BE Lab -Vertical Farming & Sustainable Systems Design

college of built environments' interdisciplinary design studio at the university of washington



Branden Born, Associate Professor of Urban Planning

Gundula Proksch, Assistant Professor of Architecture

Ken Yocom, Assistant Professor of Landscape Architecture






In the United States, it is estimated that about 30% of the agricultural output originates within or on the edges of metropolitan areas. In response, a field of research and practice has emerged that focuses on the productive effectiveness of urban agricultural practices locally, regionally, and globally. In fact, locally, Seattle just declared 2010 "The Year of Urban Agriculture."


Using multidisciplinary skills from both undergraduate and graduate levels, this BE Lab is building upon these urban initiatives and their interrelated goals by developing strategies for integrating agricultural practices into the built environment. In particular, into the sustainable design of a large urban site containing multi-story residential buildings. Working at multiple scales, we are examining and synthesizing the intersections between socially equitable urban agricultural strategies with "high tech"/state of the art sustainable building systems.

Friday, January 8, 2010

Sustainability

Katrina Morgan shared her experiences as a sustainability consultant with the class today. What exactly is sustainability consulting, you ask... According to Katrina, it's a grab bag including strategic planning, lots of facilitation and mediation, and networking. What's at work is a psychology change and underlying it all is a philosophy--see W.McDonough's Cradle to Cradle.

Katrina works from micro to macro scales and back again; she helps keep her clients focused on the impacts beyond the site itself. In her spare time, she seeks alternative funding for greening projects through grants and tax rebates. Her work involves education programs, public speaking, policy & advocacy work, and evaluation of existing buildings. She and other sustainability consultants are working at the intersection of the built and natural environment. They are on the cutting edge. Check out her company: Fermata Consulting LLC.
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