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Spotted: New York and Bergen-based Framlab, an architecture and technology innovation studio, has designed a tree-shaped urban farming solution to provide urban neighbourhoods with affordable, local produce year-round.

The world’s population is expected to reach 10 billion by 2050 and agriculture as we know it today will need to almost double in size to serve this rising population. However, most of the planet’s land has already been claimed and the remaining arable land is quickly degrading.

Glasir is a project that seeks to intervene in this scenario with a community-based system for urban farming. By combining the flexibility of modularity with the efficiency of aeroponic growth systems, the project offers self-regulating, vertical farming structures that can provide neighbourhoods with affordable, local produce year-round.

Glasir is based on the likeness of a tree, meaning it can be installed almost anywhere a tree could be planted. The design combines technology, sensors, and other endless numbers of configuration that draw on environmental conditions, such as solar gain, temperature levels, prevailing winds, and adjacent structures. It then adapts accordingly, to ensure optimised growth conditions for the produce.

The tree-shaped Glasir also lights up at nightfall, emitting a soft pink glow.

Written By: Katrina Lane

Explore more: Agriculture & Energy Innovations | Sustainability Innovations