Integrating vertical farming with vertical housing in hot-arid contexts: a socio-spatial, technical, and VR-based design strategy in the UAE

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Chinese explanation / 中文解读

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Original abstract

Vertical farming is commonly framed as an urban food-production or environmental technology, yet its role as a building-integrated socio-spatial design strategy in culturally specific residential contexts remains underexplored. In the UAE, the transition from detached Emirati public housing to vertical housing has improved land-use efficiency but reduced access to private family-oriented outdoor spaces associated with the traditional hosh . This study investigates how building-integrated vertical farming can be configured in Emirati vertical public housing to reinterpret hosh -like outdoor living, and how prospective users evaluate alternative configurations through immersive virtual reality. Using the Dibba Al Hosn public housing project in Sharjah, UAE, the research combines precedent review, technical integration assessment of water-reuse and irrigation strategies, case-study analysis, Building Information Modeling (BIM)-based scenario development, and immersive user evaluation. Three scenarios were developed: Integrated External Vertical Farming, Attached Vertical Farming, and Mixed Vertical Farming. They were visualized in the Enscape VR application and evaluated through semi-structured interviews with 30 Emirati prospective users aged 20–23. Findings show that acceptance was shaped by socio-spatial, cultural, and practical considerations, including privacy, usable outdoor space, greenery, family gathering, cultural compatibility, and maintenance expectations. The Mixed Vertical Farming scenario received the strongest support because it combined the protected planted edge of the integrated terrace with the more generous hosh -like qualities of the attached terrace. The study contributes to sustainable housing research by reframing vertical farming as a culturally responsive residential design strategy. Water reuse and irrigation are treated as enabling technical systems that support the design scenarios, while environmental benefits related to shading, cooling, and water efficiency are discussed as literature-informed potentials requiring future validation.

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