DESA1002 'Continuous City' Alexandra Holman

Abstract

The Virtual Farm plays off social concerns involving the exponential rise in the world’s population and limited landmass. The design seeks a move towards self sufficiency and the revolution of concepts of transparency in the growth and consumption of local produce. The program can simply be divided into concepts of served and service. The open ground level is utilised as a community space, where produce grown above is sold in market stalls. A large area is devoted to the activation of public participation in the community garden, which is surrounded by cosy sitting areas that dissolve concepts of interior/exterior as one is able to effectively experience both spaces. The public space continues four floors above, in the roof top café, which seeks to enrich the Vertical Farm experience as the public are encouraged to consume the produce grown beneath their very feet. Waste is recycled from the café and used to fertilise the crops located on the growing levels. The primary funtion of the building, the growth space is designed to maximise production while also providing a unique user experience. Transparent lifts and flooring allo maximum sunlight and simultaneously encourage one to peer through the forest of greenery both above and below. My design seeks to create a space which transforms our understanding and interaction with the growth process, seeking solution to pressing social concerns in the development of self sufficiency.