Bring Light to the Dark, Warmth to the Winter, Life to the Shadows.
Support your Neighborhood FEPMBi MoCTa!
In 2011, 40% of Russia’s food and 80% of its fruits and berries were grown in community dacha gardens. Providing an environment that can be farmed year round would change the paradigm of local food production to include the long winter months.
Through the combination of SolaTubes (to brind in and concentrate light) along with large hydroponic garden pods and greenhouses (to maximize yields), FEPMBi MoCTa or Farm Bridges will allow Russian Communities to harness the full potential of these unused spaces and provide the community a year round source of local, farm fresh produce.
SolaTube is an advanced daylighting system that combines extremely reflective surfaces on the interior of ducts and a lensing device that concentrates sunlight at the aperture of the skylight, capable of delivering sunlight deep within buildings. Combining these tubes with integral grow lamps will greatly reduce the power consumption of the facility while providing year round growing conditions.
Primarily composed of concrete for thermal massing, with small glazed greenhouses popped off of the form for larger fruit trees, sustainable materials drive the form. Hydroponic pods are fed with reverse osmosis filters having purified the river water below. These farms not only allow local residents access to year round produce, but also a peaceful space to sit under a blooming apple or cherry tree in the depths of winter.
The average Russian already understands the necessity of community gardens and takes advantage of the seasonal dacha farming. However, the short growing season and long winter in much of the country limits the availability of these methods for much of the year.
Each bridge could serve its own neighborhood. Each citizen could belong to their community bridge. Giving people a new way to take pride in what the garden produces for the community.
SolaMaster Series – SolaTube – 330 DS Open Ceiling
Climate can affect the efficient capture of daylight. This series of SolaTube comes in multiple configurations engineered for specific climatic conditions.
The SolaMaster 330 DS-O maximizes light output at any time of day. It effectively captures low-angle sun rays in the mornings late afternoons and winter months, and collects high-angle rays at midday for powerful performance. It is ideal for lighting spaces with open ceilings (exposed roof decks) where light variances aren’t an issue.
• Tube size ≈ 21 in. (530 mm)
• Potential tube length ≈ 50+ ft. (15 m)
Hydroponic vs. Soil Farming Yields per Acre
Overall, the main advantages of hydroponics over soil culture are – more effectient nutrition regulation, availability in regions of the world having nonarable land, effecient use of water and fertilizers, ease and low cost of sterilization of the medium, and higher density planting, leading to increased yields per acre.
Each bridge could provide up to a half acre of plantable space.