La tour vivante – the vertical farm
Grow your own food!
Would you have ever thought it conceivable to grow vast amounts of produce in the heart of densely populated cities ?
The concept of eco-tower “Tour Vivante” aim is to associate agricultural hydroponic production, dwelling and activities in a single and vertical system.
A continuous agriculture, emancipated from seasons and climatic hazards (drought, flood, weather), which provides a production 5 to 6 time better than open fields cultures.
Tour Vivante allows a local production and to wipe out transportation needed for food supply and thus, the process of the very energy-consuming preservation.
The hydroponic agricultural production purifies the districts air by the provision of plants oxygen.
An efficient use of salvaged rainwater is transformed into drinking water by the evaporation/respiration of plants.
Tour Vivante generates a large amount of methane or electricity by the fermentation of food waste and vegetals.
Located at the top of the tower, two large windmill directed towards the dominant winds produce electricity facilitated by the height of the tower. The produced electric power is about 200 to 600 kWh per annum.
4 500 m of photovoltaic panels included into the facades generate electricity from solar energy.
This tower will have as well : Rainwater and Black water systems, Ecological or recycled materials and Thermal and hygrometrical regulation.
Vertical farming could revolutionize the way we produce food. This new model could replace, traditional farming methods. This is one idea where the sky is truly the limit.
aitoa arkkitehtuuria 
Another grow-your-own food housing project:
http://www.inhabitat.com/2008/02/29/award-winning-agro-housing-apartments-for-china/
As a member of the PlanBig team (YouTube Etc) I am developing a project to persuade people to invest in food production as a hedge against the financial and social crises facing us. With the probable collapse of the entire world economy, the greatest threat to all mankind is starvation. As people lose their incomes and businesses collapse because they can no longer operate profitably. Current farming will be in danger of closing down. Anyone with a private supply of food would be able to survive, but they would be at great risk from hungry mobs of people.
The only chance we have of avoiding this disaster would be for communities to combine their resources and produce all the food they can. Altogether we must produce more than enough food for everyone, so that no one will be hungry. People who do not need to worry about hunger are much more affable.
Although we advocate changing all plant production to edible stocks. taking over all arable land, including golf courses, parks, road verges, etc. Towers such as yours would be invaluable. Of course, all un-necessary expense would have to be eliminated. You will realise that this no ordinary project. It could avert a huge disaster if we can somehow bring some sane activity into the chaos that surrounds us now. Are you interested in helping to create instruction kits which suitable people could use to maximum effect.
Vernon Nolan
This is the kind of thinking that can save our communities, cities, states, countries and the world. Reducing carbon monoxide from transportation while increasing fresh air and using renewable energy. Amazing wonderful ideas.
Hello Aito. Here comes an interesting TED talk with a surprising new point of view on your subject: The bees we need are dying (agriculture pesticides?) in the world. BUT they have chosen our green cities anh rooftops for surviving: