SAPCE10, IKEA's innovation lab, launches indoor farm

innovation lab, SPACE10, launched the IKEA indoor farm during london design festival 2017, proving that the future really is green. called ‘lokal’, the flatpack furniture giant previewed the prototype of the vertical farm during a six-day pop-up in east london’s borough of shoreditch.

space10’s hydroponic farm comprises vertically stacked trays
all images by rory gardiner / courtesy of SPACE10

‘lokal’ uses a hydroponic farming system – which grows crops in a level of nutrient pumped water instead of soil — allowing crops to grow on stackable trays under LEDs in a climate-controlled box. with this technology the system can grow vegetables three times faster than traditional methods with 90 percent less water, less waste, and without the need for soil and sunlight in a much more space-efficient footprint.

the hydroponic technology grows vegetables three times faster than traditional methods

SPACE10 references the technological advancement as a solution to the problem caused by climate change and the inefficiencies of the global food production system. modified LED lights allow for year-round indoor growing, while smart sensors measure, control, and learn over time how to make crops grow healthier and faster. the future looks to the possibility of transferring this data from the farm to a domestic interface such as google home.

the system hopes to be economical, sustainable and educational

‘people basically talk to the plants and hear how they are doing’, says simon caspersen of SPACE10. ‘if they need anything or simply let kids and grownups learn about sustainable food.’ during the six-day pop-up, the IKEA indoor farm supplied a salad bar providing londoners with meals of hydroponic microgreens topped with locally sourced ingredients.

SPACE10’s chef-in-residence created three salads using greens grown hydroponically

in light of IKEA’s launch and its missions statement, the furniture company IKEA has been working with top chef david chang of momofuku group, dubai ruler sheikh mohammed bin rashid al maktoum, and more big names and companies, investing a combined $40 million into vertical farm producer, aerofarms. the company recently completed the world’s largest indoor vertical farm in the city using a closed-loop aeroponics system (the process of growing plants in a mist environment rather than in soil) that the company says uses 95 percent less water than field farming.

aerofarms has received a combines $40 million in producing vertical farms
image courtesy of aerofarms