goldsmith plans floating farm with poultry and vegetables in rotterdam

following the success of ‘floating farm dairy’ (see previous coverage here), goldsmith is now planning ‘floating farm poultry’ in rottedam, an urban farm that combines facilities for 7000 hens with a level for farming vegetables, herbs and cresses. similar to the adjacent cow farm, the new floating construction is organised as a logically stacked and compact agricultural building. besides being a functional farm, the building also fulfils an educational role for the city and its inhabitants, with most facilities made visible to visitors as much as possible.

all images courtesy of goldsmith.company

goldsmith.company‘s latest floating farm combines facilities for 7000 hens and an indoor LED cress farm with an evocative factory floor that facilitates the processing of products from both farms. the architecture prioritizes buoyancy, stability, and transparency, with technical installations, storage, production and processing of egg- and crop products all combined on board and made visible as much as possible. as such, the building allows visitors to see most of the farm’s inner workings without disturbing the various processes on board.

in contrast to the ‘floating farm dairy,’ the lower level (consisting of three concrete pontoons) is fully utilised for farming vegetables, herbs and cresses, while the upper level is the poultry farm for egg-laying hens. both production floors are connected with the factory floor via elevators and shafts, resulting in two fully-utilized levels for eggs and crops, with a factory floor for processing and packaging products in between. each of the levels has its own appearance in concrete, fully transparent glass, and translucent polycarbonate panels. a steel frame with PV panels tops the entire structure, creating a strong and recognisable silhouette.

the project incorporates technologies based on circular principles with the aim to minimize the ecological footprint of all levels in the building. the mostly submerged level of the crop producing LED farm recirculates warm humid air, and an efficient air- and energy system reduces emissions of poultry dust and nitrogen. chicken manure will be dried into fertiliser granules, while the steel frame with PV panels articulates the architecture and generates a high percentage of the necessary electricity on board.

‘the floating farm poultry is the subsequent step in the planned “foodstrip” that will offer a wider variety of agricultural products,’ notes goldsmith. ‘besides that, this second farm will connect to a number of circular flows that are already present on site. the realisation of the floating farm poultry will hopefully strengthen the position of both farms within the city’s urban ecology and the M4H (merwe-vierhaven) developments. not only as a new function for a previously abandoned area, but mainly as a recognisable icon within a city district under development.’