antonio scarponi combines urban farming with industrial rooftops

antonio scarponi combines urban farming with industrial rooftops
photo © monica tarocco
all images courtesy of antonio scarponi

architect antonio scarponi has noticed that large, flat, homogeneous, and unused mechanical rooftops offer great possibilities to install urban farms and provide food within the city. building codes of industrial areas normally do not constrain heights, giving agrarian activities a concrete opportunity to capitalize the unused spaces. urban agriculture has a lot to do with the use of unexpressed potential of the metropolis, turning them into areas of productivity.

shrubs and plants are grown along a railing that filtrates water
photo © monica tarocco

the ‘urban farmers rooftop’ in basel, switzerland consists of a strategic plan that brings these ideas to fruition. the 400 m² site is precisely conceived as an device to grow the district. an aquaponic system has been installed to create a balanced environment in which the fish nourish the vegetables, and in return, the vegetables clean water for the fish.  the architecture consists of two prefabricated modules that correspond to the main features of the program: a greenhouse for the production of the plants, and containers for all the other activities such as administration offices, storage closets, and dressing rooms. both spaces can be organized in different layouts to engage the possibility that food can be grown on top of any flat industrial building, overcoming the historical dichotomy between city and country side.

mass amounts of glazing bring light into the greenhouse for the production of fruits and vegetables
photo © monica tarocco

exterior rendering of the urban farm

interior rendering of the aquaponics systems producing fruits and vegetables

conceptual strategy organizing the modular system

the aquaponic rooftop utilizes shipping containers and a greenhouse
photo © monica tarocco

conceptual sketch model kit that plays off of the idea that farm can be easily implemented

preliminary design sketch of proportional spaces

preliminary design sketch of voids

preliminary design sketch of horizontal and vertical farming

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.