From Powering a City to Fueling its Citizens, Vertical Urban Farming in a New Light

This thesis explores the role that architectural interventions can play in engaging the public with their food supply. It is an adaptive reuse proposal for the Rossdale Power Plant located in downtown Edmonton, Alberta. The proposal addresses the history of the site, which has seen a number of uses, including agriculture and power generation, before its relative abandonment in the 1990s. The proposal includes the adaptation of aquaponic systems to leverage water and light in unique ways, with the goal of drawing community back to the site and enabling people to engage with their food from seed to serving. Community gardens and other programs such as market stalls, a grocery store, a community kitchen and dining space, classrooms and event spaces, highlight the public ambitions of the project to improve food security and food literacy in the urban environment.