Windowfarms Project — Open-Source Vertical Window Hydroponics

Summary

The Windowfarms Project was Britta Riley's vertical window hydroponic system, developed in Brooklyn, NY (2009–2016) through an open online community of roughly 26,000 members worldwide under an "R&D-I-Y" (open-source research and development) model. The systems are built from recycled PET bottles and aquarium air pumps, with community iteration producing gravity-feed and airlift variants. ABC News confirmed the DIY manual was downloaded in Hong Kong, Israel, and Italy; Chinese tech outlet 36氪 covered it as an "open-source vertical hydroponic gardening system," and Chinese makers documented replicated builds (one reporting ~8 kWh/year power use with a timer). The original organization dissolved in 2016; the project survives via Wikipedia, TED talks, press coverage, and community archives. In the source compendium it was cataloged as the closest verified match for the unverifiable "Vertical Farming Project" brief item recorded in Vertical Farming Project (Open-Source, Student-Led, China) — open-source, crowdsourced, with verified adoption in Hong Kong/China, though community-led and now defunct. Like the OpenAg Personal Food Computer, it demonstrates that dead projects hold some of the best documentation, while learners hit dead forums and stale links.

Guiding Principles

• Open Source — open-source R&D ("R&D-I-Y") with crowdsourced iteration across a ~26,000-member community.
• Food Sovereignty — low-cost urban farming for windowsills, giving city dwellers their own food-production capacity.
• Modularity — a column of bottle modules that communities reconfigured into gravity-feed and airlift variants; an ideal first modularity exercise.
• Circular Economy — upcycling PET bottles and minimal powered hardware (~2 W air pump).

Learning Outcomes & Transferable Skills

Learners gain Biology and Systems Thinking (closed-loop nutrient flow demonstrations suited to ecosystems/nitrogen-cycle standards), Food Production skills, and Sustainability Literacy. For advanced students it is a case study in open-source hardware lifecycles, citizen science, and design thinking through crowdsourced iteration.

How to Replicate or Build On It

1. Pre-download archived materials — there has been no active support since 2016, so a facilitator should gather plans in advance (Wikipedia, TED talks, community archives).
2. Build from recycled bottles, an aquarium air pump (~2 W), tubing, and clay pellets; a timer keeps power use minimal.
3. Use it as a K-12 STEM demonstration of closed-loop nutrient flow or a community workshop on low-cost urban farming.
4. Iterate as the original community did — gravity-feed versus airlift variants make a good design-thinking exercise.

Considerations & Constraints

• Cost: Very low — recycled bottles, an aquarium air pump (~2 W), tubing, clay pellets; a Chinese maker documented ~8 kWh/year power use with a timer.
• Skill Level: Beginner-friendly; basic cutting and plumbing skills.
• Space/Climate: Indoor windowsill; needs natural or supplemental light; climate-independent.
• Tools Required: Cutting tools, an aquarium air pump, tubing, and clay pellets.
• Ongoing Maintenance: Low — a simple airlift system with a timer.
• Access Barriers: No active support since 2016 — plans survive via community archives; with no living community, learners rely on static guides and local mentors.

Prerequisites

None — extensive archived documentation and TED talks make it accessible to first-time builders.

Primary Source

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windowfarm (project history and status; corroborating coverage: https://m.36kr.com/p/1639588560897 and https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/JustOneThing/thing-green-vertical-hydroponic-window-farm/story?id=11328609)