This Floating Modular Greenhouse Can Help Coastal Communities Avoid A Food Crisis In 2050!
This octagonal structure can empower families and communities that live in coastal areas or near a body of water to grow their own food, without the need for land
By Ruchi Thukral
Yanko Design
11/06/2020
Excerpt:
Studiomobile and Pnat came up with the Jellyfish Barge which is a floating, modular greenhouse designed especially for coastal communities and can help them cultivate crops without relying on soil, fresh water and chemical energy consumption. The innovative greenhouse uses solar energy to purify salt, brackish or polluted water. There are 7 solar desalination units planted around the perimeter and are able to produce 150 liters (39.6 gallons) of clean fresh water everyday from the existing water body the greenhouse is floating on.
The simple materials, easy self-constrction and low-cost technologies make it accessible to many communities who may not have a big fund. The module has a 70 square meter wooden base that floats on 96 recycled plastic drums and supports a glass greenhouse where the crops grow. Inside it there is a high-efficiency hydroponic cultivation method that helps increase water savings by 70% compared to traditional hydroponic systems. The design takes the natural phenomenon of solar distillation and replicates it on a smaller scale for community crop cutlivation. The barge’s modular design allows it to be scaled up or down, and even be customized to fit various applications like floating farm-to-table restaurants, floating farmer’s markets, or floating community gardens that may travel between pick-up points.
