vertical farming
GROWING SURFACE AREA
IN A VOLUME OF SPACE
To maximize space-use (expressed simply
as density), growers must maximize
growing surface area within a volume of
space (growing-specific surface area).
In horizontal plane growing such
as stacked systems, only one side of
the plane is usable. Plants can’t grow
upside down very well. They can grow
on top, however, and they can grow on
vertical sides. Stacked systems waste
one side of the growing plane.
Look at a horizontal growing plane.
You can only use one side of the plane.
Growers have only partially redeemed
the wasted space by hanging lights
on the other side of the plane, but ulti-
mately are limited in their growing space
(Fig. 1). Flip the horizontal plane on it’s
side, however, and you now have a more
usable growing surface area (Fig. 2).
Usable growing space isn’t the
only important factor in space-use
efficiency, however. Farms require
both growing and access space; these
areas are two more opportunities for
growers to think strategically about
how their farm is set up.
Stacked production should configure
both growing space and access space
separately, while vertical production
Fig. 1
66
feature
combines growing space and access
space into one. Crunching the numbers?
Quantify wasted space and space-use
efficiency with a ratio that compares
production space to floor space.
Fig. 2