Future Food System by Joost Bakker

Sustainability champion Joost Bakker’s latest project, a closed-loop home and urban farm, has opened in Melbourne’s Federation Square, the original site of Bakker’s first restaurant a decade ago. The self-sustaining, zero-waste, productive house demonstrates the potential of homes to provide shelter, produce food and generate energy. The three-storey, two-bedroom home has the capacity to grow and cultivate fruits, vegetables, herbs, fish, mussels and snails – all in an 87-square-metre footprint. The home also features an aquaponics system, a charcoal tank, a digestor, a closed-loop shower, a water-oxygenation system and energy-saving appliances from Miele. All waste from the site is used to power the house and grow nutrient-dense produce while building materials have been selected for their healing or recyclable properties. The walls, floor and ceilings are made from a straw-based product called Durra Panel, which uses the hollow stalks left over from harvesting wheat and other crops. Photography — Courtesy of Miele

Future Food Systems — futurefoodsystem.com