With the development of the patented OrbiLoop® and OrbiPlant® technologies, vertical farming has become one of Fraunhofer IME's strongest areas of expertise in recent years. The plant cultivation systems are an important component in various projects. One of them is the joint project “Mittendrin”, in which Fraunhofer IME, together with the City of Aachen, the University of Stuttgart and the two Aachen-based industrial partners EUtech Scientific Engineering GmbH and Maschinen- und Metallbau Vonhoegen GmbH & Co. KG, is investigating the large-scale, sustainable and consumer-oriented integration of vertical farming into urban infrastructure. There, such systems can be integrated into unused facades and roof areas of buildings, for example, incorporating them into existing material and energy flows.

As part of a feasibility study for the project, Fraunhofer IME has integrated its OrbiLoop® test system into a double-skin glass facade, demonstrating the concept through the cultivation of herbs and strawberries. In addition, the corresponding test setup also includes the development and testing of the necessary technical components. One of these components is, for instance, the hybrid lighting, which partially integrates solar energy to reduce overall power consumption.

On May 12, the closing event of “Mittendrin” took place at Fraunhofer IME in Aachen. Institute Director Prof. Stefan Schillberg, Simon Vogel, inventor of the OrbiLoop® and OrbiPlant® technologies, and Dr. Marc Stift, Group Leader Vertical Farming, presented the tested concept with the OrbiLoop® system. A number of guests, including Lisa van Aalst, Sustainability Manager of the City of Aachen, were able to get a first-hand impression of how the integration of vertical farming systems into urban architecture can look and work.

In view of the constantly growing population, the security of food supply is becoming a challenge – particularly in urban areas that have limited or no access to agricultural land and fresh produce. There, many foods can only be provided via long transportation routes, which not only impairs their quality, but is also unsustainable due to the associated CO₂ emissions. New farming methods are being developed around the world in order to be able to provide sufficient, high-quality food in the future. Vertical farming is a particularly promising solution that is much more efficient in terms of land use than conventional cultivation systems.

Urban farming - that is the vision of “Mittendrin”, in which the production of plant-based foods is relocated from the field directly into the city and integrated into the existing infrastructure. Fresh vegetables, herbs and salad straight from your own roof to the company canteen? Products in the local supermarket that have been grown and harvested on site? Or residential complexes that can harvest some of their fresh food on their own rooftops? These are just three possible scenarios for vertical farming as an integral part of urban infrastructures. 

“The next step would be to actually test the concept directly in the city,” says Simon Vogel. “This can be implemented, for example, as part of a voluntary citizens' initiative in which volunteers look after the plants in the vertical farm and familiarize themselves with the system. This is the only way we can see how the concept can be meaningfully scaled up for large-scale urban use.”

Project partners

• Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology IME
• University of Stuttgart 
• EUtech Scientific Engineering GmbH
• Maschinen- und Metallbau Vonhoegen GmbH & Co. KG
• City of Aachen