Designing Buildings That Grow Food: Architecture Students from the German University in Cairo Visit VertiCairo
A Visit from the German University in Cairo at VertiCairo
This week, VertiCairo had the pleasure of hosting Professor Janne Terasvirta, together with Hebatulla Hamdy Elsharawy (Instructor and Assistant Lecturer) and 22 students from the Architecture and Urban Design Program, Building Technology and Integrated Design Department at the German University in Cairo.
The group is currently working on a fascinating academic challenge:
Designing 22 buildings that integrate sustainability at their core, where the architecture itself becomes part of a living system capable of producing food and providing nutrition for its inhabitants.
From Concept to Living Systems
Sustainability is often discussed in architectural design through energy efficiency, materials, or environmental performance. But the question these students are exploring goes further:
What if buildings could actively produce food for the people living inside them?
At VertiCairo, students were able to see and interact with real working systems that explore this idea in practice. The visit focused on understanding how urban agriculture can be integrated into built environments, including systems such as:
- Aquaponics systems combining fish and plant production
- Hydroponic cultivation of plants without soil
- Compact food production systems designed for urban spaces
By experiencing these systems firsthand, the students were able to move beyond theoretical design and observe the biological, spatial, and operational realities of producing food in cities.
Architecture Meets Food Systems
Designing buildings that grow food requires architects to think differently about space, infrastructure, and living systems.
Food production inside buildings raises important design questions:
* How do water systems integrate with architecture?
* How can natural and artificial lighting support plant growth?
* How do buildings manage humidity, nutrients, and biological cycles?
* What spatial strategies allow food production to coexist with daily life?
These questions are increasingly relevant as cities around the world search for new ways to build resilient food systems.
VertiCairo as a Living Laboratory
VertiCairo was created as an urban farm and experimental space where food, design, and ecological systems intersect inside the city.
By hosting students, researchers, and design programs, VertiCairo acts as a living laboratory for urban agriculture, allowing visitors to explore how food production systems function in real environments.
For architecture students, this kind of exposure helps bridge the gap between design concepts and living biological systems.
Looking Ahead
The students will now continue developing their projects, each designing a building that integrates sustainability and food production into its architecture.
We are excited to see the 22 final building designs, which are expected to be presented in June.
Collaboration with Schools and Universities
Visits like this highlight the importance of collaboration between educational institutions and real-world experimental spaces. VertiCairo welcomes schools, universities, and research programs interested in exploring:
* Urban agriculture
* Sustainable architecture
* Food systems in cities
* Integrated ecological design
Cities of the future will require new ways of thinking about how we grow food.
Perhaps the buildings we live in will one day be part of that solution.