FOOD ROOF Farm
St. Louis, MO, USA
8,500 sf. Greenroof & Hydroponic Towers

Greenroofs.com Project of the Week: March 19, 2018

The availability of fresh, local produce is so important in our cities, and not often found farm-to-table.  But urban agriculture on greenroofs makes rooftop farm-to-table easily accessible!  With AgLanta next week on our minds, we’re once again showcasing the success of the FOOD ROOF Farm in St. Louis by Urban Harvest STL.

We were thrilled to have also featured this wonderful project in our 2017 Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summit with the video “FOOD ROOF Farm: Grow Food, Grow Community” from the founder and farm manager, Mary E. Ostafi.  As the Executive Director of Urban Harvest STL, Mary spoke on how they are fostering food system change in their community.

Mini Description & Details

Urban Harvest STL, a St. Louis nonprofit, empowers communities to cultivate equitable access to healthy, sustainably grown food and enhance biodiversity in cities.  After years of gardening on the ground, the Urban Harvest STL founders combined their background in architecture with HOK with their experience in urban agriculture to design and build St Louis’s first rooftop farm, the FOOD ROOF Farm.

Community engagement drove the design and the project illustrates various rooftop farming growing techniques including the intensive greenroof, hydroponic towers, raised beds, modular planters and greenhouse and tracks best practices for growing each crop efficiently.

Built in 2015, the 8,500 square foot FOOD ROOF Farm is located in the heart of downtown St Louis above a two-story storage facility utilizing a Sika Sarnafil PVC waterproofing membrane, which doubles as a root barrier; capillary, protective & filter fleece and drainage boards from Optigrün international AG / Optigreen; and pavers from Bison Innovative Products.  With additional consulting and design services from Hanging Gardens, the hybrid intensive greenroof system and farm was built in conjunction with volunteers along with Urban Harvest STL.

Over 250 varieties of vegetables, fruits, herbs and flowers are grown annually and more than 4,000 pounds of organic food was produced in 2017.  The majority is donated to people who need it the most in the community.

Other notable farm features include a Milkweed for Monarchs pollinator garden and keeping over 40,000 honeybees and 5 chickens.

More

The community hub space hosts over 20 educational workshops and activities each year.  And, the robust green roof infrastructure captures up to 17,000 gallons of stormwater per storm event, which equates to over 1,819,000 gallons annually.  Rainwater captured is utilized for plant growth, reducing irrigation needs by up to 50%.

Urban Harvest STL set out to not only create a social impact but also create an ecological return as well; they are increasing biodiversity gains and pollinator health on their rooftop.  The FOOD ROOF Farm is growing healthy food and a community of healthy people.

Year: 2015
Owner: Urban Harvest STL
Location: St. Louis, MO, USA
Building Type: Commercial
Type: Intensive
System: Custom
Size: 8500 sq.ft.
Slope: 1%
Access: Accessible, By Appointment

Designers/Manufacturers of Record:

Urban Harvest STL Executive Director, Co-Founder & Designer: Mary Ostafi, AIA, LEED-AP
Urban Harvest STL Co-Founder & Designer: Joseph Ostafi AIA, LEED-AP, Regional Leader for Science and Technology, HOK
Architect: Charlie Lutz, Senior Designer, HOK
Greenroof Design & Consultant: Anthony Mayer GRP, LEED AP, Chief Executive Officer, Hanging Gardens
Roofing Contractor: Tom Cox, President, Bi-State Roof Systems, Inc.
Waterproofing Membrane: John Bernardi, Regional Manager, Sika Sarnafil
Certified Irrigation Designer: Craig Pisarkiewicz, MPR Supply Company
Paver Provider: David Mudd, Hardscapes Sales, Midwest Block & Brick
Paver Provider: Hilary Porter, Central Regional Sales Manager, Bison Innovative Products
Greenhouse Provider: Greg Garbos, Owner, Small Farm Tools
Structural Engineer: Kent MacPeek, Frontenac Engineering
Growing Media: St. Louis Composting
Growing Media: WaterGrip Brownie
Capillary, Protective & Filter Fleece and Drainage Boards: Optigrün international AG / Optigreen

All the Info:

View the FOOD ROOF Farm project profile to see ALL of the Photos and Additional Information about this particular project in The International Greenroof & Greenwall Projects Database.

Project of the Week Video Feature

Watch the FOOD ROOF Farm Project of the Week Video below or see it on our GreenroofsTV channel on YouTube:

Greenroofs.com Project of the Week 3/19/18 video credits: Greenroofs.com Project of the Week video photo credits: All courtesy of Urban Harvest STL © by: Eldar Beiseitov, Christopher Faller, Jonathan Gayman, and Urban Harvest STL.

Did we miss your contribution? Please let us know to add you to the FOOD ROOF Farm profile.

Would you like one of your projects to be featured on Greenroofs.com? We have to have a profile first! Submit Your Project Profile.

Love the Earth, Plant a Roof (or Wall)!

By Linda S. Velazquez, ASLA, LEED AP, GRP
Greenroofs.com Publisher & Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summits Host