MOTIVATION

With a world of unsustainable farming practices, record high obesity rates in the West and huge amounts of food waste, it is clear that our relationship with food and its production is broken.

INTERVENTION

Spring is a compact automated growing environment that empowers anyone to cultivate fresh produce in the home. More than a simple appliance, Spring serves as a probe into ways in which we can live more symbiotically with nature.

The unit combines a hydroponic system and a controlled environment to create ideal growing conditions for a wide range of produce, which makes it a great introduction into growing in the home. It also provides a platform allowing those with special requirements to grow special produce in different ways, such as adapting the nutrition or taste of produce.

Multiple indoor cultivation techniques informed our design process.

A technical overview of the working areas of Spring.

The light was designed to balance growing efficiency and aesthetics in the home.

The climate control system allows Spring to grow a diverse array of produce.

Close up of the minimal base.

For first time growers a service can provide seedlings and nutrient plans to make growing semi automated.

Presenting the technical prototype to the Duke of Edinburgh

FUTURE VISION

Diversification is key to the future of a secure food system as due to harmful industrial agricultural practices such as mono-cropping, 65% of the world’s agricultural land shows signs of overuse and degradation. By networking Spring with other growing units of different sizes, production can be scaled and diversified. With the integration of such systems in the home, the very idea of the home is then challenged as it becomes a literal living space.

This project was a collaboration between John Bertolaso, Edward Brial and Gabriel Brückner. More details here.