An Israeli design firm has won an award for proposing the use of “Agro-Housing” to counter the effects of urbanization in China, and their submission will be built in Wuhan. Agro-Housing combines living space with a greenhouse in urban apartment buildings so residents can grow their own food. From Dwell Blog:
China has a population of well over a billion, almost half of whom live in densely packed urban areas. All of those people need fresh food to eat, and would probably also prefer to breathe somewhat clean air. But those kinds of numbers prove a mind-numbing puzzle for urban planners everywhere. One solution is the idea of Agro-Housing, or incorporating greenhouses within high-rise housing projects, as proposed by the Isreali firm Knafo Klimor Architects…
The interesting design idea was created in response to the 2nd International Architecture Competition for Sustainable Housing. Firms were asked to put forward solutions to city living in one of three locations: Brazil, China, and the UK. Knafo Klimor won the prize for the China competition, and as a result, their submission is being built in the city of Wuhan. [Full text]