Plantagon An award winning high-rise greenhouse in Sweden

Plantagon An award winning high-rise greenhouse in Sweden

The future of farming might very well be up. With urban populations increasing and the reality that agriculture is stretched to its current limits of production, it is clear that we must find innovative new ways to produce food. We are also facing the issue of food miles, the distance that food currently travels from farm to plate and all the energy that’s needed for those distribution networks.

A Swedish-American company, Plantagon, was recently awarded the 2012 SACC New York-Deloitte Green Award for its innovative design of a 12-story triangular urban farm. This building, which broke ground last February, will be one of the tallest farms in the world once construction is completed.

Inside the Plantagon structure, plants will travel on tracks from the bottom floor up to the top and back to take advantage of optimum sunlight and make harvesting easier and more efficient. Plantagon plans to sell the produce at nearby farmers markets, minimizing food miles, and they will lease office space in the building for additional revenue.