Cucumbers on the 23rd floor?
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Imagine strolling a few steps in your underwear to pick fresh tomatoes from the garden, without ever leaving your apartment. All that and more in an urban desert, no less. Israeli architectural firm Knafo-Klimor recently won an international competition for their design of a modern apartment building that incorporates interior gardens into its residential units. The high-rise has 4 columns, the exterior two consisting of standard living spaces, while the two interior form contiguous, vertical gardens, attached to each individual apartment.
Engineering tricks allow for sunlight and heat to enter through the windows and create greenhouse conditions, while also blocking them in summer, reducing air-conditioning needs. Given that the gardens are elevated and interior, fewer insects wander in, hence less call for pesticide. Purified gray water from the residences and rain water drawn from the roof are collected for automated irrigation, allowing for virtually fuss-free gardens.
Basically, plant seeds, watch them grow, and enjoy. Aside from the gardens, the residential areas themselves leave a clean conscience, as the buildings will generate most of their own electricity and water. The whole structure aims to use green residential technology to the fullest, thusly maximum self-sufficiency with minimal impact.