Grow Your Own Food: You Can Now Build IKEA’s “Growroom” Vertical Farm Yourself

Back in October 2016, IKEA’s external innovation hub Space10 announced the Growroom, a spherical structure that allows people to grow their own food locally and sustainably. Last week, Space10 made the plans available to anyone who wants to build their own circular farm.

While you probably won’t be installing one in your studio apartment (it’s not exactly a window herb garden or a topsy-turvy tomato plant), the Growroom takes up much less space than traditional farming, can be placed in a public space or building’s courtyard, and effectively eliminates the transportation from farm to consumer.

It’s also meant as a way to connect people with nature and their food source, functioning as an oasis in a concrete jungle. The 2.8 meter by 2.5 meter space (about 9 feet by 8 feet) has overlapping slices that allow each section of vegetation to receive light and water while protecting anyone that’s sitting or standing inside from the elements.

Space10 developed the Growroom along with architects Mads-Ulrik Husum and Sine Lindholm. “On the basis of a spatial experimentation with the urban farming concept, we strive towards creating architecture where atmosphere…acts as the primary design factor, to generate poetic spaces with a sense of tranquility,” says Lindholm.

After the original Growroom debuted, Space10 received many requests to buy or exhibit the garden. But since their goal is to increase sustainability, shipping Growrooms across the globe doesn’t make much sense. So they created open source plans for the garden so you can build your own.

If you have access to a CNC milling machine or laser cutter, sheets of plywood, and a hammer, it’s just 17 easy steps (a PAX wardrobe is more challenging, to be honest). And unlike IKEA directions, there are text instructions accompanying the images so you actually know what you’re doing.