A G R O P O L I S Reimagining Urban Food Security
BENJAMIN CHONG MUN CHOEN
SUTD Master of Architecture Thesis Preparation Document Singapore University of Technology and Design
Agropolis: Reimagining Urban Food Security December 2021
BENJAMIN CHONG MUN CHOEN
Master of Architecture Student
PROFESSOR THOMAS SCHRÖPFER
Thesis Advisor Architecture and Sustainable Design
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I would like to thank everyone who has contributed to this endeavour that is my thesis project. The many discussions, questions, and ideas thrown around has undoubtedly sculpted this work in some shape or form. Thank you to my thesis mentor, Prof Thomas Schröpfer, for his knowledge and guidance through my thesis journey. Thanks to my friends, who made thesis enjoyable with endless hijinks, conversations and distractions from work. Thank you to my parents, who have been constant pillars of support in all that I do, and taught me all that they know. Last but certainly not least, thank you to Naomi, who has been a source of inspiration and growth. Thank you for being my best friend, collaborator, and partner in crime.
I would also like to thank you, the reader, for taking your time to peruse my writing. May you gain some insight and find what you seek. - Benjamin
A G R O P O L I S Reimagining Urban Food Security
CONTENTS 0.0
Abstract
1.0
Discussing Food Security
1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4
2.0
The Food We Eat A Future in Crisis Urban Agriculture Renaissance Research Methodology
Designing for Urban Agriculture
2.1 2.2 2.3
Understanding Agricultural Typologies Learning From Architectural Precedences The Fallacy of High-Tech
3.0
Singapore: Small Spaces, Big Appetites
3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4
4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 4.8 4.9
14 18 20 22
Of Food & Farming in Singapore How Urban Planning Can Aid Urban Farming Car-lite: More Space For Agriculture? Establishing A Site
28 30 44 50 53 54 58
A New Architectural Paradigm Project Scope Site Study Form Finding & Structural Strategy A Versatile Kit of Parts Integrating Architecture into Agriculture Site Phasing Circular Infrastructure Applying the Toolkit Propagating Agropolis
Credits Bibliography
78 80 86 88 94 106 114 120 122
Abstract Can we feed the future? The increasing densification of urban populations, rising costs of living, and the acceleration of a changing climate has driven a social awareness for environmental issues, and the need for sustainable lifestyles. Conventional food production is confronted with the loss of arable land, diminishing fresh water supplies, and disruptions to the global supply chain. The need to strengthen food security has driven cities to incorporate agricultural production into their urban landscape. This thesis re-examines sustainable urban agriculture by first understanding the importance of food security in Singapore, where food is a key part of its cultural identity, and its geopolitical context has enabled it to become a hotbed for food production innovation, supported by its goal to produce 30% of its nutritional needs by 2030. Current agricultural approaches are focused on high productivity using smart technologies, such as climate-controlled environments and artificial lighting. While useful in supplying markets with fresh produce, such methods of designing a “black box farm” intensifies the need for energy-hungry systems to sustain growing cities. It also disconnects communities from intimate relationships between people and their food, a key opportunity in fostering food conscious communities. By looking at the limitations of existing solutions, fundamental ideas behind urban agriculture will be challenged. Stakeholders must recognise the premise of long-term sustainable agriculture through intelligently designed spaces and phased expansion, a proposition which is becoming increasingly urgent in today’s climate. Instead of seeking methods that maximise agricultural output at all costs, a new architectural paradigm focused on low-energy processes and circular systems is proposed. Architecture can complement agriculture in looking beyond Singapore’s 2030 target. In designing for urban food security, integrated designs can go beyond feeding future generations and cultivate ties between communities and their food.
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“The world is not given by his fathers, but borrowed from his children.” Wendell Berry 1971
1.0
Discussing Food Security
1.1
The Food We Eat Singapore’s cultural identity is heavily rooted in its food. Singaporeans love a good plate of hawker food, from char kyaw teow and wanton mee to nasi lemak and chicken briyani. Its wide variety of ethnic cuisines consumed in restaurants and hawker centres, Singapore’s iconic open-air food courts, are a reflection of its everyday multiculturalism, and heritage. But beyond the distinct flavours, most do not think about the amount of ingredients inside each dish, and the distance they travel to get on the plate. As an island city state, Singapore has limited land which has been rapidly urbanized since it’s independence in 1965. With very little space left for farming, Singapore produces less than 10% of its own food items, limited to eggs, fish and vegetables.1
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CHAR KYAW TEOW Garlic
Fishcake
China
Fish paste from Vietnam
Prawns
Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia
Eggs
Singapore, Malaysia
Blood Cockles Malaysia
Bean Sprouts
Singapore, Malaysia
Spring Onion
Thailand, Malaysia
WANTON MEE Pork
Brazil, Indonesia, Malaysia, United States
Soy Sauce
Taiwan, Malaysia, China, Indonesia
Caixin
Singapore, Malaysia, China
Vegetable Oil
Egg Noodles
Indonesia, Malaysia, China, Australia
Singapore, Malaysia, China
CHICKEN BRIYANI Red Onion China, India
Star Anise
Malaysia, China
Pandan Leaf Malaysia
Ginger
Malaysia, Indonesia
Chicken
Malaysia, Brazil, United States
Basmati Rice
Cashew Nuts
Indonesia, India, Thailand
India
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The other 90% is imported from one of many countries around the world, from regional neighbours in ASEAN and Asia, but also from much further sources. A large proportion of poultry is sourced from as far as Brazil and the United States. These imports arrive at one of the many logistics hubs in Singapore by land, sea and air, to then be distributed throughout Singapore via major expressways to consumers.
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1.2
A Future in Crisis The unremitting trends of growing populations, diminishing water supply, urbanization and climate change have contributed to the decline of arable land per person. Rising demand and flat supplies have rekindled the debate over whether production can keep up with population. The over-reliance of import-oriented countries on other countries for food becomes a risk when there is insufficient supply. Technology and specialization have allowed countries to increase farm production by growing monocultures and exporting surplus, but Covid-19 has exposed weak points in the world’s food supply chain. With the risk of spreading contagious diseases, countries have closed their borders and limited travel, putting countries like Singapore, which rely heavily on food imports, at risk of shortages. Singapore has successfully weathered many crises, through its strategic partnerships with numerous food exporters, diversifying its food portfolio and not relying on a single source. This coupled with its national stockpile, ensures that any disruptions to supplies does not affect the local population.2 The threat of climate change poses new challenges which cannot be solved by the continued reliance on foreign countries, and the need for Singapore to produce more of its own food becomes increasingly urgent.
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Arable land per person has almost halved globally in 80 years, from 0.323 in 1968 to 0.184 hectares in 2018.3 In the East Asia & Pacific region that number is even lower: 0.095 hectares
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1.3
Urban Agriculture Renaissance In response, countries have turned to urban agriculture, a concept which dates as far back as 3,500 BCE, where Mesopotamian farmers set aside plots of land with the city walls for farming.4 More recently during World War II, millions of people around the world planted food gardens in their backyard to supplement limited rations and to boost morale. Called “victory gardens” or “war gardens” in , these patches of agriculture reduced the pressure on national food supplies. In Singapore under Japanese Occupation, food shortages forced people to grow root vegetables such as tapioca and sweet potato at home. Once the war was over, these urban farms disappeared, replaced by efficient, large-scale rural agriculture.
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In the past decade, the concept of urban agriculture has since seen a resurgence, due to educated, urban populations becoming increasingly environmentally aware of climate change, as well as having the skills and technology on hand. Urban farms leverage on technology to increase production, by stacking planters, ensuring stable, climate controlled environments and increasing growth through artificial lighting. Governments too have recognised the value of bringing agriculture into city centres. By locating farms within cities, transportation distances can be drastically reduced, improving freshness and simplifying the supply chain. Communities also benefit from urban farms by learning new skills, engaging youth, and having a social space within neighbourhoods.
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1.4
Research Methodology This thesis aims to develop urban and architectural strategies which can be implemented across multiple sites in Singapore, to inform how existing urban environments can be adapted to cultivate food-secure communities. This work first seeks to understand the threats to Singapore’s food security, as well as current urban agriculture practices, which serve as a basis to establish the motivations for alternative solutions. By critiquing existing methods and recognizing their benefits and limitations, a new paradigm can be proposed, which seeks to reinterpret the concept of food security as more than just an issue of food production. The urban and architectural approaches utilises these concepts in exploring how decentralisation and phased development can ensure Singapore achieves its national food security objectives, as well as changing public mindset towards food production and sustainable consumption. Finally, a prototype will be envisioned within a chosen site in Singapore, demonstrating the proposed strategies in a typical context, with the idea that this prototype can be propagated throughout the island.
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23
The over-reliance of import-oriented countries on other countries for food becomes a risk when there is insufficient supply.
2.0
Designing for Urban Agriculture
2.1
Understanding Agricultural Typologies To learn how urban agriculture can be used in cities, farms must be categorized and compared in relation to one another. In this diagram adapted from a journal published by the University of Kassel in Germany, agricultural typologies are arranged via scale, from micro to macro, decentralised to centralised.5 The main actors, such as individuals, associations and companies, each fulfill a different purpose, at a different scale. Companies provide commercial products and efficient production value to supply multiple cities with economies of scale. Farms are managed by large teams, or highly mechanized processes to reduce labour. Associations and social enterprises cater to communities and neighbourhoods, allowing people with shared interests to interact and learn in their spare time. They also contribute to social cohesion, allowing for greater sense of ownership to a bigger cause. These farms are generally run not for economic growth, with a core team supplemented by volunteers. Individuals or households are the smallest group, whose main motivation is self-supply or as a hobby. The urban farming conducted is usually handled by a single individual, ranging in size from private balcony planters to backyard gardens. Within this typology space, farm types can be allocated based on how they fit within the three scales. Between the pure typologies of private gardens, community gardens, and vertical farms, there are also intermediate typologies which may exhibit characteristics of two distinct farm types. For example, allotment gardens, which are temporary gardening plots, communities share the responsibility of managing the space, but may sometimes not be accessible to the wider public.
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2.2
Learning From Architectural Precedences The following architectural precedences explore how nature, urban farming, and public space can be integrated into a compelling and provocative design.
Existing urban agriculture is often built with productivity and market capitalization in mind, with minimal architectural design considerations. These projects seek to redefine urban farming and public spaces in the context of a dense, urbanized environment.
Khoo Teck Puat Hospital Singapore
Medical Facility by CPG, RMJM
Netherlands Pavilion, Expo 2000 Hannover, Germany
Showcase of vertical nature by MVRDV
Kampung Admiralty Singapore
Integrated community garden with public facilities and services by WOHA
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Homefarm Singapore
Commercial farm within residential housing
Shenzhen Logistics City
Shenzhen, China
Vertical self-contained green city by JDS Architects
Pig City
Netherlands Vertical pig farm by MVRDV
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Pig City
The Netherlands, 2001 MVRDV
Pig City is a vertical animal farming prototype to meet the Netherlands demand for pork export, to reduce land usage for farming and increase spaces for public use. The proposal follows organic farming requirements, and ensures humane living conditions for the pigs. It addresses the need for a secure food supply, livestock healthcare, and supervision.
+ Vertical stacking of farm programmes to reduce footprint + Data-driven design based on land use per pig
- Little integration with surrounding context - Minimal engagement with communities
Pig City demonstrates the effectiveness of using data-driven approaches to produce a design solution. With a compact footprint, there is opportunity to utilise the surrounding space for public amenities. While the design may look very dense and compact, there is sufficient space given to every component in the farm.
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Shenzhen Logistics City Shenzhen, China, 2006 JDS Architects
Shenzhen Logistics City is a 1,111m tall vertical city, combining renewable wind energy generation with city infrastructure and programmes to create a massive urban intervention. It combines existing city programmes such as shops, offices, and housing, and artificially layers them to create an alternative urban environment.
+ Integrated public programmes with urban infrastructure
-- Massive scale is impractical, even in Singapore’s dense urban environment
+ Ambitious proposal for vertical self-sustaining green city
- Structure is not defined - Does not respond to the site surroundings
Shenzhen Logistics City is an ambitious proposal to green the urban sprawl of Shenzhen, while at the same time providing sufficient spaces for energy and food production. While the scale is not comparable to the scope of this thesis, the principles and systems in place for integrating food production with public programmes can be scaled down to achieve a similar effect.
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Netherlands Pavilion, Expo 2000 Hannover, Germany MVRDV
The Netherlands Pavilion for Expo 2000 in Hannover is a showcase of vertical nature and efficient land use. Six different stacked artificial landscapes form a connected system of parks, galleries and sustainable design approaches. The Netherlands Pavilion provides multilevel public spaces as an extension of existing spaces.
+ Increased public spaces through vertical layering
- Green spaces are not productive, no self-supply
+ Combining technology and nature
The effective integration of technology with nature enables the Netherlands Pavilion to create a diverse range of public spaces. It also reduces energy and water usage, and highlights how the stacking can create new opportunities to interact and experience spaces.
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Khoo Teck Puat Hospital Singapore CPG
Medical facility with publicly accessible rooftop parks and gardens. Khoo Teck Puat Hospital applies sustainable concepts through three principles: First, establishing practical and self-sustaining gardens, secondly through creating gardens with the intention of wellbeing and recuperation, and third, implementing energy-efficient and environmentally-friendly landscape features. Every opportunity is maximized for the creation of therapeutic green spaces.
++ Themed gardens such as edible fruit, citrus plants, and vegetable patches provide a variety of sensory experiences, as well as self-supply
- Green spaces are not productive, no self-supply
+ Use of green spaces for rejuvenation by providing calm environments, as well as opportunity for engagements + Effective combination of urban gardens with medical facilities which provide mutual benefits
While there is little emphasis places on high-productivity green spaces, Khoo Teck Puat Hospital is able to effectively utilise nature as a soothing environment to aid in patient recovery. Allocating areas of green for non-productive, community wellness programmes will attract more individuals into
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Home Farm Singapore, 2015
SPARK Architects
Homefarm is conceptual proposal which combines urban farming and residential housing in Singapore. Commercial farming and elderly housing are integrated within the same development, encouraging community employment and living amongst nature. It aims to address two rising challenges in Singapore, namely the issue of food security and ageing population.
++ Commercial farms situated near residents
- Limited threshold between live and work
+ Food sustainability through the Community Farm
- Vertical farm facades follow massing, some may not receive sufficient sunlight
+ Community engagement through employment + Waste is converted into fertilizer and energy
Homefarm highlights the opportunity to weave urban farming into high-rise apartments, using the facade to grow produce and also to provide greenery. This allows for easy replication of vertical farms throughout the design, but is limited to the massing orientation, resulting in some facings receiving sub-optimal sunlight.
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Kampung Admiralty Singapore, 2017
WOHA Architects
Kampung Admiralty is a showcase of integrated public facilities with medical services and residential units. Elevated community garden as a hobby space for elderly and young children to encourage interaction. It comprises of community spaces, elderly housing, medical facilities, retail, restaurants and cafes through a layering of public to private programmes.
++ Community Park is effective for community activities
- Production of food is low (2.5% self-sufficiency)
+ Partial food sustainability through the Community Farm + Focus on natural lighting and ventilation + Different layers of programmes integrated within a single hub
Kampung Admiralty creates a community-centric hub as a focal point in the urban fabric which can integrate well with the surrounding neighbourhood. With a hawker centre, supermarket and community farm within the hub, food has an opportunity to be utilised from production to consumption, but there is little emphasis on it.
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2.3
The Fallacy of High-Tech Many high-productivity farms maximize output by maintaining stable environments using climatecontrol systems and artificial lighting. Some modern farms incorporate virtual plant monitoring, using data gathered from environmental conditions and plant health to provide constant feedback to optimise plant growth. Additionally, cloud computing and artificial intelligence are incorporated to learn and predict outcomes, such as when to water or harvest crops. These processes can increase yields by up to 20 times conventional methods, while also using only 60% of the water.6 What is seldom discussed with these innovations is the amount of energy needed to run these systems 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This concept of a black-box farm, aims to seal itself away from the natural environment, opting instead for artificial landscapes free from deviation. The constant monitoring may increase productivity, but there comes a point where the energy requirements outweigh the increase in yield. For example, the high-productivity, vertical greenhouses in Singapore require 7.5 kWh to
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grow a kilogram of lettuce, compared to the 1.8 kWh for conventional soil cultivation, an increase of more than four times.7 These increased energy demands, which if scaled to meet Singapore’s 30 by 30 target, may solve food security but bring about national energy issues. The energy-hungry black box farm is an unsustainable model for long term urban agriculture, regardless of the energy source. An alternative must be considered which can marry high-productivity strategies with passive farming methods. The sun produces constantly produces vast amounts of light, more than most conventional artificial lighting systems, and does it at no cost. When sunlight is replaced by LEDs, it requires extensive infrastructure and cost to implement and maintain. Instead of using fitting smart technologies into “dumb buildings”, a new paradigm should be considered where technology is utilised upstream, to develop intelligently designed buildings with passive systems.
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The energy-hungry black box farm is an unsustainable model for long term environmental sustainability
3.0
Singapore: Small Spaces, Big Appetites
3.1
Of Food & Farming in Singapore In the early years of its independence, agriculture was a major source of income for Singaporeans. Even in the 1970s, almost 10% of the population was involved in agricultural and farming activities.8 In an effort to modernize its economy, subsistent farming made way for commercial agriculture, phasing out many farms producing items such as rubber, tobacco, pig and cattle, in favour of key food items, eggs, fish and leafy vegetables. With the constant uncertainty of the global food supply chain, coupled with concerns over rising temperatures and over-reliance on food imports, Singapore has stepped up its efforts to ensure its food security is safeguarded. As part of the Singapore Green Plan 2030, a national campaign on pursuing sustainable development, the country plans to produce 30% of its
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nutritional needs by 2030.9 Dubbed “30 by 30”, it will focus on bolstering the existing three food sectors. While egg production is already near the target with 26% being locally produced in 2019, a lot more must be done for leafy vegetable and fish production, with 14% and 10% respectively, in the next nine years.1 Like many other countries, Singapore has turned to urban agriculture as a strategy for incorporating food production into its dense urban landscape. With its high population density and limited space, the land-efficient nature of urban agriculture is key in ensuring sufficient production without wasting land utilisation. With the agricultural industry transformed through technology and automation, modern agriculture must continue to innovate and explore new ways to feed future generations.
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3.2
How Urban Planning Can Aid Urban Farming In addition to beefing up food security, Singapore has planned for other green initiatives for the coming decades. These efforts share the same goal of safeguarding Singapore from environmental issues in the coming decades. Some important trends are the rise of car-lite policies, which encourage alternative forms of transport and reduce the strain on road infrastructure. Featured in the Land Transport Masterplan 2040, Singapore cannot afford to build more roads, which already occupy 12% of the island, and aims to transition the country away from private cars, and instead encouraging individuals to cycle, or take public transport. The country has already conducted campaigns such as “Car-Free Sundays”, where people can enjoy the street space without congestion and emissions.10 Future public housing precincts have also been planned to be car-lite, with reduced road network and parking provisions.
This is coupled with the idea of the 45-minute city, 20-minute town, another initiative shared from the Land Transport Masterplan 2040. It aims to improve accessibility to amenities and reduce travel times by 15 minutes each weekday by increasing public transport connections and utilisation.11 Like the car-lite initiatives, this too aims to reduce private car ownership and ease road congestion. Additionally, the global COVID-19 pandemic has forced governments around the work to implement workfrom-home and study-from-home policies, in efforts to reduce the spread of disease. This resulted in the decentralisation of the office and individuals spending more time within the neighbourhood. All these measure aim to reduce traveling, especially via private cars. With fewer cars, Singapore can afford to allocate less space for road infrastructure. Fewer cars mean fewer parking spaces needed, which can be repurposed for other needs.
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3.3
Car-lite: More Space For Agriculture?
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A notable opportunity is focusing on car parks within Singapore’s HDB estates, or public housing neighbourhoods, where 80% of the population reside. There are 932 HDB multi-storey car parks around the island, with an average footprint of 2,722m2.12 Locating urban agriculture spaces near these locations would take advantage of Singapore’s urban planning policies of reduced private car ownership and fewer
parking provisions, and build upon existing urban infrastructure. The HDB estates also correlate with the distribution of population density across the island.13 Being near dense urban areas would reduce the amount of logistics needed to transport food and increase the population reach.
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While there are existing pilot programmes inviting agricultural businesses to set up rooftop farms on HDB multi-storey car parks, these initiatives are only temporary, and are not open to the public despite its close proximity to neighbourhoods. Just as farms require specific spaces and architectural layouts to increase production, urban farms also function best when provided proper spaces. Having proper facilities for crop growth, plant nurseries, collection and distribution are essential for any successful farm. Current urban farms often have to contend with awkward layouts, retrofitting equipment and are unable to optimise production. Understandably this is due to the high capital costs of building a proper development from scratch, but providing the proper infrastructure is vital if Singapore wants to recognise urban farming as a key element in the nation’s sustainable future. With over 900 HDB multi-storey car parks and Singapore planning on car-lite neighbourhoods, there is an opportunity for these some of these spaces to be transformed into urban agriculture hubs.
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Singapore’s inhabitants
consume
16kg of leafy vegetables
every year
With a projected
6.7
in
203
would ne
107
tonn
leafy veg
30% of which, or
7 mil 32,160
d population of
30,
14
Singapore
eed to provide
7,200
nes
of getables a year
tonnes,
would be
grown locally
With an
average footprint of
2,722 m
2
Singapore would
51
only need to convert HDB car park rooftops
to meet its goal
15
The potential of using multistorey HDB car parks goes beyond just cultivable land. As they are centralised within dense residential areas, this will reduce food transport requirements and also connect food production with communities. Relatively low-rise in Singapore’s dense urban jungle, the unused vertical space has the potential to stack additional programmes on top of the existing structure. Furthermore, the repetitive nature of car parks provide the opportunity to propagate potential designs throughout multiple neighbourhoods with minimal redesign.
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3.4
Establishing A Site By establishing the number of car park sites needed to achieve the “30 by 30” goal, and understanding the key qualities that allow for architectural and urban planning designs to be propagated across Singapore, a series of sites must be identified as the beginning of a neighbourhood food hubs network. In the scope of this thesis, a single site must be selected from one of the 932 potential HDB multistorey car parks around Singapore as a prototypical design opportunity. While manual examination would be possible, the large sample size would make it extremely tedious, so a computational analysis was instead chosen to quickly narrow down the selection. The intention was to identify a typical HDB multistorey car park site which would share many characteristics with other sites. This would allow for the implementation of architectural strategies to connect people with food, which can then propagated throughout a series of subsequent sites, becoming a network of HDB neighbourhood food hubs around Singapore. The selection first analysed five criteria which characterized each site. The first was the footprint area, which was scored based on how typical, or similar it was to other sites. The second was site orientation, which is relevant to optimise crop growth. The third was footprint typicalness, or how regular the footprint is, and the fourth was the number of surrounding HDBs. Lastly, each car park was also evaluated based on its proximity to other car parks to create a distribution mapping to prevent multiple sites to be chosen from the same area.
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Area Typicalness Footprint area of car park, scored based on similarity to other sites
Orientation Typicalness Major axis of site orientation, relevant for crop growth optimisation, scored based on similarity to other sites
Footprint Typicalness How rectangular the footprint is, scored based on an index from extremely rectangular to not at all
Surrounding HDBs The number of encompassing HDBs, relevant for connecting communities with food production, car parks surrounded with more HDBs scored higher
Distribution Proximity to other car parks, scored based on a distribution mapping to prevent multiple sites from being chosen from the same area
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Car park “typicalness”
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The HDB car parks are graded on an index from 0 to 1, where 1 is highly rectangular. From the graph, more than half of all the HDB car parks evaluated are very rectangular, with the median grade being 0.98.
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Car park orientation
62
N
176
121
130 76 119
82
64
164
W
E
S
For orientation, most car parks have either a northsouth, or east-west facing, which is advantageous in this case because it would also allow for better sun exposure for farming.
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Car park area
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A large majority of HDB multi-storey car parks fall within 1,500 to 4,000m2, with the median at 2,300m2. Sites whose area are closer to the median would therefore score better.
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932 HDB multi-storey car park sites and their final scoring From the initial evaluation, an additional step was conducted on the top scorers to further filter out any unsuitable sites. Two of them, arrangement of HDB blocks and contextual opportunities, were qualitative, and were to allow for architectural considerations which would have otherwise been difficult to do computationally.
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67
Top 50 sites 68
Based on the results of the computational and qualitative analyses, three sites, which ranked fourth to sixth, were chosen for further study. 69
Selected Site Locations The three sites are located in Ang Mo Kio, Toa Payoh and Tampines, which all happen to be large, mature HDB estates. They were all built in the 1990s, and have similar footprints and floor counts. They are also surrounded with HDB blocks, but each having their own site conditions. The black HDB blocks are those that are served by the car park itself.
Blk 60A Lorong 4 Toa Payoh
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Blk 613A Ang Mo Kio Avenue 4
Blk 307A Tampines Street 32
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Singapore generated 744,000 tonnes of food waste in 2019. That’s half of all household waste discarded everyday. How can urban agriculture and circular systems address this issue?
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4.0
A New Agricultural Paradigm
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What could the future of food production look like?
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4.1
Project Scope This thesis aims to develop an urban agriculture food hub prototype which can be replicated across Singapore. It should integrate with the food value chain to reduce and reuse waste, have adjustable programmes based on car park orientation which implies an element of computational optimisation, scalable components to feed varying neighbourhood sizes, and food-focused public facilities to encourage community engagement. In designing for urban food security, integrated and intelligent architectural designs can go beyond feeding future generations to cultivate new cultural identities between Singaporeans and their food.
Integrated with the food value chain to reduce waste
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Adjustable agriculture programmes based on orientation
Scalable to meet varying food demand
Food-focused public amenities to encourage community engagament
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4.2
Site Study
Blk 60A Lorong 4 Toa Payoh Constructed: 1997 Footprint: 2406m2 5/6 Storeys
Blk 307A Tampines Street 32 Constructed: 1992 Footprint: 2412m2 5/6 Storeys
Blk 613A Ang Mo Kia Avenue 4 Constructed: 1995 Footprint: 2244m2 4/5 Storeys 80
To calculate production capacity of each HDB multistorey car park site, the number of individuals which can be supported per unit area must first be understood. Taking annual calculations, 1 sqm of floor space can produce 43.7 kilos of leafy vegetables. With the national average consumption at 16kg, this means that the 1 sqm can sustain 2.73 people. Using A-frames, this number can be almost tripled, to 7.3 people per sqm of floor area.
With an average household containing 3.1 persons16, this means that every 1 sqm can potentially feed 2 households. Of course, this number excludes auxiliary areas, such as nurseries, storage, and other spaces necessary for agriculture.
In 1 year,
1m2 of floor space can produce
43.7kg
Sustaining
2.73 people
of leafy vegetables
7.29
Or people with A-frames
3.1
With an average of people per HDB household, 1m2 could potentially feed 2 households
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Blk 60A Lorong 4 Toa Payoh
Blk 307A Tampines Street 32
Footprint: 2406m2
Footprint: 2412m2
5,658 households fed 5.66 ha covered 424m boundary radius
5,672 households fed 5.67 ha covered 425m boundary radius
964 dwelling units served 251 residents lots required
387 dwelling units served 101 residents lots required
Blk 613A Ang Mo Kia Avenue 4 Footprint: 2244m2
5,277 households fed 5.28 ha covered 410m boundary radius
By understanding the production capacity per sqm, the estimate can be extended to each site, to understand how many households could they sustain. As all three sites have a footprint between 2,200 and 2,400 sqm, they all also can sustain similar population sizes of 5,300 to 5,600 households. Using the rough estimate of 100 dwelling units per hectare, an approximate catchment area can be derived, with a corresponding boundary radius. This radius of slightly over 400m also interestingly coincides with what Singapore considers to be walkable distance, which could also play into the subsequent architectural design.
467 dwelling units served 112 residents lots required
The number of parking lots for replacement can also be calculated, based on the surrounding dwelling units served by each multi-storey car park. Additionally, only 26% of HDB households own a car in 2018, a figure which has been decreasing since 2013.17 This gives us the number of resident lots required, and by subtracting that from the overall amount, gives us an upper bound for possible redevelopment. 83
Blk 60A Lorong 4 Toa Payoh
g4
ron
Lo a To h yo Pa
SITE PLAN 0
10
20
1:2000 SCALE
84
50M
N
g5
ron
Lo a To h yo Pa Lorong 4 Toa Payoh was chosen as the focus for the prototypical design, and the other two at Ang Mo Kio and Tampines as secondary sites. The site at Toa Payoh is situated in the middle of Toa Payoh HDB Town and serves over 900 households. It is surrounded by 10-storey slab blocks and 30-storey point blocks with a single vehicular access point on the west. It is within walking distance from the Toa Payoh Food Centre towards the south, and several nearby bus stops and neighbouring shops. 85
4.3
Form Finding & Structural Strategy
A key feature of car parks is the repeating grid, based on parking requirements. Since all HDB car parks follow the same grid, a modular approach is ideal for applying the design strategy across multiple sites. An annual solar irradiation analysis was conducted for the car park roof to identify suitable layouts for the farm modules. Due to the surrounding residential blocks, more growing spaces on the northern half of the site is preferred. A series of blocks based on the grid are aggregated to form an initial farm massing. This height and depth ensures that crops can receive as much sunlight as possible, while also ensuring sufficient grow area to achieve production capacity.
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With such a large mass proposed, reinforcing the existing structure must be considered to support the weight of the commercial farm. Taking inspiration from Herzog and De Meuron’s Elbphilharmonie and Caixa (kaisha) Forum Madrid, the strategy takes advantage of the existing grid and internalises the structural reinforcement. This aligns to the grid, minimizing the spatial impact on lower floors.
Existing Structure Reinforcement
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4.4
A Versatile Kit of Parts Programmes are selected by breaking down the topic of food security into smaller sub-themes such as food consumption and food production. This is further reduced to potential public and commercial spaces, such as produce markets, community workshops, and biowaste composting.
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Rain
FARM LAB WATER TANK
FISH TANKS
GROW SPACE
PROCESSING/ DISTRIBUTION
Leafy vegetables
Fish
Fertilizer URBAN FARM Mushrooms
F&B
Workshops
MUSHROOM FARM
NURSERY
COMMUNITY GARDEN
Food waste
FOOD COMPOSTER
MARKET MULTISTOREY CAR PARK
Herbs, vegetables
Food waste
HOUSEHOLDS Herbs, vegetables HOUSEHOLD GARDENS
HDB NEIGHBOURHOOD
Rain
Internal programmes are then arranged based on community-centred food concepts. These FARMLAB programmes are developed together as a whole WATERTAresource NK system, to better understand use and reduce waste. It encompasses water recycling, food FISHwaste management, and knowledge loops. GROWSPACE NURSERY
Rain FarmProduce Food Waste Compost Education MUSHROOM FARM
TANKS
PROCESSING/ DISTRIBUTION
Leafy vegetables
Fish
COMMUNITY GARDEN
URBANFARM Mushrooms
F&B Workshops
Fertilizer
Food waste
FOODCOMPOSTER
MARKET
MULTISTOREY CARPARK
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A series of modules was then refined using the grid as a base. They form a kit of parts which can adapt to various car parks shapes. The agriculture grow modules vary in height, depending on the amount of sunlight in the initial solar analysis.
Triple Height
Single Width
Double Width
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The internal programmes contain a much wider variety of modules, ranging from supporting spaces for farming such as water storage and packing, as well as public programmes like the farmer’s market, and rooftop cafes. These are located within the existing structure, and easily scaled to fit any car park shape. The kit of parts also allows for prefabrication of architectural systems, reducing waste and on-site construction time.
Double Height
Single Height
PUBLIC FOOD PROGRAMMES
Farmer’s market
Community garden
Rooftop cafe
Ground floor F&B
Childcare centre
Workshop
Washroom
Mushroom farm
Food digester
Office
Plant Nursery
Storage
SOCIAL PROGRAMMES
Atrium
FOOD CYCLE PROGRAMMES
Aquaculture
AGRICULTURE PROGRAMMES
Produce packing house
ELEVATED LINKWAY 91
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Utilising technology and automation to reduce manpower and improve food yields
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4.5
Integrating Architecture into Agriculture The farm will be run autonomously to reduce manpower, using robotics to conduct checkups and maintenance, and artificial intelligence systems can monitor grow cycles and environmental factors to ensure optimal nutrients are supplied. The agricultural process optimises crop density and reduces manpower. It is area-efficient, consisting of rotating trays to ensure crops receive equal sunlight, capable of growing a wide variety of
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regional vegetables. Harvesting is automated, where trays can be identified and retrieved via robots. The process is visual, educating visitors who can observe different stages of the processes, located adjacent to community amenities.
Area-efficient and automated farms
Educational opportunities 95
Adjustable PV Roof Panels can close during wet weather, to protect the crops and harvest rainwater. They may also adjust locally to reduce overexposure in the event of prolonged direct sunlight.
Façade Treatment Porous façade increases airflow through the farm modules.
Farming Modules Grow trays are rotated vertically around to ensure sufficient sunlight. Placement and height are determined by the surrounding residential blocks and the resulting sun exposure.
Structural Reinforcement Aligning new structure with the existing grid minimizes impact on parking and allows for easier programming of space.
Repurposed HDB Multi-storey Car Park Reducing parking capacity in line with Singapore’s national car-lite initiatives, repurposing the ground floor and upper floors into community and public spaces with a comprehensive kit of parts.
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The roof consists of adjustable photovoltaic panels, which open in the day to allow natural light into the farm, or close to shade crops from excess sunlight, and during wet weather to harvest rainwater. 97
3 5
4
7
6
1
1
2
1
3
7
6
1A/1B PLAN 0
10
20
50M
N
1:500 SCALE
LEGEND 1. F&B / retail 2. Bicycle parking 3. Staircase 4. Lift
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5. External stairs 6. Shared street 7. Mechanical rooms
1
2
7
6
3 2
3 4
5 1 6 1 7
TYPICAL CAR PARK PLAN 5
0
10
4A/4B PLAN
N
25M
0
5
10
N
25M
1:1000 SCALE
1:1000 SCALE
LEGEND 1. Staircase 2. Lift 3. External stairs 4. Mechanical rooms
LEGEND 1. Farmer’s market 5. Aquaculture tanks 2. Atrium 6. Inter-floor ramp 3. Mushroom cultivation 7. Washroom 4. Anaerobic digester
8
7
5 4
4
3
2 3 5 1
2
6 6
6 4
7
5
4
5
10
1
8
5A/5B PLAN 0
4
25M
ROOFTOP PLAN
N
0
5
10
25M
N
1:1000 SCALE 1:1000 SCALE
LEGEND 1. Food packing house 2. Plant nursery 3. Nutrient storage 4. Childcare centre
5. 6. 7. 8.
Terrace seating Elevated linkway Inter-floor ramp Washroom
LEGEND 1. Community garden 2. Rooftop café 3. Urban farm access
4. Elevated linkway 5. Inter-floor ramp 6. Terrace seating
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Connecting homes with elevated linkways, for safer and convenient routes
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A social condenser in the heart of neighbourhoods, and a shared space for people and food in the day...
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...and at night
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4.6
Site Phasing
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Phase 0: Existing Structure The design also envisions a phased approach in establishing neighbourhood HDB food hubs. This not only allows for progressive strengthening of Singapore’s food security, but also allows for smoother integration into the community to encourage social engagement.
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Phase 1: Resilient Commercial Farm The first phase is planned to redevelop the HDB multistorey car park, by replacing the upper deck parking lots with commercial and public programmes. Foodoriented amenities such as food stalls and educational spaces, along with food cycle spaces like food waste management and food packing are some potential spaces. The lower floors are kept as parking, and also serves as the back of house for the development. A commercial farm cooperative is envisioned above the car park rooftop, with considerations made for the existing structure and reinforcement strategies proposed. The cooperative aims to bring together smaller farm business within the same space, allowing them to share resources which would otherwise be too costly. The farm will utilise passive and low-energy architectural concepts, such as proper solar orientation. This forms the main hub, a seed planted within the community.
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Phase 2: Resurgent Community Spaces The second phase looks at integrating the food hub with the neighbouring communities, through the introduction of community gardens and linkways, physically interfacing the upper levels of the car park structure with the residential blocks. These elevated decks branch out from the hub, allowing for closer interaction between residential and agricultural spaces. These efforts will be supported by the commercial farm cooperative, whose establishment in the earlier phase would ensure a wealth of contextual farming knowledge, which can be immediately passed onto the community via workshops and sharing sessions. This availability of expertise and proximity to garden space hopes to cultivate community awareness of food production, and for interest groups to learn and grow.
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Phase 3: Regenerative Household Gardens The last phase looks at how individual households can also take up their own urban agriculture practices, by encouraging household gardens. This can be seen as an expansion of the community gardens, where households can grow their own produce for self-supply. By phasing this last, neighbourhoods would have had enough time to understand food production processes, maybe even grown up with it being the norm, and gain a deeper appreciation for the natural systems behind what they eat. Individuals are encouraged to make sustainable lifestyle choices, which is the last step in long term food security.
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4.7
Circular Infrastructure Circular systems ensure that waste is not wasted. This can be seen through the water, and food production cycle, where waste is a resource. Cropwater is cleaned via the aquaponics systems to be used within the building, while food waste is broken down in the food digester, for mushroom cultivation and fertilizer.
Vegetable Produce
F&B Mushroom Produce
Compost
Packing & Distribution Mushroom cultivation
Food Produce Compost
Digester Farmer’s Market
Used substrate Commercial food waste
HDB food waste
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F&B
Rain
Storage
Storage
Storage
Storage Crop watering
Nitrated water
Water runoff
Fish, sediment, biofilter tanks Non-potable reuse
Non-potable reuse
Excess runoff
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Encouraging individuals to lead sustainable lifestyles, creating a sense of ownership over food production
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Integrating food production with food consumption, educating communities through a visual process
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4.8
Applying the Toolkit These systems are part of a wider toolkit which has been developed, aimed at redeveloping HDB multistorey car parks around Singapore into neighbourhood food hubs. This ensures that designs are not repetitive, while also minimizing redesigns. The toolkit was then tested by applying it on the secondary test sites at Ang Mo Kio and Tampines. With the same design strategy, unique results are achieved from the different site contexts and site footprints.
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Blk 613A Ang Mo Kio Avenue 4
Blk 307A Tampines Street 32
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4.9
Propagating Agropolis With strategies in place, Agropolis can propagate across Singapore, starting from the Toa Payoh site in the pilot phase, before moving to both Tampines and Ang Mo Kio. The completion of 51 food hubs across the island will ensure the 30% target is met through commercial production, supplemented by the community and household gardens. Without using new land parcels within its land-scarce borders, Singapore is able to strengthen its national food security, while also giving a new lease of life to old infrastructure.
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While Agropolis speculates the poss the architectural and engineering t
The systems proposed are not just a other cities around the world, redu urban
With enhanced green policies an government, industry and commun more resilien
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sibility of neighbourhood food hubs, technologies already largely exist.
applicable to Singapore, but to many ucing transport distances to dense areas.
nd strengthened ties between the nities, the seed has been sown for a nt tomorrow.
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We will feed the future. 129
Credits
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1
https://woha.net/project/kampung-admiralty/
2
https://pda.designsingapore.org/presidents-designaward/award-recipients/2011/khoo-teck-puat-hospital. html
3
https://www.mvrdv.nl/projects/158/expo-2000
4
https://www.mvrdv.nl/projects/134/pig-city
5
http://jdsa.eu/slc/
6
https://treesontheroof.files.wordpress.com/2016/02/ indoor-farming.jpeg
7
https://www.thecitizensofearth.org/unearthing-our-roots
8
https://www.igrow.news/igrownews/2-east-baycompanies-redefine-urban-farming
9
https://www.digitaltrends.com/features/agribots-arepushing-farming-into-the-future/
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