An urban farm of 14,000m2 will soon be built on the roof of the future Pavilion 6 of Paris Expo Porte de Versailles. A project focused on short circuits and respectful of natural cycles.

Another vision of the city. That’s what roofs of buildings can offer. Some have vegetable gardens, as is the case with the Cameleon store in Woluwe-Saint-Lambert; or even a veritable urban farm as on the roof of the Foodmet market on the site of the slaughterhouses in Anderlecht.

In Paris, where the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles site is undergoing an extensive modernisation programme, the Paris Convention Centre – Europe’s largest congress centre – is about to host the world’s largest rooftop urban farm on the 14,000m2 roof of the future Pavilion 6. A vegetable garden as big as two football stadiums.

A “haven of biodiversity”

The aim is to make this rooftop a model for responsible production. During the season, more than twenty market gardeners will harvest about a thousand fruits and vegetables a day, coming from thirty different species. Nutrients cultivated in the heart of Paris according to techniques that respect organic standards – no chemical preservatives nor pesticides -, the different seasons and biodiversity. With the most neutral carbon impact possible.

Starting in the spring of 2020, the farm will also offer many services around urban agriculture: educational visits open to everyone or team-building workshops for businesses. Likewise, 140 portions of plots will be offered for rent to residents who want to grow their own fruit and vegetables. This “haven of biodiversity” will also be added to the 30ha of urban agricultural spaces that the city of Paris hopes to have on its territory by 2020.

Tags: Paris, Paris Expo Porte de Versailles, urban agriculture, urban farm, vegetable garden