Where Agriculture and Building Meet

What if you lived in a high-rise condo and decided to go to the park, then hopped in the elevator, pushed a button for the fourth floor, stepped out and there you were? It's a strange concept (isn't the point of going to the park, being outside?), but it's also a fascinating one in the context of green building.

How literally green can we go? Can we grow our salads on the second floor?

This type of building seems like the logical next step as we continue to discuss the merits of green roofs and green walls. What about green balconies? And buildings that are pretty much green all over?

Last week, EcoGeek posted about Skyscraping Forest Condos in Mumbai. The building, which some commenters believe is actually a billion dollar single-family residence, demonstrates an extreme in the integration of plants and buildings, with trees, and parks, and all sorts of vegetation.

Meanwhile, Dwell blog has a lengthy examination of a similar trend -- Agro Housing. Agro-housing, as they define it, is the design practice of incorporating greenhouses within high-rise housing projects. It's a fascinating concept, and Dwell includes plenty of examples. However, for some great images, you might want to head to BLDG BLOG, where Geoff Manaugh has also tackled the same subject matter.

Dwell probably sums the whole movement up most concisely: "As the world's population burgeons at startling speeds, it's a proposal that's more necessary than simply clever."