When I think of organic farming, New York City’s crowded streets and dirty rivers are not quite the picture of pastoral farmland I have in mind. But I may need to get used to it. The ever increasing need for food, and the demand for fresh, organic and local food has created new issues, but with them, new solutions. Belgian Architect Vincent Callebaut has an incredible proposal for the Big Apple. The Dragonfly Project is projected to not only feed millions of the city’s residents, it will house offices and laboratories, while being completely self sufficient and powered entirely by renewable energy.

Residents in the building will tend to their own farming spaces, growing everything from fruits and vegetables, to cows and aquaculture. Everything is reused, re-harvested, and recycled to feed one continuous sustainable, bio-fertilizing, auto-feeding cycle of sustenance.

The 2000 foot tall structure itself is as amazing as the vision that it promises to deliver. Everything is integrated into the design of the Dragonfly and its systems. It is shaped like a dragonfly’s wing with its lacy infrastructure connecting together all the areas and collecting renewable energy in every part of the design. It is similar to Masdar City as far as integrating renewable technology, but is a mini self-contained metabolic urban farm.

Vincent Callebaut is no stranger to extraordinary architecture, he has received numerous awards and has several other ‘eco-designs’ for large cities up his sleeve. His designs seem futuristic or from another planet (like his floating eco-city ‘Lily Pad’ or the ‘Perfumed Jungle’ in Hong Kong harbor) but the issues he combats with ingenious design are happening right now in cities all over the world. Pollution, hunger, poverty, and populations are all rising, Callebaut’s designs offer a sustainable alternative. The conception of such a structure/system is a win for everyone involved and even, the planet. If his innovative idea can be used as a model for urban agriculture, it would change the way we farm, work, eat and live. Maybe one dragonfly can change the world.

• Organization Type: For-Profit
• Website: vincent.callebaut.org
• Founder(s): Vincent Callebaut
• Founded: 2001
• Location: Belgium
• See complete company list here

Contributor Profile: Justine

Justine is passionate about curing social injustice and global environmental issues. She has traveled extensively in Central America and the Caribbean, and is especially interested in the emergence of the Ecotourism industry.
Twitter: @justine72

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