Floating farm as urban icon. Floating farm poultry by Goldsmith Company

Project description by Goldsmith Company

Urban farm
The Floating Farm Poultry is a design in succession of the Floating Farm Dairy. Similar to the adjacent cow farm it is organised as a logically stacked and compact agricultural building. The farm combines a poultry farm for 7000 hens and an indoor LED cress farm with an evocative factory floor that facilitates the processing of products from both farms. Fresh eggs, edible crops are also combined into a new range of products. Technologies that are based on circular principles and that minimise the ecological footprint are applied on all levels of the farm.

Public character
Besides being a functional farm, the building also fulfils an educational role for city and its inhabitants. Technical installations, storage, production and processing of egg- and crop products are all combined on board and are made visible as much as possible. The architecture expresses this transparent character, and the organisation allows visitors to see most of the buildings inner workings without disturbing the various processes on board.

Stacked organisation
The organisation of components, the structural principles and materialisation applied to optimise buoyancy and stability, as well as enhance the transparent character of the building.

In contrast to the Floating Farm Dairy, the lower level (consisting of three concrete pontoons) is fully utilised for farming vegetables, herbs and cresses. The upper level is the poultry farm for egg-laying hens. Both production floors are connected with the factory floor via elevators and shafts. The result is two fully utilised production floors for eggs and crops, with a factory floor for processing and packaging products in between. These levels of the building each have their own appearance in concrete, fully transparent glass, and translucent polycarbonate panels. Finally, on top, a steel frame with PV (photovoltaic) panels makes a strong and recognisable silhouette.

Sustainable principles
Technology that is based on circular principles and minimising the ecological footprint of the building are aimed for on all levels of the farm. The mostly submerged level of the crop producing LED farm recirculates warm humid air. An efficient air- and energy system reduces emissions of poultry dust and nitrogen. Chicken manure will be dried into fertiliser granules. The steel frame with PV panels articulates the architecture and generates a high percentage of the necessary electricity on board.

Food strip
The Floating Farm poultry is the subsequent step in the planned ‘foodstrip’ that will offer a wider variety of agricultural products. Besides that, this second farm will connect to a number of circular flows that are already present on site. The realisation of the Floating Farm Poultry will hopefully strengthen the position of both farms within the city’s urban ecology and the M4H (Merwe-Vierhaven) developments. Not only as a new function for a previously abandoned area, but mainly as a recognisable icon within a city district under development.