The green world shall commend the efforts of the Paington Zoo Environmental Park in Devon for housing the first vertical farm in a zoo on the globe. Called the VertiCrop Garden, the name indeed says it all that it is meant provide fresh crops for the zoo inhabitants (please read ‘animals’) in order to cut down the need for food deliveries from the outside world. As you must have realised by now, Self-suffiency was the driving force behind this project.

The process is a lengthy one but the treehuggers at the zoo are not complaining. First, the crops to be grown in garden are potted within individual pockets on lagre, vertical panels. Each of these panels is hung on an overheard conveyer system that ensures the water and nutrient supply required for te plant’s healthy growth.

A controlled environment removes any need for harmful pesticides. Apart from bein soil-free, the VertiCrop Garden consumes only 5% of water required for conventional gardening. The advanced hydroponic and aerponice technologies come very handy to achieve that. On top of all this, the garden will also cut bills for the zoo which currently exceeds £200,000 a year.

Via jamblemag & architectureandvision