Growing tall

To maximize self-sufficiency, the design features local, recycled building materials, solar energy systems and water collection techniques.

In Singapore, architecture studio Spark has designed the award-winning Home Farm, a unique vertical farm with a social mission. The city-state is facing food insecurity as well as a rapidly aging population, with a quarter of Singaporeans estimated to be 65 years or older by 2030. Spark's design concept is aimed at maximizing food quality and security, social interactions, sustainability, placemaking and healthcare delivery.

"There would be a professional management team, but all the general jobs will be available to the elderly - the residents of Home Farm - to allow them to earn an income," explains Stephen Pimbley, Spark's director. "We're keen to see this project materialize at some point in the future. The concept is a realizable solution to real and pressing problems faced by many of the world's growing cities."