Square Roots

Additional Info

Award Winner : Falcon Structures

Architectural Excellence : Ten highly customized 40-foot shipping containers, transformed into grow zones, are optimized for plant health and to grow food responsibly, 365 days a year. These growing environments for produce are created by advanced technology and sit stacked as a two-story indoor farm. Square Roots utilizes this farm to grow produce in controlled environments to yield the ideal crop based on historical data and science, irrespective of outdoor weather conditions. The shipping containers act as enclosures that help the growing magic unfold. The interior of each unit includes Square Roots’ design of light fixtures, water systems, and climate control to cater to specific produce. Falcon’s technical expertise, gained through nearly two decades of offsite manufacturing, helped meet the strict specifications required. From the outside, onlookers see branded containers, with two large, eye-catching picture windows at the end of each unit. The indoor farm continues to revolutionize the farming industry.

Cost Energy Effectiveness : Thanks to modular shipping container-based construction, Square Roots found a way to quickly deploy responsible food production. Shipping containers arrived at the site in Grand Rapids, Michigan, in February of 2021, and Square Roots was gearing up for the first harvest in April. Offsite construction helped achieve this impressive timeline, as did the simplicity of stacking containers on an already prepared site. The containers helped Square Roots package its technology in an enclosure that can be shipped anywhere in the future, helping to bring local produce to new communities as quickly as possible.

Green Building Description : N/A

Occupied Date : 4/21/2021

Owner Firm Name : Square Roots

Production Start Date : 9/14/2020

Project Location City : Grand Rapids

Project Location State Name : Michigan

Technical Innovation : Each container acts as an individual grow zone encapsulating the ideal growing environment including temperature, moisture, and climate needed to yield the best crop at every harvest. Regardless of the external weather and location, each cloud-connected “grow zone” maintains an optimal condition to nourish and harvest fresh, nutritious greens. Falcon Structures modified each container at its offsite manufacturing facility to enclose Square Roots’ advanced technology. Additionally, green building took a central role in this project, not only with the use of upcycled shipping containers but also with the hydroponic system that uses 95% less water than conventional farming methods. Similarly, the urban location emphasizes the environmental focus of the project because it reduces food miles and food waste by delivering fresh produce in as little as 24 hours of harvest.

Total Square Feet : 3200