Building Integrated Agriculture:

Opportunities for Urban CEA

Innovations in Agriculture Conference

The Future of Farming
NYSERDA
March 4, 2008|Syracuse, NY

AN INTRODUCTION

Viraj Puri
2007 New York Sun Works
All Rights Reserved

All rights reserved. All images in this publication are the

property of NYSW. No part of this publication may be
reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in
any form or by any means, electronic, photocopying, and/or
otherwise without the prior permission of NYSW

New York Sun Works, Inc.

1841 Broadway, Suite 200
New York, NY 10023
USA
www.nysunworks.org

New York Sun Works

- Founded 2004, dedicated to sustainable engineering
- Design ecologically responsible, integrated systems to produce:
energy
water
food
- Engineers, biologists, ecologists, and managers
- Created (and currently operate) the Science Barge program

The challenge
An urbanizing planet: half the worlds people now live in cities
In the USA, buildings responsible for 39% of energy use, 68%
electricity consumption and 38% carbon dioxide emissions
Increased urbanization, results in marginalization of natural world
and distance from food production
Agriculture occupies 40% of the worlds land surface, uses 60% of
fresh water withdrawals worldwide, causes 15% of world
greenhouse emissions and is the largest source of water pollution
Food travels hundreds of thousands of miles to reach urban
consumers, adding to traffic congestion, air pollution and carbon
emissions

NYC is highly congested, with poor air quality primarily from vehicle traffic, a
problem exacerbated by the trucking of food.
NYC has >55 million square meters (>5,000 hectares) of unshaded rooftop.
These areas provide opportunities for solar collection via solar panels and
plants.

?
Greenhouse agriculture
(Almeria, Spain)

Vacant rooftops
(New York City)

Controlled Environment Agriculture

PROS
Year-round local food production
Very high productivity per unit area
Very high water use efficiency
Contained waste stream (fertilizers, etc.)
Reduce or eliminate pesticides
Lightweight, modular technology

CONS
Requires efficient heating solutions or waste heat
Need for specialized technological skills
Zoning and regulatory novelty (in cities)

NYSW System Designs

What started as a concept sketch

began construction in summer 2006,

set sail for the Manhattan waterfront in spring 2007,

and opened to the public at Pier 84 in May 2007.

The Science Barge is not only an invitation to ideas and learning, but
to change.
-- Dr. Jeffrey Sachs, director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University and special
economic advisor to the United Nations

The Science Barge

A prototype sustainable urban food farm.
Features:
120 m2 greenhouse, demonstrating recirculating hydroponics,
water desalination, rainwater catchment,
solar power, wind power, and biofuels.
The twin missions are technical research and public education.
Launched in Manhattan in May 2007, the Science Barge has hosted:
Over 6000 members of the public
105 school groups
65 journalists from 17 countries
Plus.. engineers, architects, developers and city planners

SCIENCE BARGE CORE SYSTEMS:

FOOD, WATER, POWER

FOOD: GREENHOUSE + HYDROPONICS

Hydroponic Systems

Nutrient Film
Technique (NFT)

All share:
High yield
High water use efficiency
Contained waste streams

Bato Dutch Bucket System

Verti-Gro
Plant Towers

Evaporative cooling pad wall

POWER: SOLAR + WIND + BIOFUELS

Energy Systems Contd

SOLAR
2.45 kW solar array [12 panels over 19.5 m2 surface, 12.5%
efficiency, mounted on passive trackers]
WIND

2 kW wind turbine array [rated 400 W each at 45 km h-1,

internally regulated horizontal axis]

BIOFUELS

5 kW biodiesel generator [backup power]

STORAGE

Battery Bank, 1000 Ah @ 48 VDC [2 day reserve]

5.5 kW inverter-charger to provide 120 VAC power to the

greenhouse grid

WATER: REVERSE OSMOSIS

+ RAINWATER CAPTURE

Water Recovery & Production

Rainwater Catchment
In NYC, sufficient rainfall on
greenhouse roof for
irrigation.
Stormwater catchment

Reverse Osmosis:
Energy efficient (!) (200
L/kWh)

BIA / PV comparison (for NYC)

BRIGHTFARM GREENHOUSE
PV PANELS ONLY
Capital Cost

$960

(with PV on 35% of greenhouse roof)

$986

Annual Revenue

$44

$280

Net Annual Return

$34

$84

Carbon Offset
(kg CO2)

12

20

Building Integration Key features

HVAC heat recaptured and diverted into the greenhouse, provides heat to
crops in the winter
Solar panels provide a perfect source of power to the greenhouse
Rainwater capture from greenhouse roof helps storm water overflow
(problem for cities) and provides water for plants
A rooftop covered with vegetation can reduce solar heat gain through the
roof

Building Integrated Agriculture - Applications

SCHOOLS
Large, flat roofs
Student nutrition / on-site vegetable demand
Fraction of the cost of a conventional science lab
COMMERCIAL RETROFIT
Retail (ecological marquee projectfood retailers, malls, others)
Service buildings (hospitals, gymnasiums, etc)
Manufacturing / industrial (high potential for waste heat capture)
NEW BUILD
larger installations
higher efficiency from building integration

Copyright Kiss +Cathcart, Architects and New York Sun Works

Copyright Owen Waltz and New York Sun Works

Copyright Owen Waltz and New York Sun Works

Copyright Owen Waltz and New York Sun Works

Copyright Patrick Hoyle and New York Sun Works

Copyright Patrick Hoyle and New York Sun Works

Copyright Patrick Hoyle and New York Sun Works

Copyright Chungyi Fan and New York Sun Works

Vertically Integrated Greenhouse

[VIG]
Combines a double-skin building faade with a hydroponic
greenhouse.
Lightweight and modular system using vertical NFT trays or similar.
Seeding and harvesting occur at the bottom.
Vertical spacing of the double plant cable lift [PCL] row can be
adjusted to maximize solar capture diurnally and seasonally.

VIG Benefits
Creates a productive [$] space within the double skin faade
Shades the building interior during summer
Reduces solar heat gain
Provides fresh air to building occupants
Utilizes waste heat from the building.

Vertically Integrated Greenhouse concept

Building Integrated Agriculture: Key Features

1. BIA saves land. Vegetable yields are

about 20 times the typical yields of field
agriculture.

6. BIA improves food safety. Integrated

pest management does not require
chemical pesticides.

2. BIA saves water. Recirculating irrigation

consumes five to ten times less water
than field agriculture.

7. BIA brings health. Access to fresh

vegetables is improved in urban
communities.

3. BIA protects rivers. Recirculating

systems eliminate fertilizer runoff to
surface waters.

8. BIA reduces waste. Waste heat from

buildings can heat the greenhouse.

4. BIA reduces pollution. Urban

greenhouses eliminate the use of fossil
fuels in tractors and trucks.
5. BIA recovers rainwater. The roof can be
designed to capture rainfall, reducing
storm overflow.

9. BIA cools buildings. A cover of

vegetation mitigates the urban heat
island effect, even under glass.
10. BIA combats global warming. Up to 1.5
kg of CO2 emissions can be mitigated
for each kg of vegetables produced in
a sustainable urban farm.

New York Sun Works specializes in the

design of ecologically responsible systems
for the production of food, energy, and water.
CONSULTING SERVICES:

Building Integrated Agriculture Site Design

Resource Demand And Supply Analysis
Greenhouse Operational Planning
Greenhouse Operation
Educational Programming
New York Sun Works, Inc.
1841 Broadway, Suite 200
New York, NY 10023
+1 212 757 7560

ww.nysunworks.org