Growing interiors – cultivating urban biophilic environments

Abstract

To address growing urbanization, climate crisis, and food justice, we need to rethink patterns around the global food system. Traditional agricultural processes are labor- and resource-intensive and can be exploitive of local communities and ecosystems. In an increasingly decentralized food system, it is important to further innovate sustainable approaches to food production that support local ecosystems and resource conservation for positive climate and societal impact. This essay presents a case study of an indoor vertical farm in the historic urban core of Lincoln, Nebraska as a form of urban agriculture that creates increased opportunities for localized plant-based food production and access. As an adaptive reuse model for existing or underutilized buildings, it creates a spatial ecosystem of interior space, ecology, and economy, becoming a biodiverse environment for local food production that reconnects communities with their food while enhancing urban food resiliency.

Keywords:

• Urban agriculture
• indoor vertical farming
• biophilic design
• interiors
• spatial ecosystem

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Kendra Locklear Ordia

Kendra Locklear Ordia is a Registered Interior Designer in Texas and Assistant Professor of Interior Design at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Her research explores nature-integration in interior environments through theory, narrative, and designed solutions for increased wellbeing, equity, and delight. Her approach to interior design spans student inquiry, focused research, and designed solutions. Her professional work at firms such as Perkins & Will, Gensler, and CallisonRTKL exposed her to projects ranging from large-scale healthcare to workplace design. Her creative, biophilic-inspired work has been exhibited at international exhibitions, including Public Interiority, DesignLAB Next Nest Exhibition, and Curtains: The Center for American Architecture and Design Symposium. She is involved in Interior Design licensing advocacy in the state of Nebraska. In 2020, she was recognized as one of eight American Society of Interior Design (ASID) Ones to Watch scholars. In 2023 she was awarded the IDEC Teaching Excellence Award. She serves on the Interior Design Educator Council (IDEC) Foundation board as a director and is a member of the IIDA Equity Council and Education Subcommittee. She has served as a research team lead around the topic of Promoting Holistic Health for the ASID Committee on Climate, Health, and Equity since 2023. Email: [email protected]