We are thrilled to announce that we have been awarded a funding contribution from the Government of Canada and the Agricultural Clean Technology (ACT) Program Research and Innovation Stream. The funding awards our research group CAD $429,000 distributed over three years in response to our project proposal, titled “Resource Circularity: Waste-to-Resource Closed Loop Ecosystems.”
Mohamed Imam, Ph.D., a senior researcher at Perkins&Will leading the project, rallied the support of industry partners from the University of British Columbia, the City of Vancouver, as well as local urban farming experts. They have committed to partner on this research with a combined in-kind contribution of $200,000.
The awarded funds will allow us to develop our research on urban agriculture and strategies for increased resource circularity practices in our work. Further growth in this research area enables us to contribute to reducing environmental impact in agriculture, aligning with Canada’s commitment to a sustainable future, in addition to responding to the evolving city policy, which emphasizes food security and resilience.
“I look forward to leveraging the substantial support from the ACT Program to foreground waste-to-resource cycles and urban agriculture,” says Mohamed Imam. “This funding not only recognizes the importance of urban agriculture in enhancing food security and city resilience but also empowers us to combine our architectural expertise with the insights of urban farmers, academic institutions, and developers.”
Facilitating closed-loop systems in the built environment
The Waste-to-Resource Closed Loop Ecosystems project aims to develop a design framework to facilitate the integration of circular food systems in urban settings, such as within individual buildings, a cluster of buildings, or even entire neighborhoods. This would reduce waste and enhance food security by diminishing dependency on the long-distance transportation of food into an urban area. A crucial part of the proposed approach encompasses regenerating onsite building waste into usable resources and rich nutrients for building-integrated urban farms.
The research project calls for a modular system that would make up the building blocks of the building-integrated farms and waste-to-resource cycles. Each modular assembly would carry all the components needed to create integrated agricultural interventions in existing infrastructure. For example, one module might hold soil, plants, irrigation, and other systems in a single contained assembly that can be connected to similar modules to create an ecosystem of self-sustaining agriculture. This system would capitalize on underutilized space in a building and could be installed on facades, within corridors, ceilings, as furniture attachments, and even on roofs. Machine learning and digital tools are another core part of the research and will act as design aids during early planning phases.
“This research will involve modeling the dependencies between resources such as water and nutrients needed for urban agriculture as inputs and waste such as excess heat energy as outputs,” says Yehia Madkour, a principal and director of innovation at Perkins&Will. “Digital simulation tools will facilitate system integrations, mapping and optimizing the exchange between resources and waste within buildings.”
What’s next?
Upon further developing the design of the urban farming modules, waste conversion technologies, and machine learning tools, the research team plans to construct a prototype of the concept to demonstrate the project’s viability.
“The prototype is where we will develop and test our modules in real-world settings,” says Mohamad. “This final phase will demonstrate our concepts and set the stage for wider implementation within the industry.”
The modular design framework, coupled with an accompanying knowledge library, will consolidate valuable information on integrating food systems into building design. A comprehensive guide detailing the application of urban farming practices in the Canadian context will be an additional resource benefiting design professionals. The digital tools will also assist architectural professionals in delivering design solutions that prioritize ecological balance and resource efficiency.
“A recent report suggests that two-thirds of the world’s population will live in cities by 2050. The integration of agriculture into architecture is becoming crucial to our future practice and the resilience of our cities,” says Yehia. “Urban food production localizes food economies and brings awareness, education, and experiential involvement surrounding our food systems.”
NOTE: Funding for this project has been provided by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada through the Agricultural Clean Technology (ACT) Program.
Ce projet est financé par le ministère de l’Agriculture et Agroalimentaire Canada sous le Programme des technologies propres en agriculture (TPA).
