Flóra Imre+Hanga Reppert
The project is about a plant, where people can grow vegetables with hydroponic technology, and which has a market, where residents can buy the grown goods.
The building is a plant situated in the African desert, intended for cultivating vegetables to provide a sustainable food supply using hydroponic technology. To maximize the growing capacity, the cultivating interior of the building is organized in a vertical system. This means that visitors will encounter towering scaffolding structures composed of trays in which vegetables grow in a nutrient-enriched water solution. This method offers a more accessible and environmentally friendly approach to food production in this challenging region.
The house serves as a shell and infrastructure for this technology, taking into account the advantages and disadvantages of the Egyptian site. The plant is designed on a tetragonal grid, with every second square serving as a small courtyard. These courtyards, enclosed by tall walls, create a favorable microclimate and provide shaded internal facades for the plant.
The ground floor features a spacious marketplace with a forest of columns and well-lit courtyards, and the first level of the vertical service core. Upon entering the plant through these cores and ascending to the first floor, you will find areas dedicated to production, including the vertical farm and packing facilities. On the second floor, there is a visitor center, offices, and other service functions.
The plant has a highly rational structure, with a reinforced concrete frame and rammed earth spandrels. During the design process, our goal was not only to create a massive shell for this high-tech method of food production but also to integrate it with local characteristics. We aimed to adapt traditional desert climate coping methods, such as using great mass, shading, and ventilation supported by the vertical layout, and transform them into a gesture like house. It was important for us to address not only environmental sustainability but also social sustainability by incorporating a market on the ground floor, which can contribute positively to the local community.
Authors: Flóra Imre+Hanga Reppert.
Location: Kharga-oasis, Egypt.
University: Budapest University of Technology and Economics.
Year: 2022