The Future of Sustainable Architectureby William Mungall

Population Growth & Rapid Urbanization

As the world’s population continues to skyrocket (total population jumped from ~1 billion in 1804 to over 7 billion today), space will remain at a premium. The

combination of less space for expansion and the new challenges presented by cities’ having to support larger

populations will require us to find new and innovative ways to improve the functionality of our buildings.

Population Growth & Rapid Urbanization

Not only will we need to maximize the space inside the buildings and reduce their impact on the

environment, but now is the time to start thinking about how these buildings can both serve its

tenants and the surrounding community.

Solutions in Architecture

There have been major and exciting developments in

sustainable architecture over the last twenty years. The idea that a

building could not only be aesthetically pleasing, but also have a positive environmental

footprint is particularly appealing in a world where we regularly

hear about potential environmental disasters resulting

from climate change.

An interesting idea for “sustainable architecture” is that of vertical farms, where, instead of floor after

floor of offices in a building, you would have tiers of greenery that would synthesize elements of

agriculture, architecture, and sustainability to create high-efficiency farms that take up vertical space

rather than acres of ground-level space. According to a recent report in Fast Company, this is exactly what is pursued by Aprilli Design Studio, a U.S.-

based design atelier, in their Urban Skyfarm project.

Solutions in Architecture

Urban Skyfarm

Their proposed structure would be a complete, self-

sustaining ecosystem, complete with wind turbines, hydroponic farming systems,

solar panels, a natural rainwater filtration system.

The structure would be built using lightweight decks and could host more trees than

an urban park.

The Takeaway

According to architects Steve Lee and See Yoon Park, “Vertical farming is not only a great solution to future food

shortage problems but a great strategy to to address many environmental problems resulting from urbanization.”