A vertical farm planned for a disused building near Manchester could be the first of its kind for the UK.
Urban environmental design company URBED is creating the concept alongside a number of experts including two from Lancaster University, which could see Alpha House in Wythenshawe become Alpha Farm.
The initiative was announced last month at the Manchester International Festival (MIF) and will be funded by a mix of public and private sector sponsorship as well as box office income from the biennual cultural event.
The first crops are expected in time for the next event in 2013, but it is too early to say which lines will be grown on the farm or how much the project will cost.
The URBED team is analysing how much heat, light and water the project will need, alongside other inputs.
Charlie Baker, lead designer on the project at URBED, said: “It is incredibly complicated to do this sensibly, but we have to prove that this can be done in a resource-sensible way. We are trying to show that this is a viable use of old buildings, but the interlocking issues are huge.
“This is a way to learn more about vertical farming and an opportunity to say whether the idea is a pipe dream or a really interesting way of growing. We are still working on what and how much we can produce.”
Jennifer Cleary, producer of the vertical farm project and head of creative learning at MIF, said the next stage is to talk to food producers look at future opportunities for the project.
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