Thammasat University in Bangkok has developed the largest urban rooftop farm in Asia. Kotchakorn Voraakhom, the landscape architect behind the project says that the 7,000 square mt space mimics rice terraces in northern Thailand and it can help in controlling some of the impacts of climate change, like frequent flooding.
Kotchakorn, the chief executive & founder of Landprocess said, “We tend to make a distinction between buildings & green spaces but green spaces can be part of building design in cities such as Bangkok that has few green spaces".
She said, “Rooftops are generally underutilized but they can be green spaces that decrease the urban heat-island effect, environmental impacts of buildings & land use and also feed people".
Climate experts have forecast that Bangkok that is built on the floodplains of Chao Phraya River will sink by more than one centimeter (0.4 inches) annually & become one of the urban regions to be hit hardest by severe weather conditions in the coming years.
Flood Risk
As per the World Bank estimates, nearly 40% of the Thai capital can turn flooded each year by 2030 because of more intense rainfall. Flooding in most parts of Bangkok is already common during the annual monsoon. 2011 rains brought the worst floods in decades, bringing a fifth of the city under water. After this disaster Kotchakorn started thinking more about climate-resilient green spaces. Recently she had designed Bangkok's 1st new public park in decades that can hold up to one million gallons of rainwater.
The rooftop farm at Thammasat University in Rangsit, that is about 40 km from Bangkok's city centre, is open to anybody who wants to grow herbs, vegetables and rice, told Prinya Thaewanarumitkul, a vice-vector at the university. He said, “Thailand is an agricultural society but in cities we are so cut off from source of our food. However, with rooftop farms, we can improve urban food security”.
According to a study, urban farms can supply almost the whole recommended consumption of vegetables for city dwellers and also lessen food waste & reduce emissions from transportation of agricultural products.
With space at a premium, many cities are adding farms on the top of malls and conference halls.
