Urban Mass Farming

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Integration of the most advanced hydroponic farm in the world

HARVEST 365

The most advanced Hydroponic superstructure in the world.

Team 1-Integration

For this project our design team combined the ideas of efficiency, technology, modular driven function, and providing for the community. It was decided that we were going to maximize output of plants as well as create an educational facility to house some of the largest free standing internal structures in the United States, all for the people of Milwaukee. With our “All-in-1” modular façade to our split system HVAC, we created efficient ways to heat and cool a habitat ideal for plant growth.

Tackling a multifaceted program including building envelope form studies to a complete set of working drawings. This hydroponic building is one of a kind due to the many integrated variables and "plug-N-play" features that not only help the building but the community itself.

HARVEST 365

Team 1-Integration

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PARAMETERS AND CODEC

Team one wants to take you through our process to deliver what could be the most advanced hydroponic farm in the world.

ARRIVAL OF FORM

The design team began the concept

by trying to maximize the amount of sunlight received by our plants. Our original concept was inspired by rice patty farming, allowing significant amounts of sunlight onto plants by offsetting the floors plates. This concept evolved into

CONCEPT 1: RICE PATTY

CONCEPT 2: JETSONS

the "Jetsons", a scheme to minimize the amount the one above. In concept three, "Dirty Dishes," we combined our first two drafts with a larger first floor that diminished as it grew in elevation.

However, this concept was still inefficient because it wasn't an improvement over a just a flat roof with 10,000 ft2 of green space.

Finally a plausible solution was found.

It bore the concept of placing our plants vertically rather than on the horizontal plane. In this

CONCEPT 3: DIRTY DISHES

way, the plants would follow the verticality of the curtain-wall system which then optimized the desired amount of light for our plants. We decided to take the envelope and calculate the area that the sun could reach. It was far over the benchmark of the top floor plate, reaching upwards of 15,000 ft2 of potential growing. To achieve this concept, we had to create systems that work together to serve a large vertical grow-

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ing environment.

CONCEPT 4: PODIUM

CONCEPT 5: LIGHT WALL

Team 1-2015

Integration of the most advanced hydroponic farm in the world

of shadows that were cast onto a floor plate by

Floor 5: Purpose: Roof Garden/Public The fifth floor is devoted entirely to hydroponic systems. Large A-frames on the south side absorb direct sunlight year round, which is necessary in northern latitudes. The north side is used for interior commercial growing spaces that have been artificially lit. This allows us to produce plants that would otherwise be foreign to the Wisconsin environment.

Facade: The façade is composed of polycarbonate panels lined in lightweight aluminium, which contain photovoltaic panels. As a result, the weight of the façade system is reduced by at least 30%, which decreases the amount of stress acting on the structure, while also contributing to the overall scaleless appearance of the building and a total function over form.

HARVEST 365

Team 1-Integration

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FUNCTIONS OF FLOORS

Floor 4: Purpose: Hydroponics/ Commercial The vertical plants on the south side continue to absorb natural sunlight, which allows us to grow more plants within the same volume. The north side contains interior, or sheltered, plants and produce preparation stations.

Floor 3:

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Floor 2: Purpose: Gathering / Kitchen The curtain wall system is prominent and interacts with the second floor. The large atrium is extended so the occupants can get a grand feel of the building. All of the commercial/industrial services are placed on the north side away from public view

Ground: Purpose: Retail / Offices The public and private areas are zoned in an "S" shaped grid. With private spaces in the back and public spaces extended off the southwest atrium, visitors can easily navigate the building and appreciate the large scale of the growing spaces.

Structure: To further the visual difference between the public and private zoning, we incorporated space truss columns. By allowing more natural light to enter the building we can have a larger span of area without column placement, whereas the private spaces are enclosed with more “traditional” means of construction. The Public spaces rely on the structure given by the triangular space trusses that begin at the ground floor, rise 75ft, and run horizontally to connect up with the composite steel structure that makes up the private zone.

Team 1-2015

Integration of the most advanced hydroponic farm in the world

Purpose: Hydroponics / Education The hydroponic system takes up 7,000 ft2 of space on the third floor. Classrooms are located north of this area in order to obtain a clear view of the systems to be used as a learning tools.

HVAC: The building’s commercial/public zoning is set to follow the “S” shaped grid in order to integrate both the private and public spaces. This stipulation ensures a right angle design for the mechanical to be easily integrated into the facade. By split zoning the commercial spaces and harvesting zones, we can obtain maximum efficiencies.

HARVEST 365

Team 1-Integration

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CONSTANT VARIABLE IN ECOSYSTEM Commercial Farming: Horizontal Bed

This space will be strictly climate controlled, and it will allow for non-indigenous plant growth.

Multiple studies were completed, and three plants Basil, Cilantro and Garlic - were found to generate a substantial profit. After additional tests and trial designs the design team was able to develop a system of A-frames that would increase total bed sqft from 10,000 to 20,800.

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In this new design there are 10 total A-frames, 8 small frames and 2 large. The small frames are 40ft tall, 20ft wide and have a base width of 10ft, with a total weight of 49,550lbs. Each of these frames will hold a total of 1,344 sqft. per frame. The large frame is 70ft tall, 20ft in length, and have a base width of 15ft, with a total weight of 89,313 pounds. This frame creates 2,366 sqft. of available bed space.

Building Overall Electrical and Water: Water

Hydroponics Water (gal) Occupant Plumbing (gal)

Total

Volume

1752912.418

481590

2,234,502

Price

$4,662.75

$1,281.03

$5,943

Electric

Lumens Lamp %

Watts:

Fixtures Required

Cost per fixure

life span

Overall

LED Occupant

3099

100

34.7

100

$206.87

50000 hours

$32,302

Artificial Plant Lighting

2900

59

59

179

$189.68

50000 hours

$39,825

Total cost 6 years

$72,127

Team 1-2015

Integration of the most advanced hydroponic farm in the world

Commercial Educational Farming: A Frame A large volume (around 81,000 cubic feet) such as this allows for mass production of local plants throughout the entire year. This space will be used to feed the community and integrate agricultural education with the city. A goal for this system is that a student may learn, understand and retain the basic information and unique aspects that make up a hydroponics farm.

HARVEST 365

Team 1-Integration

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ALL IN ONE SYSTEM After researching many greenhouses in the northern U.S., the team approximated that 500 foot-candles of light intensity was essential for plant growth.

To test the facade, sensors were placed at the base of two A-frames in a 1/4" model. Several facade options were tested as shown below. The conclusion reached was that no covering or enhancements placed over the panels would bring the "correct" amount of light into the green space. The chart to the right explains the minimum amount of sunlight needed to grow the specific plants we chose without running the risk of overloading the mechanical system.

Test 1: Overhang Avg. Interior Sunlight: 275.1 foot-candles Test 1 included a roof overhang. This test allowed the team to see how expanding the green roof would directly affect the amount of light that entered the interior spaces.

Test 2: Closed Facade

Lighting Lab Results

Avg. Interior Sunlight: 343.3 foot-candles For Test 2, the team removed the building's overhang and placed an

600

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Test 4

Test 3: Partial Facade Avg. Interior Sunlight: 487.9 foot-candles Test 3 was a modified version of Test 2. With the overhang still being removed, this time only the sides were covered with a light-blocking material.

This way the team could compare the effects of the roof allowing sunlight into the building with the sides of the building.

Test 4: Fully Exposed Avg. Interior Sunlight: 525.4 foot-candles

Light Levels (foot-candles)

model.

500

400

Test 3 Test 1

Test 2 300

200

100

0

5

10

sults.

20

25

30

35

Distance from Facade (ft)

For Test 4 all the coverings on the facade were removed and light was allowed to freely enter the model. This facade iteration yielded the best re-

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Test 1

Test 2

Test 3

Test 4

Desired

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Team 1-2015

Integration of the most advanced hydroponic farm in the world

opaque, light-diffusing skin/panel over the top and sides of the building

In order to efficiently capture the maximum amount

HARVEST 365

Team 1-Integration

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MODULATE TO REGULATE. REPEAT of desired sunlight available in Milwaukee, our skin system needed to incorporate photovoltaic panels that converted light to power as frequently as possible. To accomplish this, a convex lens was attached to the top of the "light trough" in order to magnify and direct the sun’s rays toward the center of the solar panel.

Through solar analysis testing in our Daylighting Laboratory, the design team determined that this method reduced the gross square footage of PV panels necessary and also increased the amount of energy developed upwards of 130%. This then lowered the cost of the overall module production.

Convex testing in daylight lab

HSS column: 6in. Diameter Welded connection plate L-shaped members (angles)

We wanted to be able to adapt this

C-channeling

system in different environments and

Polycarbonate panel

conditions to get the most out of the intricate facade yet simple facade.

Welded Angle member PV panel

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Housing for PV panels Exploded axon of mullion detail of all Hexagon Modules

Louver Vent System:

Allows for the flow of air to and from the green space efficiently while blocking a certain amount of the solar radiation from entering the building.

Polycarbonate System: Defuses Light as it enters the green space and works as an insulator in order to lower energy costs. It also prevents glare while still providing the optimum visibility.

Fan:

Feeds and circulates fresh clean air into the green space.

Photovoltaic (PV) Panels:

Generate free electricity that will be fed back into our building's system while also serving as a heat insulant.

Team 1-2015

Integration of the most advanced hydroponic farm in the world

Convex Lense

The team decided that the most functional way to heat and cool the space was to separate it into 3 zones. The first (yellow) being for the user, which spreads to floors 1 and 2. Using a air handler in the basement we provided enough CFM to operate efficiently at these levels. The second zone (green)

HARVEST 365

Team 1-Integration

Purpose: Retail

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SYSTEMS WITHIN SYSTEMS

HVAC

would house an air-handler on the fourth floor to provide enough heating to keep the plants at their max harvest potential. The VAV system only services these floors.

For he third system (blue), we tried several ideas and came to the conclusion that by heating and cooling the whole atrium, we would be over budget for the building cost in the range of 35,000 dollars annually. We decided to retrofit the A frames with heating fans from the boilers in the basement that only heat the frames and keep the temperature constant. In addition to the three systems, a supplemental system consisting of three ground source heat pumps

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Test 1: For the initial design of the project the team took the total tonnage without natural light and did 100% lighted spaces.

Test 2: On this test the team did a 100% glass facade in all 4 directions with no artificial light to the space.

Test 3:

Heating and Cooling A-frames.

This was the option we

The A-frames were a challenge not only in height and scale but also the problem of how to keep plants

went with. By not cooling

in their required habitat with a constant temperature. By mounting heaters to the A-frames a "natural"

and heating the atriums we

barrier was created in order to allow plants to live and grow in an optimal environment suited to their

found the right tonnage.

needs. In doing this, less energy was needed to heat and cool the space.

Team 1-2015

Integration of the most advanced hydroponic farm in the world

totalling 90 tons.

Team 1-Integration

FROM THE START

02 FORM FINDING

03 COLLABORATION

04 05 STUDY SUN FORM

06 INTEGRATE

09 RENDER FACADE

10 ANALYSIS OF PV

11 BUILD

12 DEVELOP

13 LAYOUT

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TEST OPTIONS

PRELIM SPACES

DOUBLE CHECK

15 FINISH

FROM THE TEAM From August to today, there has been a constant wave of trials, failures, and achievements, but most importantly learning. Through the collaboration of Architecture and Engineering students, we learned how to break down a massive project into manageable pieces. Through researching, testing, calculating, and often times repeating, we ended with more than a project; we attained a unique experience that most students will never achieve before graduation. From concept sketches to construction documents, watching our project evolve from an idea to reality was an experience that we will apply to our future careers.

Team 1-2015

Integration of the most advanced hydroponic farm in the world

CONCEPT MODEL

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HARVEST 365

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PROCESS DRIVEN