Project Title: “Taniman Ng Anghel”

Project Task: “Access”(Task1)

Project Group: IJ024

Class: 1312A

Supervising Tutor: Mr. See Tho Peng Kuan Philip

Group Members:

Choy Seng Chow 3033/1103

Hong Phu Gia Hung 3033/1105

Kornkris Jongjeamde 3033/1106

Nguyen Hoang Mai Thy 3033/1111

Nooriya Fathima 3033/1116

Word Count

Project Work 2013

2986

Acknowledgements

To begin, we would like to show our gratitude to Mr. Philip See Tho, our Supervising

Tutor, for continuous support, advice and motivation. He constantly assisted us to

solve all our problems throughout the course of our project.

Dr J Scott Turner (Professor of Biology, lead researcher of Termite-Inspired Air

Conditioning), for sharing with us his vast knowledge regarding the effectiveness of

air ventilation system based on the termite biomimicry and advise us on issues we

had not thought of.

Mr Ong Chee Wah (Senior Teacher of Physics at Innova Junior College), who

provided us with insightful information that assisted us to come up with solutions to

solve the problems in our termite-inspired air conditioning.

Mr Ng Soo Kok (Senior Teacher of Physics at Innova Junior College), who made us

recognize that there were more features to glass core which helped us in creating a

revised product in place of the glass core.

And last but not the least, our families, friends and teachers for monitoring us and

ensuring that we were not facing any difficulties.

Table of content

Acknowledgement

Content page

List of figures

Synopsis

1. Introduction

1.1 Background information

1.2 Problem of Land use in Cavite, Philippines

1.3 Existing measures

1.4 Necessity for better solution

2. Aim and objectives

3. Proposal

3.1 Overview

3.2 Key features of Taniman Ng Anghel

3.2.1 Solar Windows

3.2.2 Glass core

3.2.3 Termite Biomimicry (air ventilation and water collection)

3.3 Hydroponics agriculture

3.3.1 Growing tomatoes with Ebb and Flow system

3.3.1.1 Ebb and Flow system

3.3.2 Growing strawberries with Nutrient Film Technique (NFT)

3.3.2.1 Nutrient Film Technique (NFT)

3.3.3 Growing chrysanthemum with wick system

3.3.3.1 Wick system

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3.4 Crop Growing Locations

3.5 Earthquake resistance

4. Review of the proposal

4.1 Overview

4.2 Termite-inspired air ventilation

4.3 Maximization of Sunlight

4.3.1 Development of Glass Core

4.3.2 Fibre Optics Lighting

5. Conclusion

5.1 Weaknesses

5.2 Strength

5.3 Further development

Reference

Annex A: data obtained from the High Value Crops Development Program

HVCDP in Philippines

Annex B: Record of Earthquake Incidents in Cavite, Philippines

Annex C: Profile of Dr. Despomier

Annex D: Profile of Dr. Jerfrey Scott Turner

Annex E: Email interview with Dr. J. S Turner

Annex F: Email interview with a Vietnamese engineer who has years of

experience in building construction

Annex G: Interview with Mr. Ong Chee Woh about termite biomimicry

Annex H: Interview with Mr. Ng Soo Kok about glass core

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List of figures:

Figure 1: Map of Cavite

Figure 2: Aeroponic Vertical Farm

Figure 3: The estimated dimensions of the building (side view)

Figure 4: The estimated dimensions of the building (top view)

Figure 5: Exterior view of the building

Figure 6: Different crops grown inside the building

Figure 7: SolarWindowsTM enclosing a model plan of a floor of the building

Figure 8: SolarWindow™

Figure 9: Glass core and how sunlight can be distributed

Figure 10: The phenomenon at the glass surface

Figure 11: Water & air system within the building

Figure 12: Ebb and Flow System

Figure 13: Nutrient Film Technique

Figure 14: Wick System

Figure 15: Location to grow crops

Figure 16: Side view of the lowest floor which shows the base insulators

underneath

Figure 17: The insulators underneath the building base

Figure 18: Zoom-in of individual insulator

Figure 19: The “improved” design of Taniman Ng Anghel

Figure 20: Backside of the termite-inspired air ventilation

Figure 21: Front side of the termite-inspired air ventilation

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Figure 22: How the parabolic dish collects sunlight 28

Figure 23: How Optics Fibre transmits sunlight 28

SynopsisGroup Index: IJ024

Project Task: Access

Title of Project: Taniman Ng Anghel

Background InformationCavite experiences rapid urbanisation in recent years. One of the problem

caused by urbanisation is the lack of access to farmland. This leads to

unemployment of farmers and decline in local food supply. Conceptualized by

Professor Dickson Despommier, Columbia University, USA, given the lack of

farmland due to industrialisation and urbanisation in The Philippines, Taniman Ng

Anghel – a vertical farm - is a way to stabilize the food production in a much

smaller area than conventional farms.

Purpose of ProjectTaniman Ng Anghel aims to address the lack of access to farmland. The solution

is to exploit limited land resources and improve the quality of farming on

minimal land used. It also aims to supplement the food supply due to

urbanisation and industrialisation in the Philippines as well as other developing

countries. This building provides job opportunity for educated farmers to work

in greenhouse building to maximize the efficiency of land as the land for

farming is expected to be reduced greatly and turned into urbanized areas in the

upcoming decades.

ProposalHence, we propose the construction of our own building, Taniman Ng Anghel, by adopting the Vertical Farming idea from the US into The Philippines’ context. Taniman Ng Anghel has 15 storeys which would enclose

farming systems from the external environment. The air ventilation system is

inspired by air vents in termite mounds and glass core is used to capture

sunlight and distribute throughout yhe building. Vegetables, fruits and flowers

would be grown via vertical hydroponic systems and chickens would be raised

in Taniman Ng Anghel. Taniman Ng Anghel will have independent internal

environment on each floor, thus different crops will be grown on different floors.

Taniman Ng Anghel will be located near the San Juan river, Rosario, Cavite

province, Philippines where space for farming is limited due to urbanisation.

MethodologyWe emailed interviews with Dr. Dickson Despommier, Professor of Public Health

in Environmental Health Sciences at Columbia University, USA, lead author of

the The Vertical Farm to ascertain better food productivity by using vertical

farming; Dr. J Scott Turner, Professor of Biology, lead researcher of Termite-

Inspired Air Conditioning to determine the effectiveness of air ventilation system

based on the termite biomimicry.; Mr. Ong Chee Wah and Mr. Ng Soo Kok,

Senior teachers of Physics At Innova Junior College, to understand the base of

the vertical farming building and determine the effectiveness of our solution to the

earthquake-resistant structure

Review of ProposalAfter conducting the interviews, we were able to make some changes according

to the interviews with the professors:

1. Termite biomimicry air ventilation system: We included the adjustable

air vent to minimise hot air intake. We also increase the number of air vent

to maximise cold air intake and remove the underground air tanks to allow

natural air flow. Thus, the efficiency of air ventilation system is enhanced.

2. Optical fibre technology: we replace the glass core with optical fibre as it

enables sunlight to reach outermost part of the building unlike the former.

This, thus, maximises growing conditions for the crops.

Conclusion Taniman Ng Anghel will help address the concern of lack of agricultural land

by maximising the usage of a limited land space. The new technology

adopted will increase the efficiency of producing food as well as reduce the

reliance on external electricity. Although Taniman Ng Anghel may not fully

eliminate the mentioned concern, it is nevertheless a step forward to self-

sustainability and improvement in methods of farming for humanbeings in the

future.

1. Introduction

The Philippines has been transforming from an agricultural economy to a newly

industrialised country with a bustling hub of human activity. Spurred by the urge to

attract foreign investments, generate employment opportunities, and decongest

major population centres, the government tolerated the rampant conversion of

hundreds of hectares of productive farmlands across the country to various urban

uses (Danilo C. Cardenas, “Effects of Land-Use Conversion on Local Agriculture:

The Case of Cavite, The Philippines”). The process of urbanisation has brought

about rapid decline in land for agricultural use. Hence, the significance of the lack of

farmland due to land conversion is examined, specifically in Cavite, The Philippines

(Figure 1).

Figure 1: Map of Cavite ("Cavite Socio-economic and physical profile," 2011)

1.1 Background information of Cavite

Cavite has been a predominant agricultural province. Despite urbanization and

industrialization, a significant number of Caviteños are still engaged in

agribusinesses as the economy there is dependent on agriculture. With reference to

Table 1, in 2011, the agricultural land is about 50.17 percent or 71,590.71 hectares

of the land (Cavite Socio-Economic and Physical profile 2011) while the number of

farmers increased from 3,097 farmers in 2009 (Cavite Social-economic and physical

profile, 2009) to 41,601 farmers in 2011 (Cavite Socio-Economic and Physical profile

2011). The disparity of numbers of farmers among the districts in Cavite is due to

land conversion leads to work displacement of some Caviteños.

Table 1: Total agricultural and non-agricultural areas and number of farmers in by city/municipality,

Province of Cavite: 2011

(http://www.cavite.gov.ph/multimediafiles/SEPP/2011/Chapter6EconomicSector.pdf)

1.2 The problem of lack of farmland in Cavite

As mentioned earlier, the excessive urbanisation of agricultural land is a serious

problem in Cavite. The urbanising areas have reduced the overall profitability of

farming as some farms are forced to be smaller, restricting agricultural businesses.

As there is a lack of land for agriculture, food productivity decreases over time,

leading to lack of food supplied for the area in the long run. Many farmers also lose

their jobs as they cannot earn much with less food productivity.

1.3 Existing measure

To solve the problem, the Philippine government has approved the Aeroponic

Vertical Farm project for growing rice (Figure 2).

Figure 2: Aeroponic Vertical Farm

http://www.artrick-playground.com/article/Aeroponic-Vertical-Farm-High-Yield-Terraced-Rice-Paddies-

for-the-Philippines/3235/18697

This stepped terrace rice farming uses technology to pump water up to the highest

tier and then let it trickle down to water other plants. The building’s advantage is the

terraced facility which provides places for children to play and a meeting place for

adults.

This solution requires expert prior knowledge to run the gardening system.

However, many farmers are not familiar with the technology. Also, it is very time

consuming as much attention and care are needed to ensure proper and disease-

free growing environments so as to maximise crop quality.

1. 4 Necessity of a better solution :

Inspired by the idea of vertical farming by Dr. Dickson Despommier, a Professor at

Columbia University, we propose Taniman Ng Anghel, a hydroponics vertical farming

structure so as to reduce the problem of lack of access to farmland in Cavite,

Philippines. Adopting various technologies to increase food production, Taniman Ng

Anghel ensures that Cavite is self-sufficient in food production, thus contributing to

the Philippine’s current efforts to increase local food production.

2. Aim and Objectives:

In view of the lack of access to agricultural land to maintain food supply due to

urbanization and industrialisation in Cavite, we propose building the Taniman Ng

Anghel. Our project is operationalized through the following objectives:

1. To draw up a preliminary proposal, Taniman Ng Anghel which attempts to exploit

limited land resources and to improve the quality of farming on minimal land used.

2. To interview Dr. Dickson Despommier, Professor of Public Health in

Environmental Health Sciences at Columbia University, lead author of The Vertical

Farm about:

(i) growing crops under glass ceiling environment,

(ii) conditions for farmers moving into vertical farming building and

(iii) size of a vertical farming building

so as to ascertain better food productivity using vertical farming.

3. To interview Dr J Scott Turner, Professor of Biology, lead researcher of Termite-

Inspired Air Conditioning, to determine the effectiveness of air ventilation system

based on the termite biomimicry.

4. To interview Mr. Ong Chee Wah (Senior Teacher of Physics at Innova Junior

College), to come up with modified solutions to our termite-inspired air conditioning.

5. To interview Mr Ng Soo Kok (Senior Teacher of Physics at Innova Junior College),

about the effectiveness of the glass core design.

6. To review the design and effectiveness of The Taniman Ng Anghel

Chapter 3: Proposal: Taniman Ng Anghel

“Taniman Ng Anghel” means Garden of Angels in Tagalog, which is inspired by the

biblical Garden of Eden. Since Philippine is the third largest Catholic country in the

world (The World Factbook, n.d), we intend to create a fruitful garden that brings

about harmony to the area, similar to the sacred garden. "Angels", the metaphor for

technologies in our project, help to develop our vertical garden which benefits the

Philippine society.

3.1 Overview

Inspired by diamond, Taniman Ng Anghel is a hexagonal-cylinder with slant sides

which enhances total internal reflection of sunlight within it, thus maximizing the

amount of sunlight for plants grown inside Taniman Ng Anghel.

The dimensions of Taniman Ng Anghel are estimated (Figures 3 and 4).

Figure 3: The estimated dimensions of the building (side view)

Figure 4: The estimated dimensions of the building (top view)

Height:

50.0 m

Width (diameter): 100.0 m

Building’s diameter: 80.0 m

Glass core

Diameter: 50.0 mGap in between:

20.0 m

Lotus leaf wall (water pipes and airduct lie inside the wall)

The peculiar wall around the main building, inspired from lotus leaf, is actually

Taniman Ng Anghel's water catchment combined with air convection system.

High-tech windows and a greenhouse for specific tropical flowers will be on top.

(Figure 5)

Figure 5: Exterior view of the building

Glass coreMain building (with high- tech SolarWindows TM exterior)

Entrance

Greenhouse

Inside Taniman Ng Anghel, a glass core is used in the centre. Different kinds of crops like tomato, chrysanthemum and

strawberries will be grown according to Figure 6.

Figure 6: Different crops grown inside the building

Tomato

Chrysanthemum

Strawberries

3.2 Key features of Taniman Ng Anghel

3. 2 .1 Solar windows

In order to operate such a controlled-environment building, large amount of energy is

required. However, we have come up with a way to reduce the reliance on

conventional electricity, so to reduce the operating cost. Solar energy from sunlight

will be converted to electrical energy by using SolarWindowsTM (Figure 7).

Figure 7: SolarWindowsTM enclosing a model plan of a floor of the building

SolarWindow™ (Figure 8) makes use of small organic solar cells to produce clean

electricity on transparent glass windows from sunlight and artificial sources such as

fluorescent and LED lighting. When the normal windows are set up, these organic

cells are sprayed on at room temperature. There is no need for high-temperature or

vacuum production methods to produce such windows which reduces the cost of

production. Although these windows cost between S$1200 and S$2000 per square

SolarwindowsTM surface

metre, as a whole, they can generate electricity worth about S$ 180,000 per kWh/

year (http/newenergytechnologiesinc.com/technology/solarwindow).

Furthermore, as the Philippines lies between the equator and the Tropic of

Capricorn, it receives the average of 12 hours worth of sunlight per annual. Thus,

SolarWindows are installed both inside and outside of Taniman ng Anghel to capture

the maximum amount of sunlight to generate electricity.

Figure 8: SolarWindow™

3. 2 .2 Glass c ore

Based on the knowledge of optical fibers and lighting pipes, we used a glass core in

the centre to maximise the sunlight inside Taniman Ng Anghel for photosynthesis of

plants.

The top of the core, emerged outside of Taniman Ng Anghel, has a spherical shape

which allows sunlight to refract when entering the core. This allows us to use sunlight

at anytime or any angle.

As the sunlight enters the hemisphere, light will be refracted and its original direction

is altered to increase tendency of sunlight emerging out of the core later on. Some

sunlight is refracted through the glass surface of each floor while most will be

reflected internally and continues to fill downwards through the core and transmit

sunlight to all parts of Taniman Ng Anghel (Figures 9 and 10).

Figure 9: Glass core and how sunlight can be distributed

Figure 10: The phenomenon at the glass surface

Glass core

Building

Air (external environment)

Sunlight

3. 2 .3 Termite Biomimicry (air ventilation and water collection)

Inspired by the 'Termite-inspired Air Conditioning’ project, we have designed

Taniman Ng Anghel such that air-conditioning system is achieved naturally by

utilizing air convection current from the environment in a similar method of termite

mounds. Thus, we included the complex lotus-shaped structure around Taniman Ng

Anghel called “Lotus Petal” to collect cold air from the surroundings and to circulate it

in Taniman Ng Anghel. Not only so, “Lotus Petal” also acts as a water collection

system that makes use of rainwater and uses it for planting in Taniman Ng Anghel

(Figure 11).

Figure 11: Water & Air System within Taniman Ng Anghthe building

The key of how “Lotus Petal” works is convectional current. As cold air is much

denser, it sinks down. This occurs at night when the environment becomes cooler.

Thus, “Lotus Petal” will take in these cold air and store in a specialised air tank. This

air tank will store up cold air from the environment at night and ready to distribute the

air collected throughout Taniman Ng Anghel. This air will help to ease the reliance on

air-conditioning system, minimising the cost of energy usage. After cooling the

intended area, the air gains heat, becoming less dense, and floats out of Taniman

Ng Anghel. A convectional current is completed.

Similarly, water can be collected from the environment, treated and circulated around

Taniman Ng Anghel. There are 3 main ways to collect water from the environment:

through the “Lotus Petal” structure, the drainage system and the residue water from

the air tank. Water is directed to the water tank which will process the water to be

ready for plants. After that, the water is pumped up the building and distributed for

farming. Since our farm uses hydroponics, water is the key for the system. Used

water is recollected, treated again in the water tank and reused for plants, thus

completing the circulation of water. Recycling water helps to reduce the reliance on

limited external water source, making the system cost-efficient.

3.3 Hydroponics agriculture

To maximise the land used and ensure higher productivity and quality of the food

produced, we applied different types of hydroponics1 to meet specific needs of

tomatoes, strawberries and chrysanthemum.

3.3.1 Growing t omatoes with Ebb and Flow system

We chose to plant tomato as it is the most sought crop in every Filipino household,

according to the data from the High Value Crops Development Program (HVCDP).

(“There is gold in tomatoes”, 2013)

As we are able to control the environments for tomatoes in our building, given the

same period of time, the productivity of growing tomatoes inside Taniman Ng Anghel

exceeds that of the conventional. Thus, this will generate more profit in the long run.

3.3.1 .1 Ebb and Flow Systems

1 Hydroponics is a branch of agriculture where plants are grown without the use of soil.

As tomato plant is top-heavy, it needs strong support, (D'Anna, C, n.d) Ebb & Flow

systems (Figure 12) are able to do so as they use mediums such as gravel or sand

which can support heavy plants.

In addition, they create movement of the solution, using nutrient pump, to provide

appropriate oxygenation to the tomatoes’ roots.

Figure 12: Ebb and Flow System

3.3.2. Growing s trawberries with Nutrient Film Technique (NFT)

Floor

Nutrient pump

Grow tray

Drain fitting

Overflow

Stawberries are grown in Taniman Ng Anghel as they are small and relatively fast

growing fruits. They need no soil and require very few chemicals. Growing cash

crops like strawberries is also very lucrative. (Martin, L, 1985) Despite the belief that

strawberries cannot be grown in hot climates, they have been grown successfully in

The Philippines (Manila Bulletin, April 12, 2013).

3.3.2 .1 Nutrient Film Technique (NFT)

Strawberries grow most suitably in an Nutrient Film Technique (NFT) systems as

they have a constant flow of nutrient solution (Figure 13). There is usually no

growing medium used other than air, which saves the expense of replacing the

medium after every batch of crop.

Figure 13: Nutrient Film Technique

3.3.3 Growing Chrysanthemum with Wick Systems

Floor

Grow tray

Nutrient pump Air stone

Reservoir

Drain fitting

Air pump

Last but not least, chrysanthemum is chosen as it can be used as tea, food and for

decoration purposes. Extracts of cchrysanthemum stems and flowers have a wide

variety of potential medicinal properties. In addition, according to Business Diary, the

The Philippines government increasingly push the non-local-plant agrilculture like

chrysanthemums to value add the agricultural industry.

3.3.3 .1 Wick Systems

Chrysanthemum can be planted using the wick system as it has to be constantly and

delicately taken care of (Figure 14). Wick System creates a constant small flow of

water and nutrients which keeps plants rejuvenated. Watering from the bottom up

prevents evaporation of surface water. They are self-watering and can irrigate

themselves (“From the bottom up – a DIY guide to wicking beds”, 2011).

Figure 14: Wick System

3 . 4 Crop Growing Locations

Wick

Air pump

Air stone

Floor

Grow tray

Reservoir

After considering the actual farming conditions of the crops, we propose the specific

levels to grow crops according to Figure 15.

Figure 15: Location to grow crops

Strawberries need low temperature (from 10°C – 26°C) and little sunlight (less than

14 hours of daylight) Therefore, we plant strawberries at the bottom of Taniman Ng

Anghel where cool air stays.

As chrysanthemums need large amount of sunlight, at least 5 - 6 hours daily and the

flowers are susceptible to mildew, we place chrysanthemums in the middle floors.

They also need plenty of air circulation, water drainage, and morning sun to dry the

dew on the leaves and stems.

Finally, tomatoes need around 6 - 8 hours of sun a day, we grow tomatoes in the top

floors where sunlight is direct and the condition is mostly dry.

Chrysanthemums

Moderate Climate Zone

Tomatoes - Hot Climate Zone

Strawberries - Cold Climate Zone

3. 4 Earthquake Resistance

Cavite lies above the Philippines Transform Fault, which makes the country prone to

earthquakes. There have been records that Cavite has experienced a number of

earthquakes, even though no serious one occurred during the past 10 years (refer to

Annex A). Thus, there is a need to safeguard the structure from the tremor.

Our group has decided to strengthen Taniman Ng Anghel with shock absorbers and

metal strengthen structure. Base insulation is also used to protect Taniman Ng

Anghel from earthquake (Figures 16 and 17).

Figure 16: side view of the lowest floor which shows the base insulators underneath

Base insulators

Figure 17: the insulators underneath the building base

Base insulator is a collection of structural elements which substantially decouple a

superstructure from its substructure resting on a shaking ground, thus protecting a

building or non-building structure's integrity (Figure 18).

Figure 19: zoom-in of individual insulator

Figure 18: zoom-in of individual insulator

Figure 18: Zoom-in of individual insulator

Base insulators

Absorber base, made of hard coposites such as stainless steel and concrete

Spring can expand and contract in any direction. This reduces the tremor impact on the building.

4. Review of proposal

4.1 Overview

With our data collected, we decided to change several components of Taniman Ng

Anghel accordingly to improve on its overall efficiency (Figure 19).

Figure 19: The “improved” design of Taniman Ng Anghel

4.2 Termite-inspired air vetilation

According to Dr. Scott Turner (Annex E), we realised that the original air ventilation

system will only work effectively at night, i.e. drawn cold air into Taniman Ng Anghel.

However, during the daytime, the hot air will be sucked into the system instead. This

will result in a higher temperature if left uncontrolled. Thus, we decided to maximise

the amount of the cold air while minimise the hot air intake by firstly, creating air

gate; secondly, creating more air ducts on the surface of “Lotus Petal”, and thirdly

remove the underground air tank.

The adjustable air gates with temperature sensors (Figures 20 and 21) will be set up

at the air-duct mouth. It will be used to control the movement of air into Taniman Ng

Anghel. During the daytime or when the environmental temperature is higher than

Sunlight giant dish and optical fiber system

Improved "Lotus Petal"

the optimal internal temperature for the plants, the gates will block hot air from

entering the air system. As this will reduce the airflow inside Taniman Ng Anghel

greatly as well, air-conditions will operate to allow air circulation inside Taniman Ng

Anghel and keep the environment optimal for growing plants. At night when the

temperature drops, the gates will be open to allow the cold air to sink in and

maintaining temperature inside Taniman Ng Anghel.

Figure 20: Backside of the termite-inspired air ventilation

Figure 21: Front side of the termite-inspired air ventilation

Due to the shortened time period when cold air can be collected, to maximise the

volume of cold air intake, more air vents will be created at the side of the “Lotus

Petal”. The greater the volume of the cold air intake, the higher the rate of cooling

the interior of Taniman Ng Anghel. Thus, less energy is required to operate air-

condition.

The original air tank was supposed to hold the intake air from the external source

before distributing it into Taniman Ng Anghel. However, this will result in air being

compressed, causing the pressure inside the tank to be higher than the atmospheric

pressure. The wind thus, cannot flow into Taniman Ng Anghel naturally. By removing

the air tank, the intake air will continuously flow through the air vents into different

parts of Taniman Ng Anghel before being release back into the environment. In

addition, to further aid the natural convection, fans will be setup inside the air vents.

This is to increase the rate of cool air intake, allowing the cold air to reach the

intended area faster and the cooling process to be faster.

4.3 Maximization of Sunlight

4.3.1 . Development of Glass Core

The glass core’s ultimate aim is to maximize the sunlight within the building for plants

growth, yet since a variety of luminosity is required for different plants to grow

efficiently, an alternative measure is to be considered. Frost glass or tinted glass is

considered to control the amount of light from glass core as sunlight may not be

evenly distributed (Ng Soo Kok, personal communication, September 5 th 2013).

However, after some research, we realize the former reduces the quality of sunlight

for plants while the latter only allows enough sunlight as long as it is not colour-

tinted.

One possible idea raised is that we can adopt “Smart Glass”, having similar

characteristics and easily computerized. While the idea is viable since the closely

monitor of sunlight encourage maximum efficiency of growth, we later identify

another weakness of this idea as long as the proposed one: light cannot reach plants

at the outermost circumference of the building. Moreover, phototropism causes

plants to bend towards the lighted area, affecting the regularity of plants allocation

(Ng Soo Kok, personal communication, September 6th 2013).

After the interview with Mr. Ng, we were introduced to another technology for

maximization of light: optical fiber technology. We realize that the idea works well in

place of the glass core, as it can be bent and extended to reach to parts that glass

core cannot previously reach and the cost of material is relatively much cheaper than

using the glass core. Hence, this technology is adopted.

4.3.2 . Fibre Optics Lighting

Different from the glass core, the technology involves numerous small optic fiber

attached to a giant dish to receive sunlight. Due to its particular shape, when sunlight

reaches the dish, it will be focused to the centre of the dish (Figure 22). Sunlight is

then transfer within the optical fiber via internal reflection (Figure 23).

Figure 22: How the parabolic dish collects sunlight

Figure 23: How Optics Fibre transmits sunlight

Even though the optic fiber is bent, most of sunlight can still travel via total internal

refraction as the refractive index (indicating the maximum angle in which an object

can reflect the light ray back instead of refracting it) of the fiber is very high. This

allows the fiber to reach even the furthest part of Taniman Ng Anghel. Thus, there

will be sufficient sunlight for each level of Taniman Ng Anghel. This will enhance the

effectiveness of plants growth within Taniman Ng Anghel.

5. Conclusion

Building the Taniman Ng Anghel in Cavite will maximize land use, thus complement

the existing conventional farming, that will be reclaimed for development (Institute of

Science in Society: Why Civilizations Collapse, 2009). Therefore, humans can

continue to urbanize to make sustainable progress without compromising their food

resources.

5.1 Weakness

The data obtained from the interview with Dr. Despommier, the founder of the

Vertical Farming, did not help us much to improve Taniman Ng Anghel as he was not

available to give us with more relevant information about Taniman Ng Anghel’s

functions. Thus, our project was largely based on informed hypothetical scenarios.

Furthermore, as we did not have any first-hand experience of the earthquake in

Philippine or any actual data about the actual Vertical Farming in Cavite to use as a

reference for our project, we are limited from creating the most suitable building for

the local area. Hence, Taniman Ng Anghel may need to be modified to suit in the

local area.

5.2 Strengths

Firstly, our solution directly addresses the urgent matter of lack of access to farmland

in urbanised areas in Cavite by making use of limited land in the city area itself, thus

creating a scenario where farming and urbanization co-exist in harmony. Crops are

also grown with higher efficiency. Therefore, Taniman Ng Anghel is likely to be

implemented by the Philippine government.

In addition, our project will be appealing to large food-producer firms, which want to

gain dominance in developing countries food market. This is because Taniman Ng

Anghel can be an experiment to compare the effectiveness of growing crops using

vertical farming and the conventional ones, and ultimately profit the companies are

able to reap from these different methods. 

5.3 Future Developments 

As many developing countries such as Vietnam and Indonesia are also having the

same problem due to industrialisation and urbanisation, the project can be applied to

solve the similar cases of lack of farmland. Furthermore, the solution can be applied

to developed countries like Singapore (Sky Greens Farm, a vertical farming

building), a country with scarce land space, yet craving for self-sufficiency in terms of

agriculture. Thus, we strongly feel that Taniman Ng Anghel would be a stepping

stone for future green project in terms of maximizing land usage.

References

1. Provincial Government of Cavite, (2011). Socio-economic and physical profile

2011. Retrieved from website: http://www.cavite.gov.ph/multimedia

files/SEPP/2011/Chapter1GeneralInformation.pdf

2.Meinhold, B. (2013, 5 27). Farmedhere: The nation's largest indoor organic farm

now growing in chicago read more [Online forum comment]. Retrieved from

http://inhabitat.com/farmedhere-the-nations-largest-indoor-organic-farm-now-

growing-in-chicago/

(Meinhold, 2013)

3. Aeroponics: Should you go for it? (2011, 04 20). [Online forum comment].

Retrieved from http://www.cocoponics.co/hydroponics/aeroponics-vs-hydroponics

("Aeroponics: Should you," 2011)

4.Aeroponics vs. hydroponics (2013, 6 12). [Online forum comment]. Retrieved from

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/aeroponics-vs-hydroponics.html

("Aeroponics vs. hydroponics," 2013).

5.Does it really stack up?. (2010, December 9). The Economist. Retrieved from

http://www.economist.com/node/17647627

("Does it really," 2010)

6.Carleton, T. (2011, 02 7). New energy technologies demos solarwindow prototype

[Online forum comment]. Retrieved from http://www.thebluemarble.org/909106/new-

energy-technologies-demos-solarwindow-prototype

(Carleton, 2011)

7.TRABISH, H. K. (2012, March 16). The farm of the future will grow plants vertically

and hydroponically [Online forum comment]. Retrieved from

http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/the-farm-of-the-future-will-grow-plants-

vertically-and-hydroponically

((TRABISH,2012)

Reference: http://www.infonet-biovision.org/res/res/files/488.OrgFarm.pdf)

8. Hydroponic benefits. (2011). Retrieved from

http://www.thegreenboxhydro.com/Hydroponics/hydroponicbenefits.html

("Hydroponic benefits," 2011)

9. The Philippines earthquake density map. (2012, November 01). Retrieved from

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/world/The Philippines/density.php

("The Philippines earthquake density," 2012)

10. Solar window topics. (n.d.). Retrieved from

http://www.newenergytechnologiesinc.com/technology/solarwindow

("Solar window topics," )

11.Lesaca, P. R. A. (2013, January). There is gold in tomatoes. Retrieved from

http://www.bar.gov.ph/chronicle-home/archives-list/220-january-2013-issue/3339-

there-is-gold-in-tomatoes

(Lesaca, 2013)

12. Sigler, J. (n.d.). The 10 easiest vegetables to grow. Retrieved from

http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/nutrition_articles.asp?id=1293

(Sigler)

13. World Factbook, (n.d)

http://www.cia.gov/contact-cia/index.html

Annex A: data obtained from the High Value Crops Development Program

HVCDP in The Philippines

According to the Bureau of Agricultural Statistics (BAS), the production of tomato

increased from 188.8 thousand MT in 2006 to 204.3 thousand MT in 2010 and

registered an average annual growth rate of 3.87 percent. Likewise, area harvested

increased from 17.1 thousand hectares in 2006 to 17.7 thousand hectares in 2010.

Average yield recorded an annual growth rate of 3.08 percent. From 10.26 MT per

hectare in 2006, it grew to 11.57 MT per hectare in 2010.

The Ilocos Region was the top producer with 69.62 thousand MT of production in

2010 or 34 percent of the country’s total tomato production. The other top producing

regions and their shares to total production were Northern Mindanao (25 percent),

Central Luzon (10 percent), and CALABARZON (9 percent).

Annex B: Record of Earthquake Incidents in Cavite, The Philippines

12 years ago 4.6 magnitude, 164 km depth

General Emilio Aguinaldo, Cavite, The Philippines

13 years ago 0.0 magnitude, 185 km depth

Mendez, Cavite, The Philippines

16 years ago 3.8 magnitude, 200 km depth

Mendez, Cavite, The Philippines

16 years ago 4.9 magnitude, 200 km depth

General Emilio Aguinaldo, Cavite, The Philippines

16 years ago 4.0 magnitude, 139 km depth

General Emilio Aguinaldo, Cavite, The Philippines

16 years ago 4.0 magnitude, 100 km depth

Amadeo, Cavite, The Philippines

16 years ago 4.4 magnitude, 100 km depth

Halayhay, Cavite, The Philippines

16 years ago 0.0 magnitude, 33 km depth

Amadeo, Cavite, The Philippines

21 years ago 4.7 magnitude, 33 km depth

Indang, Cavite, The Philippines

22 years ago 4.8 magnitude, 33 km depth

Carmona, Cavite, The Philippines

24 years ago 4.9 magnitude, 151 km depth

Amadeo, Cavite, The Philippines

27 years ago 5.2 magnitude, 97 km depth

Ternate, Cavite, The Philippines

27 years ago 4.7 magnitude, 199 km depth

Ternate, Cavite, The Philippines

Annex C: Profile of Dr. Dickson Despommier

Qualifications:

Pioneer in developing the idea of vertical farming 1962 B.S., Fairleigh Dickinson University, Biology 1964 M.S., Columbia University, Medical Parasitology 1967 Ph.D., University of Notre Dame, Microbiology 1967-70 Post-doctoral Fellow, The Rockefeller University, New York, N.Y.

Professional qualifications:

Professor of Public Health with appointments in: Department of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health and Department of Microbiology, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Columbia University

Invited speaker: Brigham Young University “The Vertical Farm: Agriculture for the 21st Century” January 13th, 2005.

Invited speaker: Fairleigh Dickinson University “Vertical Farming: Saving the Earth” February 17, 2005.

6. The vertical farm: agriculture for the 21st century and beyond. Talk, United Nations conference on Global Climate Change. September, 2007.

The Vertical Farm: agriculture in skyscrapers. Presented at: Innovating Metropolitan Agriculture. Beijing, China October 22nd. 2007. Joint Meeting between Holland and China CAAS.

The Vertical Farm Concept. Making Cities Livable Conference, Portland, Oregon. June 10-14, 2007.

The Vertical Farm. Annual meeting of the California Food and Technology Advisory Board. Cal Poly, Pomona, California. June 2007.

1981-83 Consultant, United States Department of Agriculture

Affiliations:

1. University Affiliations: Urban Design Laboratory (Earth Institute) member

2. Additional Affiliations: American Society for Tropical Medicine American Society for Parasitology American Association for the Advancement of Science

Honors and Awards:

2003 National Teacher of the Year, American Medical Student Association Distinguished Teacher Award, Columbia University School of Medicine, 2007

Annex D: Profile of Dr Jeffrey Scott Turner

Qualifications:

Doctor of Philosophy 1982.Department of Zoology and Entomology, Colorado State University. Dissertation title: The relationship between heat exchange and blood flow in reptiles.Advisor: Dr C R Tracy.

Master of Science 1979.Department of Zoology and Entomology, Colorado State University.

Bachelor of Arts 1976.College VIII, University of California, Santa Cruz.

Professional qualifications:

American Association for the Advancement of Science. American Physiological Society American Geophysical Union SUNY College of Environmental Science & Forestry (Executive Chair of the

Faculty, 2002-present) Researcher in how organisms interact with their environments. Teacher at interface of physiology, ecology and evolution. The Air Conditioned Termite Nest Revisited. Presentation at Forum on

InsectInspired Architecture. Pestival. The Art of Being an Insect. Royal Festival Hall. Southbank Centre, London, UK.

The Air-Conditioned Termite Nest Revisited. Pestival. A Celebration of Insects in Art and Design. Southbank Center. London, England. September 2009.

Beyond biomimicry: What termites can tell us about realizing the living building.The First International Congress on Industrialized, Integrated and Intelligent Construction (I3CON). Loughborough University, Loughborough, UK. May 2008.

The Air Conditioned Termite Mound Revisited. Würzburg University (Germany). 2007

Honors Senior Award for Excellence in Research (Sigma Xi, Syracuse Chapter, 2003) Distinguished Teacher Award (ESF Undergraduate Student Association,

2004) World’s Top Twelve Researchers in Biomimicry (nomination). (Biomimicry

Institute and Zero Emissions Research Group, 2008)

Inclusion of Essay Signs of Design in the compilation Best American Spiritual Writing of 2008. Jimmy Carter and Philip Zaleski (ed). Houghton-Mifflin.

Selected publications/reviews/Journal publications

The Extended Organism. The Physiology of Animal-Built Structures (2000), and The Tinkerer's Accomplice.

How Design Emerges from Life Itself (2007). With the generous support of the John Templeton Foundation

Ventilation and thermal constancy of the colony of a southern African termite (Odontotermes transvaalensis: Macrotermitinae)

J S Turner and R C Soar. 2010. Beyond biomimicry. What termites can tell us about realizing the living building. Chapter 15 in: Industrialised, Integrated, Intelligent sustainable Construction. ISBN 978-0-86022-698-7. Ian Wallis, Lesya Bilan, Mike Smith & Abdul Samad Kazi (eds). I3CON/BSRIA. London.. pp 233-248.

Annex E: Email interview with Dr. Jeffrey S Turner, Professor of Biology, lead researcher of Termite-Inspired Air Conditioning

From: Nooriya Fathima [green.vertical.farm@outlook.com] Sent: Monday, July 22, 2013 5:28 AMTo: Jeffrey S Turner [jsturner@syr.edu] Subject: Termite-inspired Air Conditioning project

Dear Dr Turner,

We are a team of tertiary students from Innova Junior College, Singapore. We have currently embarked on a project regarding vertical farming in buildings in The Philippines, Cavite. We were inspired by 'Termite-inspired Air Conditioning project' done by you and have thus implemented it in our project as a form of energy-saving strategy. We have attached the designs of our building.

We would really appreciate if you assess our design based on 'Termite-inspired Air Conditioning project' and provide some comments on whether it will work. We are really grateful for you taking some of your precious time to help us. We sincerely thank you for your help and for sharing your vast knowledge with us.

Yours sincerely,IJ 024

From: Jeffrey S Turner [jsturner@syr.edu] Sent: Wednesday, July 24, 2013 5:28 AMTo:  Nooriya Fathima [green.vertical.farm@outlook.com]Subject: Termite-inspired Air Conditioning project

Dear Fatima,Many thanks to you and your team for your letter and for sharing with me your interesting project. It reminds me of some of Eugene Tsui’s interesting designs.

What you and your team have done incorporates the same natural convection/stack effect ventilation that Mick Pearce used in a penetrating way in his design for the Eastgate Centre in Harare.

I would just offer a few thoughts about this design, as some of our recent work has illuminated some of the ways this design works, and how it doesn’t work.

Incorporating a cool basement certainly will help. This will statistically be cooler throughout the year thancanywhere else in Taniman Ng Anghel, and so should moderate temperatures of air that is drawn through it.

However, this produces a thermal stratification that is at odds with the natural convection you’re assuming will take place in Taniman Ng Anghel.

You are assuming cool air coming in at the surface vents. This will work fine at night, when surface temperatures drop due to thermal radiation to the cool night sky. During the day, however, surface temperatures will usually be hot, due to warming from the sun. You would be drawing in warm air there.

Keep in mind that any natural convection you model must be balanced against forced convection by external winds. If the wind is blowing, you will likely have a much different pattern of air flow. Specifically, air will be forced in through the upwind

vents, and drawn out through the downwind and lateral vents. We have been finding in termite mounds that any natural convection forces commonly are swamped by wind-driven forced convection.

I hope these comments help you in your further designs.With best wishes,Scott TurnerProfessor of BiologySUNY College of Environmental Science & ForestrySyracuse, New York 13210315 470 6806 (office and voicemail)315 481 2396 (mobile)315 470 6934 (fax)jsturner@syr.eduhttp://www.esf.edu/efb/turner/ 

From: Nooriya Fathima [green.vertical.farm@outlook.com] Sent: Monday, July 22, 2013 5:28 AMTo: Jeffrey S Turner [jsturner@syr.edu] Subject: Termite-inspired Air Conditioning project

Dear Dr Turner,

Thank you so much for your support. We really appreciate your reply as it has greatly benefited us in our project. We are really grateful for you taking some of your precious time to help us. We sincerely thank you for your help and for commenting on our design. We will make the necessary changes in our design. Once again, thank you. 

Annex F: Email interview with a Vietnamese material engineer

Từ: Thy Nguyễn <jetthy@yahoo.com.vn>Tới: nguyễnkim vũ <nguyenkimvu18@yahoo.com.vn> Đã gửi 8:48 Thứ Sáu, 9 tháng 8 2013Chủ đề: project work

Cái design này bạn con tự vẽ và tính toán diện tích. Nếu 1 toà nhà 15 tầng, cửa kính, kiểu cao ốc để trồng cây xanh thì ba nghĩ design thế này thì đc ko ba? Ba tính thử giùm con vật liệu làm nền móng là cần bao nhiêu, thời gian xây dựng, có cần chỉnh sửa gì về diện tích hay bề mặt gì không. Có gì liên quan đến địa chất, nền móng ba cứ giảng giải bằng tiếng Việt/ tiếng Anh gì cũng đc để tụi con có tài liệu tham khảo nha ba. Con cám ơn ba. HihiMai Thy

Từ: NGUYEN KIM VU <nguyenkimvu18@yahoo.com.vn>Tới: Thy Nguyễn <jetthy@yahoo.com.vn> Đã gửi 1:19 Thứ Bảy, 10 tháng 8 2013Chủ đề: Về: project work

Mai Thy yêu quí của ba!

Ý tưởng toà nhà building cao 15 floor (50m) này cũng khá hay nhưng xây dựng rất tốn kém vì nhiều vấn đề khó khăn, phức tạp lắm.

1/ Việc mang đất lên để phủ kín 15 sàn để trồng cây là không nhỏ và nặng làm tăng tải trọng tĩnh của toà nhà. Vì vậy phải tính đến phương án làm phần móng cọc bê tông chịu lực thật chắc chắn rất tốn kém.

2/ Chiều cao từng sàn chỉ có 50m/15floor = 3.3m chỉ phù hợp với vài loại cây xanh có chiều cao thấp mà thôi hoặc là cây ngắn ngày như trồng các loại hoa kiểng, cỏ ...

3/ Việc bố trí hệ thống nước tưới cây và thoát nước thải, bón phân, phun thuốc để cây được tươi tốt là cả vấn đề phức tạp và không khéo gây ra việc chống thấm bê tông sàn làm ảnh hưởng đến tuổi thọ của công trình.

4/ Việc bón phân và thay đất phải được theo dõi và làm thường xuyên. Vì vậy phải có hệ thống thoát nước và bảo vệ môi trường thật tốt.

Ý tưởng của project là tốt đối với đất nước có diện tích nhỏ bé như Singapore nhưng thi công rất phức tạp và khó khăn, kinh phí cao. Vì nậy con nên bàn với bạn con về các vấn đề này. Còn nếu có hồ sơ, bản vẽ đầy đủ chi tiết thi ba mới tính toán được khối lượng và kinh phí (theo đơn giá ở VN) được. Còn con gởi ba chỉ là dạng mô hình , vẽ phối cảnh thì không tính được đâu Mai Thy ơi!

Chúc con sức khoẻ và học thật giỏi để tương lai sau này có cuộc sống tốt đẹp hơn ba mẹ!Thương con nhiều!Ba của conNGUYEN KIM VU

Translation:From: Thy Nguyen < jetthy@yahoo.com.vn > To: nguyenkimvu  < nguyenkimvu18@yahoo.com.vn > Posted 8:48 Friday, August 9th 2013 Subject: project work

Taniman Ng Anghel is designed and estimated the size by our PW group. Please help us to revise our design of the 15-floor glass skyscraper that is used for farming. Moreover, I would like your help on the suggestion of what materials to be used and how much, time of construction as well as any possible modification on the dimension of Taniman Ng Anghel. Any information about the foundation structure of Taniman Ng Anghel would be helpful as well.

Thanks for your cooperation.Mai Thy.

From: KIM NGUYEN VU < nguyenkimvu18@yahoo.com.vn > To: Thy Nguyen < jetthy@yahoo.com.vn > Posted 1:19 Saturday, 10 January 8 2013 Subject: About: project workThe idea of your building (which has 15 floors and is approximately 50m high) is interesting, yet there is quite a number of complicated issues along with it.

1) Bringing up soil to cover 15 floors for planting is a challenging task and can add up to the total mass of Taniman Ng Anghel. Thus, there should be a strong skeletal concrete structure that can withstand the heavy weight, though the cost can be quite expensive.

2) If there are 15 floors and Taniman Ng Anghel is 50m high, the height of each floor is around 50m/15 = 3.33m. With this height, only certain short plants or plants grown in small period such as flowers or decorative plants can be grown.

3) The allocation of the water and waste system for planting, as well as the various processes like fertilization, using chemicals, are all complex processes and if done carelessly can cause the sipping effect of water through the floor, thus worsening the strength of the structure and affecting the longevity of the process.

4) Fertilization and changing of soil must be monitored regularly. Thus, there must be an efficient system of drainage that is environmental-friendly.

Annex G: interview with Mr Ong Chee Woh about termite biomimicryO: The tank inside Taniman Ng Anghel here, are they for collecting air?

G: Yes sir. We will be collecting the air inside the tank first before releasing it into the builidng.

O: My concern is that when air is kept inside the tank, it will be compressed i.e. when there is accumulation of air molecule inside the tank, its internal pressure will increase. The effect of this is that the cold air won’t sink into the tank anymore. This is because the air tank now has higher pressure than the external air, stopping the convection airflow from occurring.

G: So, it is better not to have the air tank in the first place?

O: You can say that.

……

G: What if we were to install fans inside the air vents, will it help cooling Taniman Ng Anghel more efficiently?

O: That is another alternative. If you want Taniman Ng Anghel to be cooled faster, one way of doing so is that you increase the rate of flow of cold air. By installing the fans inside the air vents, cold air will be sucked along the air vents and released into the intended internal area. The rate of cool air flows into Taniman Ng Anghel will definitely be higher than that using only natural convection. If your definition of efficient is the cooling time is faster, you are correct.

 Annex H: Interview with Mr. Ng Soo Kok about the structure of glass core

Kris: How can we make sure there is more sunlight at the top?

Mr Ng: Why not use tinted glasses? Use different reflective ..........

Maithy: Different refractive index?

Mr Ng: Yeah.....different refractive sheets around the glass core which get darker and darker down the glass core.

Mr Ng: However, I do not think the idea will work as the glass core is hollow inside. Air will be refracted from the glass back to the air again. Therefore there will no bending of light.

Hung: The glass core is a whole structure of glass.

Kris: Why not we coat the surface of glass....

Nooriya: How can we reduce the cost of having a whole structure made of glass?

Mr Ng: You can fill up the inside of glass core with water or plastic. Make sure the glass is also frosted inside.

Seng chow: What is a frosted glass?

Mr Ng: It is a translucent surface which can refract light in the air in all directions

Kris: Must we make the coating more denser or less dense than the glass?

Mr Ng: It works like the optical fibre which has two surfaces. The first surface which refracts light inside itself and the second surface make sure the light does not escape by providing denser surface.