Eighth International Conference on The Constructed Environment

Abstract

Single-storey supermarkets in urban areas have the potential to be stewards of locally grown food. The rooftops of these stores offer the potential for food production with all the benefits of locally grown food. Agricultural rooftop systems can be productive during the growing season which starts from mid-spring and lasts until mid-fall. The absence of snow load in summer time presents an opportunity to receive and accommodate the extra load from agricultural assemblies in order to turn the underutilized summer rooftops into productive organic food resource for the community. For this purpose, roof morphology of thirty-one supermarkets in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada (population 750,000) has been reviewed through case study method along with exploration of urban-condition growing methods and requirements, based on recent literature and case studies. The results indicate the possibility of seasonal growing through extensive, intensive planter-based and hydroponic systems as well as hanging planters with trellises structure.