The global greenhouse gas emissions from energy use in buildings and agriculture accounts for 17% and 18% respectively, which has a significant impact on climate change. Therefore, both the sectors are actively looking at energy-efficient methods to reduce their carbon emission by shifting to more sustainable solutions. One such solution is Vertically Integrated Greenhouses (VIG). This research investigates the impact of such systems on the building’s energy consumption. The case study has been performed on the EEMCS building of TU Delft, in the Netherlands. The crop chosen for the study is strawberry, as it is one of the most consumed greenhouse fruits by the Dutch population. The energy needed for the building and the greenhouse to maintain the comfortable indoor temperature was calculated. An additional novel method of storing the surplus heat was incorporated in the design in the form of Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage (ATES). This system provides heating and cooling energy which reduces the dependency on fossil fuels and reduces the carbon emissions. A comparative study on the carbon footprint due to energy used in the building was done in order to analyse the impact of introducing an ATES system in mitigating climate change. Further, a rainwater harvesting system was incorporated aiming to fulfil the water requirement of the plants, this thereby reduces the dependence on an external water source. Such synergetic systems reduce the dependency on fossil fuels and thereby significantly reducing their carbon emission. The proposed design of integrating VIG on the façade of the existing building showed an additional 292 MWh of energy consumption when compared to the current scenario. However, the introduction of ATES resulted in a 40% total reduction in the carbon emission of the energy consumed by the building. In addition to the carbon emission reduction, an annual yield of 227 tonnes of strawberry is also achieved. Thus, the role of having such a synergetic system is highlighted.

Food and agricultural land become scarce, additionally farming industry’s water consumption, carbon emissions and land use are growing. Currently, the consumption of animal and processed products is high. This has a negative influence on public health and the environment. In parallel, the growing vacancy in Dutch cities creates an opportunity to reduce the distance between food producers and consumers. Introducing urban agriculture into unused spaces can help mitigate the aforementioned issues. My project focuses mostly on the area of Sloterdijk in Amsterdam which is currently undergoing a transformation. Once mainly an office district, Sloterdijk is to become a balanced working and living neighbourhood. Amsterdam municipality is planning to create 7500 new flats which can attract even 16000 new inhabitants to the area. This creates a challenge and an opportunity for the municipality, as parallelly, the ageing building stock in the area needs a renovation or replacement to meet the standards of today. My master project in Sloterdijk aims to reduce the environmental burden of farming by moving it locally. It also proposes an innovative way of adapting an obsolete building for a new function without changing it drastically. The combination of an urban farm with an educational institution can be beneficial for future neighbourhood. It can have a positive impact on dietary habits, and if applied widely, not only in Sloterdijk, can be beneficial to the whole society.

Increasing burdens on the earth’s resource systems are affecting not only the well-being of the planet, but also affects human health, safety and security. The increasing population and the aggregation of people in dense urban pockets adds to the pressures on already complex and volatile global systems. Our systems need to adapt and be resilient to not only natural phenomenon such as climate change or the recent COVID crisis, but also resist socio-economic and geo-political disturbances. The global food system experiences many systemic bottlenecks making it susceptible to such disruptions. The dependency of urban populations on external food systems makes these populations vulnerable to systemic breakdowns. Food is a primary physiological need and essential to survival, and it is imperative that everyone world-over has access to affordable, fresh and nutritious diets. In line with this, this research investigated the potential of urban neighbourhoods to be self-sufficient by the introduction of decentralized food systems into these neighbourhoods. The study focused on a case study site in Amsterdam, in the Netherlands. The research employed literature studies, data collection, and dynamic simulations to facilitate the creation of a methodology to assess the extent of self- sufficiency attainable. This research was conducted not only in the current context but also in a 2085 future context, to assess the adaptability of the systems to climatic and social changes. With the intent of a holistic approach, energy producing PV systems were introduced along with the food systems, to address its energy demands. The study concluded that the electricity demands of the neighbourhood in addition to the energy demands of the food producing systems, can be addressed by the PV installations. Furthermore, the surface areas afforded to intervention in the case study site were found to be sufficient to address the part of the diet considered in the study and the energy required to be produced to meet these demands. The study also provided insight into the energy demands of various vegetables and their corresponding yields. However, the study also found discrepancies in the results obtained in comparison to reliable scientific and academic literature.

The problem of linear resource flow is addressed, in this thesis, parallel to the problem of human behaviour with respect to resource use. There is sufficient research being done with the aim of reducing the environmental impact of urban water systems, but not enough to reduce resistance towards such ideas. This resistance is a result of growing comfort and convenience in the developed world which most societies are motivated towards. The objective of this thesis is to define technical and behavioural strategies for water circularity in urban residential neighbourhoods. It addresses both parts of the problem statement, that is, the system of linear resource use and the role of users in the system. Results of research are incorporated into a digital tool that takes context-related inputs and provides options for circular water and pro-environmental behaviour strategies to incorporate in the design of a residential neighbourhood.