Slashdot Mirror
Spiraling Skyscraper Farms For a Future Manhattan
Mike writes "One of three finalists in this year's Evolo Skyscraper Competition, Eric Vergne's Dystopian Farm project envisions a future New York City interspersed with elegantly spiraling skyscraper farms. The biomorphic structures harness cutting-edge technology to provide the city with its own self-sustaining food source while dynamically altering the fabric of city life."
Hmmm.... From the article:
>By 2050 nearly 80% of the worldâ(TM)s population will reside in urban centers, and 109 hectares of arable land will be needed to feed them.
109 hectares is all we will need to feed all of the worlds city population! Cool... ;)
Though getting to your points:
>Plants (especially plants like alfalfa or grasses [wikivisual.com] as depicted) have massive root systems requiring literally tons of soil to be healthy.
No not really... What plants need are nutrients, sun, and water. Soil is not necessary actually. What soil does is moderate the distribution of those things.
>Plants need water. Lots of water.
Well that depends. It depends on how you will distribute the water to them.
>Buildings don't like water.
Not necessarily, it really depends on the materials used to build them.
> Plants die & rot (it's natural). Rotting plants smell. People don't like smelly buildings.
Plants need to be trimmed and taken care off. We have a gardening philosophy where you grow and let it die.
>Currently we use large machines to cultivate plants because it sucks, none of these images look like that would be possible.
How about the iRobot company?
For example you do the following:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydroponics
"You can't make a race horse of a pig"
"No," said Samuel, "but you can make very fast pig"
What is this idiot planning to do, have a zillion megawatts/acre of grow lights on all the lower levels?
Perhaps this idiot is planning to harness the power of the sun like every other farmer does. Maybe he even has a technology already at his disposal that would make it feasible and cost effective.
"A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky dangerous animals and you know it." - K
Why not? They do it in Japan.... http://blog.japundit.com/archives/2008/02/17/7904/
Non sequitur: Your facts are uncoordinated.