is based on carbon: chemical fertilizers, pesticides, farm machinery, modern food processing, packaging and transportation. Processed food is also rich in fat and sugar and has less useful nutrients like vitamins and minerals, contributing to an obesity epidemic.

URBAN PLANT © integrates clean renewable energy and food systems into new and existing buildings and reduces carbon emissions. URBAN PLANT © is demonstrated on an existing high rise housing development.

FOOD
A glass enclosed private terrace is annexed to the apartment. 2500 sf of ceramic planters provide sufficient space for a family of four to grow the vegetables that they need for a healthy diet year round. The terrace also provides outdoor space, shades the building and thereby reduces the heat load on the building.

Existing windows are enlarged to allow for more daylight and air and single glazing is replaced with double. Automatic solar shading and operable windows provide the appropriate temperature for growing plants.

At the top of the façade a light shelf provides solar energy and projects light deeper into the terrace. Greenhouses on the roof provide space for commercially operated urban farms. Chicken runs provide fresh eggs and help in composting of green waste, which is redistributed to the planters.

ENERGY
Helix shaped wind turbines provide 75% of required energy, while solar panels provide 25%. Battery back-up systems are provided. Methane gas from composting provides energy for a co-generator power plant.

WATER
Hot water is provided by Batch Collectors as well as through the co-generator plant. Rain water is collected. Water is recycled, purified in a reed field and used to supply water to URBAN PLANT ©.

Describe the current stage of your initiative and your implementation plan over the next three years

URBAN PLANT © is currently in the preliminary design stage. In our next step, we will formalize a partnership with our consultants. Over the next few months, the team will develop URBAN PLANT © in detail.We propose to apply the URBAN PLANT © to NYC projects since the context is right. The existing buildings are perfect to apply the greenhouse layer to it; the need for fresh produce is high and helps combat the obesity epidemic; there is need for affordable energy. URBAN PLANT © will re-invigorate and empower the communities and change the perception of the communities.We will approach the New York City Housing Authority and ask for their cooperation and investment in building a full size mock up of the URBAN PLANT © terrace in the public area of their existing housing development projects. In placing the model in an actual housing development, the interaction of the URBAN PLANT © and the community can be explored. An urban farmer will be engaged to maintain the terrace and the team will monitor the project for a year. As issues come up, the URBAN PLANT © will be refined and remodelled to perfection. In placing the model in an actual housing development, the interaction of the URBAN PLANT © and the community can be explored. Because the New York City Housing Authority and the local community is already actively engaged and their feedback incorporated, we foresee a speedy process towards actual implementation of the entire URBAN PLANT © in the housing development. Simultaneously, URBAN PLANT © is promoted to the private sector.We will use the prize money for the realization of the mock up. We estimate the mock up to cost $75,000 to build, $15,000 to maintain and $10,000 to engineer.

Describe how your strategy meets the entry criteria ("What We're Looking For")

The realignment of human needs in self sustaining cycles that are economically and politically viable, is one of the biggest challenges facing the world.URBAN PLANT © provides a holistic approach to human needs and dwelling in an urban context. It integrates human needs of shelter, food, light & air, energy, community into a comprehensive self sustaining whole. Inherent in the design are perpetual food, energy and water cycles which are powered by the sun and wind. For example, the sun and photosynthesis grow plants, providing food. Solar energy provides energy for human activities. Green and human waste is composted. Methane gas from compost provides energy. Compost is used to grow plants. All of this happens in proximity of one another reducing the need for transportation.The intensive integration of nature and new technologies concentrated in one place is what sets URBAN PLANT © apart as truly self sustainable.

Describe the qualifications and experience of you and/or your team and your ability to execute your implementation plan

D.D.S.architecture.office. was founded in 2007 by Ellen Depoorter and Jeroen De Schrijver in New York. D.D.S.a.o. has a holistic approach to architecture and design. The experience of the user, the connection to the local context and the impact on the environment are at the basis of each project. The design is generated through the vetting of different concepts. We work in the spirit of enquiry, challenging preconceptions and testing conventions in collaboration with the client and consultants. The concept informs the structure, shape, materials, the ecology and energy performance of the building, the relationship of the building to the urban environment. This holistic approach is augmented by a strong commitment to the clients we serve, and also to the public domain and the many users involved. A high degree of personal service, coupled with respect for the precious resources of cost and time, therefore characterises our client relationships. Our combined 25 years of experience ranges over a wide variety of scale, geographic location and program with projects ranging from sculptures, residential, hospitality, retail and work environments, to office towers and urban projects. To have the design successfully implemented we take the projects from conception through execution.