Architecture & Building Technology
Our perspective
Indoor food cultivation represents a promising new application for smart and high-performance buildings. While substantial knowledge exists on energy-efficient building design in residential and commercial sectors, this expertise has yet to be effectively translated into the agro-industry domain. Harnessing this untapped potential could pave the way for innovative and sustainable indoor food production, revolutionizing the way we approach agriculture in urban environments.
Non-Residential Passive Building Design
Source: Urban Organic Yield
HVAC for Crop-Growing Environments
Source: Open Lighting Product Directory
Adaptive Lighting & Shading
Grower-Centric Building Management Systems
Big challenges
Optimizing use of sunlight and free heating/cooling
Range of building sizes from a common pattern
Design pattern applicable in much of Canada
Intensive, space-efficient cultivation
Multiple crops, multiple growers
Underexploited resources
Thermal energy storage
The excesses and wild swings of Canada's climate
Synergy with other building types - waste heat & CO2