By John Vibes

IKEA released the instructions for an innovative urban farming design to the public for free. The company partnered with the Danish design lab “Space10,” to create “The Growroom,” which they described as “an artistic exploration of the incredible potential of urban farming.”

The structure is built with slices in the frame to allow for optimal light and water flow to the plants growing inside.

The structure was originally designed by architects Mads-Ulrik Husum and Sine Lindholm, as a part of an open-source DIY project. The design is so simple that even those of us who aren’t very handy could probably figure it out. All that you would need to build a Growroom just like the ones seen in the photos is some plywood and screws.

According to Space10, The Growroom is “an urban farm pavilion that looks into how cities can feed themselves…”

“The original version of The Growroom sparked interest and people requested to either buy or exhibit. But it doesn’t make sense to promote local food production and then start shipping it across oceans and continents That is why we now release The Growroom as open source design and encourage people to build their own,” a statement from Space10 said.

The instructions are incredibly detailed but also very easy to follow, and comes with diagrams that show exactly how everything fits together.

You can check out the instructions and build your own Growroom.

Space10 is involved in numerous architectural projects that are designed with environmental sustainability in mind. For example, one of their other projects is an urban village that is built not just for sustainability, but also affordability and accessibility. The firm hopes to be able to create designs and prototypes that could lead to a new and more conscious era in architecture.

Photos Courtesy of Space10

John Vibes is an author and journalist who takes a special interest in the counter culture, and focuses solutions-oriented approaches to social problems. He is also a host of The Free Your Mind Conference and The Free Thought Project Podcast. Read More stories by John