or down, or customized to fit various applications like floating farm-to-table restaurants, floating farmer's markets, or floating community gardens that may travel between pick-up points.
In a future where perhaps a good portion of our food may not be grown in soil, this crop-growing barge is an engaging design that combines the best new-fangled approaches of food production, creating a possible solution that is powered by renewable energy, addresses the increasing scarcity of arable land, and can drift to wherever it needs to be.
Video: Jellyfish Barge
All images credit: © Studiomobile.
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