You must be familiar with the culture of eating insects as delicacies but the truth is that they are a staple in many societies. We have here two projects that go beyond the nutritional power of insects and looks into how their farming can help in the infrastructural setup of the urban jungle, as we know it. Come have a look….
Urban bug farming shortens the production and consumption chain. This project proposes a special farming unit for two species of edible insects: crickets and wheatworms. Beyond the production of bugs for food, these farming installations aim to support urban infrastructure systems such as lighting and waste processing. Crickets are bred on alveolar (cavity) walls that replicate their natural environment. Each cylindrical cricket-farming unit surrounds a light source to optimize the farming yield. It is hung high off the ground to reduce its spatial impact and to keep it out of reach. The district cricket farm incorporates several units and is set up in a market place. The ‘farmer’ who feeds the crickets collects fresh food waste from the market and surrounding restaurants. When it is dark, the cricket farming unit doubles as an urban lighting system. In the future sustainable city; traditional urban noises will be progressively replaced by that of nature.
Wheatworm farming units are located in offices and fed by employees with waste paper. The paper is a particular type of special office paper adapted to worm growth. It is made of cellulose and wheat cuticles, and printed with vegetable and organic inks. The unit works as a digestive system, performing the double tasks of paper shredding and farming support. Paper is directly recycled inside the company in order to produce food proteins.
The Cricket Bigger Than Beef is a 2011 red dot design concept winner.
Designer: Claire Lemarchand
