Last year, Rotterdam became home to the world’s first floating dairy farm, showing a radical new way of bringing farming back into the city, with minimal impact on resources and the environment. Now, a similarly eye-catching agricultural project is ready to take off in the city’s harbor.
The structure is called Floating Farm Poultry and was designed by Goldsmith – the same design firm behind the previous floating farm. The new solar-powered urban farm is an evolution of its predecessor and will host roughly 7,000 egg-laying hens, as well as an area for growing food.
It will be based on a floating platform with three pontoons and will measure 3,500 sq m, spread over three floors. The lowest level will be used for farming vegetables, herbs, and cresses under LED lighting, while upstairs will serve as a production factory floor for processing and packaging. The uppermost level is conceived as the poultry area and will contain the egg-laying hens.
With its semi-transparent facade, much of the interior process will be visible and the idea is that visitors will be able to view the inner-workings of the urban farm. The rooftop, on the other hand, will be topped by solar panels, which are expected to supply a significant amount of its required electricity, and will also provide shade for the chickens.
While there’s currently no word on when Floating Farm Poultry is due to begin construction nor an estimated date of completion, a Goldsmith representative did confirm that the project is planned to go ahead and will be situated in the harbor area of Rotterdam, next to the Floating Farm.
