PixelGreen - A hybrid green media wall for existing high-rise buildings

Abstract

Vertical farms and gardens are not new in dense urban environments, but few examples further explore the architectural potential and possibilities of the form to apply the same design approach to existing surfaces and walls of buildings. In addition, there is a design opportunity to exploit existing wall surfaces as 'analogue' media screens by using the vertical farm and garden as a medium of representation. In this paper we explore the opportunity for new design possibilities to achieve a hybrid architectural wall system as a reciprocal retrofit for existing building surfaces, integrating a vertical micro-farm and media screen. This architectural opportunity is explored through agile methods and the early design stages of a hybrid green media wall, PixelGreen. PixelGreen will be retrofitted to an existing wall of a high-rise building to convey mediated, graphical, artistic content and provide edible plant micro-farming simultaneously. The physical proof of concept is given through a modular mock-up with a programmed UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) serving as the 'agent' for constant updating of mediated content, maintenance and a regular farming cycle. The outcome of this approach provides preliminary insight into how to feasibly implement a hybrid green media wall with autonomous robotics and computation technology.