Office conversion is taking an agricultural turn.
Former office buildings are thriving as indoor farms as demand for office space drops, reports Vittoria Traverso for BBC. “While indoor farming had been on the rise for years, a watershed moment came during the Covid-19 pandemic, when disruptions to the food supply chain underscored the need for local solutions.”
Vertical farming can make use of vacant office space and grow food where agricultural land might be scarce. The conversion process is also, in some cases, easier than residential conversion. “Thanks to artificial light and controlled temperatures, offices are proving surprisingly good environments for indoor agriculture, spurring some companies to convert part of their facilities into small farms.”
One drawback: energy use. As Traverso notes, “vertical farms need a lot of electricity to run lighting and ventilation systems, smart sensors and automated harvesting technologies.”
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UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research