Busy little London bees might love a chance to live in this green building set alongside the Thames and the London bridge, but it's actually meant for humans. Covered in foliage, this honeycomb tower is part vertical farm and part residential building combined to create a mini eco system. Fully self-sufficient, the London Tower Farm proposal by Mexican firm Xome Arquitectos collects its own rainwater, generates energy, and grows food for residents in the center of the building.
Xome Arquitectos began their design based on the premise that by 2050 more than 70% of the world’s population will live in an urban environment. If this comes to fruition as expected, vertical farming will become a necessary strategy to feed urban residents. Xome also wanted to design a place where people could participate in multiple activities like shopping, working, living and recreation. Their proposal for the London Tower Farm, through the LOFT AWR 2011 design competition, is a honeycomb-like tower with apartments around the perimeter and growing levels in the center.
The tower’s facade was based on the strategy of carbon, life’s building block with the atomic number of 6. The building’s basic block is a hexagon that is repeated up the tower and serves as the apartments’ windows to the world. Renewable energy systems on the roof generate power for the building, while rainwater is collected and used for hydroponics, showers and toilets. Food is grown in the center of the tower, so residents can easily access the growing areas and be a part of the farm. The resulting fruits and vegetables are for the residents as well as for sale to the general public. Plants spill over the windows and balconies adding even more life to the verdant building.
Images ©Efecto Veintiuno