GRAFTEDGROWTHGrow. Cook. Eat.

We would like to give a very special thanks to the following:

to the EPA, for their support of the studio.

to Dr. Gene Eidson, for his knowledge and help in understanding how a vertical farm should work.

to our professors Dan Harding, Bernhard Sill, and Ulrike Heine, for their collaborative input on the design and technical aspects of the project.

Grafted GrowthGrow.Cook.Eat.A proposal for a vertical farm in Charleston South Carolina.

The design studio worked with Clemson University’s Institute of Applied Ecology. The Institute received EPA funding to develop a design - feasibility study to build a “vertical farm” in downtown Charleston.

ARCH 893 - Comprehensive Studio, Fall 2011Dan Harding, Bernhard Sill, Ulrike Heine

Designers:Jared Moorejjmoore@clemson.edu

Chris Wilkinschris@chriswilkins.com

Have you ever wondered how many miles your meal has traveled before making it to your mouth? Most foods have traveled hundreds or thousands of miles to make it from farm to table. Oil powers this travel. Oil also produces the fertilizers used for industrial scale food production and powers the tractors and irrigation pumps. In the United States, 400 gallons of oil equivalents are expended annually to feed each American (as of data provided in 1994)1. In addition to depleting fossil fuels, modern agriculture is also using soil and water supplies faster than they can be replenished. As global oil supplies become more scarce, the cost of our modern industrial food system will become increasingly unaffordable. Simply put, the way we are eating is unsustainable.

The Vertical Farm is a conceptual design for a new method of food production. One that is not only sustainable in terms of oil, water, and soil use, but also provides more affordable, better tasting and healthier food. Farming, traditionally done in fields in the Midwest, will happen inside of hermetically-sealed grow rooms sited amidst the high-rise buildings of populous urban centers. Locally grown food will reduce oil consumed in transportation, while hydroponic and aeroponic growing methods will provide year-round food production with no impact to soil supplies and very efficient use of water and nutrients.

As part of an EPA funded research project, graduate architecture students from Clemson University worked in inter-disciplinary teams of

students, faculty, and professionals to engage the community members of Charleston, SC through a series of design charrettes. The aim was to understand not only the economic feasibility of urban farming, but also how a local culture can be grafted together with new methods of food production and culinary preparation to create an empowered and cohesive local food community with a sense of social justice.

This semester-long collaboration between disciplines uncovered a richness of ideas that we don’t usually witness in the architectural design studio. The comprehensive requirements of the studio required a rigorous exploration of design details, such as using sustainable construction methods and materials – employed in the adaptive reuse of an existing vacant warehouse – and the integration of energy-efficient heating and cooling systems with real-time sensor networks for environmental optimization.

For this architecture to succeed, the farming process had to be integral to the building systems just as the city’s culture is integral to its food. Working with scientists, engineers, and organic farmers we learned more than just architecture – we began to design the future of food. The vertical farm is where we will grow, cook and eat together.

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ABSTRACT:

1. Eating Fossil Fuels, Dale Allen Pfeiffer, From the Wilderness Press, 2004. http://www.fromthewilderness.com/free/ww3/100303_eating_oil.html

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The first charrette for the Charleston Vertical Farm Design Feasibility Study was held on September 16th in Charleston. The purpose of the first charrette was to select one property in downtown Charleston to focus the design feasibility study on. Three properties were initially selected to be discussed during the charrette and a participant invitee list that represented a substantial profile of the community of Charleston was developed and invitations sent out. Graduate students from the Clemson University School of Architecture developed introductory presentations for the charrette participants that detailed vertical farming and the need for community outreach and service of this type in Charleston.

Community Design Charrette 1

The second charrette for the Charleston Vertical Farm Design Feasibility Study was held on October 14th in Charleston. The purpose of the second charrette was to focus on a vision for the Vertical Farm building by reviewing and openly discussing numerous building design strategies for the Port City Paper site. Participants were charged with examining specific design schemes while providing meaningful, critical, and insightful feedback via a typical S. W. O. T. analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats). The charrette shared a similar structure as the first event to capitalize on the diverse group of community members that had been invited.

Community Design Charrette 2

The final public presentation was held in December of 2011 as a public exhibition of the work and research completed during the semester. The exhibition was held in the Grow Food Carolina building, a company that focuses on supplying locally grown produce. The studio designed and constructed the exhibition panels that were used to display the presentation boards and physical models.

Public Gallery and Exhibition

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The design process began by mapping out major areas in Charleston where food could be bought. This also included examining major food productions areas within the state.

Food Location Map

Food Lion

Piggly Wiggly

Grocery & Markets1

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Harris Teeter 3

The Vegetable Bin 4

Bull Street Market 5

Queen Street Grocery 6

J & W Grocery 7

President Market 8

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time by walking

time by vehicle

This zone features both residential and commercial program. The only other food resource is in this

zone.

context zone 1

This zone features a large amount of residentail program and undeveloped land. It is also the first

zone to include interstate I-26.

context zone 2

Zone 3 features many residential structures as well as two of the restaurants within the surrouding

context of the vertical farm site.

context zone 3

This zone is mainly made up of residential program. The zone makes a concept of a vertical ideal for its

current location.

context zone 4This map shows the existing green space within the surrounding context of the site. A major goal for the vertical farm is to influence and teach the community on how to make and manange their own urban gardens.

surrounding green spaceThe main transportation networks for the vertical farm site include I-26 as a major connection to the rest of the state, and Huger Street as a main connection to downtown Charleston.

transportation + food resources

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Almost half of the surrounding population lives in what is called a food desert. A food desert is any area in the industrialized world where healthful, affordable food is difficult to obtain. It can be measured by how far a residence is located from an adequate food source, grocery store or food market. If the residence is more than 1 mile away then they are considered to live in a food desert.

Food DesertSince Charleston is an urban coastal city it’s not hard to figure out that the nearest farm is quite far from the city. The introduction of a vertical farm into the city would greatly shorten this distance and reduce the amount of energy used to transport food from farms into the city. This would also reduce the amount of CO2 released into the atmosphere.

Distance to Nearest FarmThe current condition of the food supply available to the local community is poor. Interviews reveal that the local food suppliers lack a variety of food selection and have little availability of certain foods.

Quality of Existing Food Markets

The surrounding neighborhood has a very high crime rate, one of the highest in the city. Security is a major priority for the project. The project also attempts to create spaces and activities that would help unite the community and begin to decrease the crime rate.

Crime RateThe Charleston Board of Architecture Review will have to approve any scheme before the project can move to construction. The design focuses on preserving as much of the existing as possible, and uses materials that are similar to other structures found in the Charleston area. The design needs to be an icon in the city, but also respect the historical qualities of Charleston.

Charleston BARAccording to the local Charleston zoning regulations a building in this area could not exceed a maximum height of 50’.

Height Restriction

<50’

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A key part for the design was the use of an existing warehouse that currently occupied the site. This was required by the EPA.

Use of Existing Warehouse

The projects front elevation is located on King Street; a major connection to high population areas in Charleston.

King Street

King

Stre

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Directly behind the site were two vacant lots. The two lots were added to the site, and allowed for a large community garden.

Vacant Lots

The grant from the EPA specified that the new vertical farm had to use an existing structure. The first design charrette presented three different sites to community members and by the end of this charrette the Port City Paper site was chosen. The challenge for the design and site use was as follows:

01. Provide a design scheme that meets the production needs of a vertical farm within the constraints of the program and existing building envelope on the site in downtown Charleston. This requires at least 3 floors of the building are dedicated to production only farming.

02. Balance the aspects of a new production-oriented building with the needs of the surrounding community.

Port City Paper Warehouse

Port City Paper - Interior

Port City Paper Warehouse from King Street Port City Paper - Loading Zone

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Climate Data: Temperature

Because our farming program uses the roof and south façade, we analyzed how the sun travels across the site. From our sun studies we found that there are no major shadows cast on the new structure from the surrounding buildings. We also researched how many hours of daylight Charleston receives during the year to determine how much light we should expect to get for growing our plants.

Sun Studies

For the ground level we employ a cross ventilation cooling strategy. Initially we research how cross ventilation could cool the farming program spaces, but after our research we determined that the farming spaces must be hermetically sealed from the exterior to prevent contamination. The wind rose was used to determine the direction of major winds during the hottest months of the year. After our research we decided to place small transom operable windows on the ground level south façade that can be manually opened by the occupants. The north façade also received the same treatment in the clearstory, but instead of being manually controlled it relies on sensors to determine when to open.

Summer Seasonal Wind Rose

Daylight

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Our design strategy uses the concept of grafting, and examines how to graft the new vertical farm with the existing structure. The project explores the concept of grafting in structural issues, form and massing studies, as well as how the farm grafts with the existing community. The new vertical farm is dependent on the existing roots of the community, and in order for the project to succeed there must be a strong connection with the surrounding community.

Grafting

CULTUREA major design focus for our project is to integrate the vertical farm within the local community, and for the building to serve as a community center. The public program of the project is centered on the idea of “Grow. Cook. Eat.” This concept deals with the building providing a space for members of the community to come and learn how to grow food in their own gardens, then how to cook the food they grow, and finally provide a space for them to enjoy their hard work. This concept will also promote a healthier lifestyle.

Design Concept + Goals

To continue with one of our major design goals of connecting the building to the community our first design move was to provide a connection path through the site. This allows for members of the neighborhood to travel through the building to get to Food Lion, and other areas surrounding the site. This also allows for the community to constantly see what is taking place in the farm, and allows for a high level of transparency.

Connection to NeighborhoodWhen trying to determine the location of the vertical farm program we wanted to use areas with the most natural sunlight. Because of this we chose to locate the major farm program spaces on the roof and on the south façade of the building. This allows for plants growing in these regions to receive the maximum amount of natural light. There is also farming program located in the warehouse and the growing racks have been equipped with grow lights.

Location of Farming Program

14A public garden is located directly off King Street and serves as a method to draw people into the building. The garden is maintained by the vertical farm staff and volunteers but is totally free and available to the public. The garden also serves as the first phase of urban gardens that will one day continue north along King Street. Since the garden is located across from a public library it will also serve as a teaching tool for students on the importance of urban farming.

Public GardenA café is also located off of King Street. The café will draw attention to the building and encourage people to enter the building and learn about vertical farming. The café is a “dirt-to-table” café, meaning that all of the food sold from the café comes from the vertical farm. The interior portion of the café features a bar and seating.

CafeThe location of the distribution area is determined by the existing roll up doors and ease of access from the road. The distribution area is located directly under all of the farming levels. A large service elevator allows for easy transportation of produce from farm levels to the ground level. This area of the building also houses major mechanical units such as two water pumps, a switchgear room, and HVAC units.

DistributionThe two vacant lots located directly behind the warehouse have been converted into one large community garden space. The concept for the garden is to engage the surrounding neighborhood and allow them a place where they can grow their own food. The grow.cook.eat. concept will allow members of the community to learn how to grow certain foods and how to maintain a garden. They will also be able to learn how to cook different meals with the food they grow.

Community Garden

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Non Farming Sq. Ft.: 13,419Total Farming Sq. Ft.: 522Total Sq. Ft.: 13,941

First Floor Plan

1. Daily Market 6985 sq. ft.2. Dirt-to-Table Kitchen 257 sq. ft. 3. Dirt-to-Table Cafe 835 sq. ft.4. Cooking Classroom 113 sq. ft.5. Distribution 522 sq. ft. 6. Water Pump Room 300 sq. ft. 7. Switchgear Room 184 sq. ft.8. Elevator Mechanical Room 178 sq. ft.

9. Rain Water Collection Cistern 155 sq. ft.10. Outdoor Eating Area / Garden 1730 sq. ft. 11. Transformer + Generator 305 sq. ft.12. HVAC Mechanical Room 130 sq. ft.

N15

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Non Farming Sq. Ft.: 2,220Total Farming Sq. Ft.: 6,758Total Sq. Ft.: 8,958

Second Floor Plan

1. Office Reception 195 sq. ft.2. Vertical Farm Administration 673 sq. ft. 3. Farming Director’s Office 181 sq. ft.4. Conference Room 200 sq. ft. 5. Telecommunications Room 176 sq. ft. 6. Balcony 451 sq. ft. 7. Farming - Germination 3194 sq. ft.8. Lab Space 127 sq. ft.

9. HVAC Mechanical Room 195 sq. ft.10. South Facade Farming - Level 1 3437 sq. ft.11. Air Lock 190 sq. ft.

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OPEN TO BELOW

N

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Non Farming Sq. Ft.: 389Total Farming Sq. Ft.: 12,535Total Sq. Ft.: 12,924

Third Floor Plan

1. Farming Production Unit - A 2360 sq. ft.2. Native Farming Production 1223 sq. ft. 3. Outdoor Growing Area 1837 sq. ft.4. Lab Space 113 sq. ft.5. Farming Production Unit - B 3565 sq. ft. 6. South Facade Farming Level - 2 3437 sq. ft. 7. HVAC Mechanical Room 243 sq. ft.8. Air Lock 146 sq. ft.

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A

Non Farming Sq. Ft.: 1222Total Farming Sq. Ft.: 16,633Total Sq. Ft.: 17,855

Fourth Floor Plan

1. Farming Production Unit - A 3208 sq. ft.2. Farming Production Unit - B 1640 sq. ft. 3. Farming Production Unit - C 3340 sq. ft.4. Farming Production Unit - D 2220 sq. ft.5. Farming Production Unit - E 2518 sq. ft. 6. Lab Space 270 sq. ft. 7. South Facade Farming - Level 3 3437 sq. ft.8. HVAC Mechanical Room 786 sq. ft.

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Section: B

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North Side Elevation

South Side Elevation

Front Elevation Rear Elevation

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The vertical farm produces a variety of foods using a hydroponic system. Hydroponics is a method of growing plants using mineral nutrient solutions in water without soil. The wate used in our hydroponic systems is completely recycled, which greatly reduces the amount of water used to grow plants. This system allows for the control of nutrition levels, easier control of pests, and is a stable system which produces high yields.

Hydroponic Farming System

Basil

Lettuce

Carrots Corn Onions Tomatoes Peppers

Greenbeans Okra Cucumbers Beets

Dill Spinach Broccoli Celery

The vertical farm also employs the use of aeroponic systems. Aeroponics is a method of growing plants in an air or mist environment without using soil. Aeroponics is different from hydroponics due to the fact that the aeroponic system uses no growing medium. Aeroponic systems are extremely efficient and sustainable, and like the hydroponic system, can produce stable and high yields. NASA has also experiemented with this system as a means of producing food during space travel.

Aeroponic Farming System

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Aero Tower Aero Tower Water Supply Section

Flat Aero Rack Flat Aero Rack Water Supply Section

Flat Aero RackNumber of Racks: 82 Rack Floor Area: 50 sq. ft.Total Floor Area: 3500 sq. ft.

Plants per rack level: 300Plants per full rack: 1200

Total Plant Growth: 98,400Approx. 9.8 acres

Farming Equipment:

Aero TowerNumber of Racks: 113 Rack Floor Area: 25 sq. ft.Total Floor Area: 1625 sq. ft.

Plants per rack level: 218Plants per full rack: 1200

Total Plant Growth: 135,600Approx. 13.56 acres

Farming Equipment:

Total Farm Production: 234,000 PlantsApprox. 23.4 acres

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Structural SystemFor our structural concept we continued with the idea of grafting and we examined how our new structure could be grafted with and take advantage of the existing structure. We began by removing east and west brick facades, and then added two concrete cores to replace the sheer. We chose to keep all of the brick and cmu walls of both the north and south facades, and our new “tree” columns graft onto the existing columns with custom steel connections joints. Our ETFE panel system is supported by large LVL beams.

2. Addition of cores for sheer1. Removal of existing east and west walls and bow trusses

3. Addition of vertical columns 4. Grafted connections 5. Columns for roof support

7. Addition of LVL roof structure6. Second floor primary structure 8. Third floor primary structure 9. Fourth floor primary structure 10. Grid structure for ETFE Panels

Vertical Loads Longitudinal Horizontal Loads Transversal Horizontal Loads

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Metal Grate Floor System

1” Welded Steel Gratingwith 1-3/16” spacing

Steel Mounting Brackets

Tapered I-Beam18k6 Open - web Joist

For our envelope system we chose to use a triple layered ETFE panel. The tripled layered ETFE provides the necessary insulation requirements for the space while also providing a low tech shading devise to deal with the harsh summer temperatures. The ETFE shading system consists of a checkerboard pattern that is printed onto the top outer layer, while the middle layer is printed with the negative image of the top layer.

ETFE Panel System

For the south façade of our vertical farm we chose to use a metal grate floor system. The system is easy to assemble and light weight. The grates allow for the maximum amount of natural light to penetrate each level and reach plants on the first and second levels. The grates also allow for a natural circulation of air from the HVAC system. Air is supplied at every level and because hot air rises there is only the need for one return duct system at the top level.

ETFE Panel Open

ETFE Panel Closed

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MullionFlashingSteel Connection PlateReinforced Concrete SlabMetal DeckingHexagonal Castellated BeamWeb CleatStructural Connection JointContinuous Bearing AngleInsulationFlashing

FlashingExisting CMUExisting Concrete Column

Existing Concrete Column8” Dia. Steel Column1” Steel Base Plate1/2” Epoxy Bolt3” Finished SlabVapor BarrierLeveling NutsNonshrinking GroutExisting Foundation

DETAIL 01

DETAIL 02

DETAIL 03North Side Wall Section

01

02

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ETFE Panel

2’ x 8” LVL

8” Dia. Steel Column

18k6 Open - Web Joist

2’ Deep Hexagonal Castellated Beam

Grafted Steel Connection Joint

Existing Concrete Column

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DETAIL 04

2’ x 8” LVL

BoltsWelded Connection

8” Dia. Steel Column

Steel I-BeamWelded Connection

Steel Connection Plate

Welded Connection

2’ deep hexagonal castellated beam

8” Dia. Steel ColumnExisting Conc. Column

Web Cleat

2’ deep hexagonal castellated beam

DETAIL 05

DETAIL 06South Side Wall Section

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Concrete Slab

Metal Decking

Insulation

Alucobond ACM Panel

The roof and southern façade were designed as an integrated environmental control system. The ETFE bubble system needs only a lightweight structure for support, but requirs an infrastructure of pressurized air supply hoses to maintain inflation. A mass-customized, aluminum mullion system has been designed to invisibly house the air supply system, along with an integrated rainwater collection system. Parametric modeling has been used to translate a single NURBS surface into several thousand unique cut-patterns. Mullions would be produced off-site, cut from aluminum sheets using a CNC water jet, and folded using brake forming. This prefabrication process will be more efficient and have a higher quality output than traditional on-site construction and could be applied to multiple projects. The structural grid is based on the Zollinger roof system, which is ideal for doubly-curved

Skin Fabrication

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The mullion system has an integrated rain gutter which collects water into a series of cisterns on the uppermost level. Locating these cisterns higher than the water supply points allows for gravity-powered irrigation. Overflow is routed downwards for use in the ground-level, community garden.

Rainwater Collection

Aluminum mullions house an air supply system for the ETFE bubbles, rainwater collection hoses, electrical wiring, and a real-time sensor network for environmental control. Systems can be accessed for maintenance via removable panels, and can be replaced completely without disturbing the structure.

Integrated Skin SystemAir, water, electricity and data are passed between the skin and the structure via junction points where the Zollinger-based mullion system meets a structural system of CNC-fabricated, laminated veneer lumber (LVL).

Building Circulatory System

Water Collection Pipe

Water Tube

Air Supply Hose

Air Hose to ETFE

Pipe Fitting

Debris Filter

Integrated Gutter

ETFE Panel Clamp

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For our HVAC system we chose to use multiple single-packaged VAV units. Each of the farming areas much have a separate HVAC system due to the risk of contamination. By supplying each farming zone with their own HVAC system the room has the highest amount of efficiency in temperature control. This also reduces the size of each unit since it only supplies air to small individual zones. The fresh air intakes and exhausts are located on the roof. The ground floor relies on a separate intake and exhaust system. The intakes and exhausts on the roof are located inside one of the 8’x8’ squares from the roof grid.

HVAC: VAV Systems

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For the electrical component of our building we have located outdoor space for a transformer, and back- up generator. The dimensions required for the pad-mounted transformer has been roughly sized to about 8’x8’. The switchgear room has been located in the distribution area on the ground floor. Along with the switchgear room we have located a 175 sq. ft. telecommunications room within the administration area of the building. This room will house any major electrical equipment and technology for the vertical farm.

Switchgear Room + Transformer

The building features two major water pumps. One pump, the domestic water pump, is dedicated to supplying potable water throughout the building, while the second pump is solely for the buildings sprinkler system. Because each farming zone has its own mechanical room we have also decided to add a small water pump to each farm zone. Because the pumps only have to supply water horizontally for one floor the individual pumps are much smaller. However, it’s important to note that these pumps would be primarily used as a back-up in case the major pump failed or was under repair.

Water Pumps

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Ground Floor Mechanical Plan Second Floor Mechanical Plan

Third Floor Mechanical Plan Fourth Floor Mechanical Plan

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