QUIRK: Geodesic Domes and Urban (Rooftop) Farming | Sojourners

QUIRK: Geodesic Domes and Urban (Rooftop) Farming

Image of the geodesic dome rooftop garden via http://www.conceptualdevices.com
Image of the geodesic dome rooftop garden via http://www.conceptualdevices.com

According to our friends at Good.is, Buckminster Fuller's geodesic dome is making a comeback with urban farmers. 

A new dome-based prototype promises an affordable method of rooftop aquaculture for apartment and commercial buildings—as the website calls it, getting "fish from the sky." The Globe / Hedron bamboo dome would house an aquaponics system—a mini-ecosystem in which plants clean the water where fish swim and fish waste fertilizes the plants—capable of feeding 16 people year-round. The unique structure of the dome, designed by Conceptual Devices, would support the weight of the fish tank, enabling installation on flat roofs without adapting the structure of the building. The design firm is partnering with Zurich-based group UrbanFarmers, which developed the aqauponic technology, and they're currently fundraising on indiegogo to get the project off the ground.

The project's creators promise a harvest of about 880 pounds worth of vegetables and about 220 pounds of fish each year, including everything from tomatoes to spinach to trout.