"Green Houses" et al...or AGE

For the development of a thread that everyone can use as a common resource on Artificial Growing Environments {AGE}.

My personal focus is on AGE technics that could have been developed from say 1900 onwards, but I am open to anything, really.
I read an issue of Popular Science that had an artists conception of a modern skyscraper, but the whole building was a gigantic multi-story greenhouse sitting atop a grocery store.

That really wow'ed me, and got me to thinking.

So, what could have been developed technology wise, in each decade, starting in 1900, in terms of AGE's?

The standard greenhouse comes to mind, and thoughts of hydroponics getting started, but when did these things actually get started? Could they ever be built in vast numbers or in terms of sq mi farmland equivelants? Can anyone post links to sites/articles where I could go to read up on these?

Anyone who remembers my whacky posts here, will already know some of the crazy ideas I come up with, and this information will definately be fed into more such. OTOH, with a better understanding of what is, perhaps I can make better (less outlandish, more possible) and more thought provoking 'crazy ideas', that if nothing else, might just possibly be entertaining for the forum community.

This is a very crude, limited beginning for research into this quite interesting field.

Anyone interested in this field?
 
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For something pretty near the state of the art in the UK try try:- http://www.thanetearth.com/ How much earlier this size of operation would have been practical from an earlier TL pod is mute.

Man, I wish I had a working soundcard right now. That site is great, and is exactly the kinda thing I had/have in mind. Looking at all the stuff on both our links, I probably have at least a few days (and perhaps even weeks) of very interesting reading ahead of me.

Thanks.
 
Buckminster Fuller had a design for a multi-story textile mill that could be adapted into a good greenhouse.

Link/details?

Please?

I am finding myself wondering about the whole 'green roof' stuff here in the greater Detroit area (which they made a big ta-do about some time ago) and the possibilities of multi-story parking structures like heavy construction being used for multi-story green houses.

I especially liked the 'co-generation' type of combined sugar factory and greenhouse. Back when, I was studing renewable energy, and the whole co-generation thing was a very pleasant eye-opener.
 
The simplest AGE in technology terms is the polytunnel, copared to a coventional green house the cost be square meter of investment is a qnantum order less. Though this has to be offset against the lesser efficencie of the poly tunnel. Buckmaster Fuller's Geodesic and Geodetic designs are in pure engineering terms supremly efficient in providing the largest covered area for the weight of structure used. The Eden project in Cornwall, UK, is a supreme example of the adapted geodesic form.
 
A few more links here.
One
Two
Three

Anyone got additional links and ideas about AGE's? I want to start putting together a skeletal outline sometime this week if possible.

Spmething like:

Pre 1900 state of the AGE's.
1900 - 1910 improvements and new descoveries.
1910 - 1920 improvements and new descoveries.
1920 - 1930 improvements and new descoveries.
1930 - 1940 improvements and new descoveries.
1940 - 1950 improvements and new descoveries.
1950 - 1960 improvements and new descoveries.
1960 - 1970 improvements and new descoveries.
1970 - 1980 improvements and new descoveries.
1980 - 1990 improvements and new descoveries.
1990 - 2000 improvements and new descoveries.

I am mainly going to want to get the years that things were done OTL, and then try to guestimate when they COULD have been done in an ATL, had the focus been there to develop them earlier.

Also, I would like to ask assistance for just how widespread these AGE could become, with the different technologies of the times, and what impact they could have for attempting selfsufficiency (food wise).

In other words, let us take modern European nations, with populations in excess of what they can feed by traditional methods, and figure out what they would need to have in the way of AGE's to reduce, eleminate, or reverse this state of affairs.

If we can do this, then lets apply the same concept to historical nations, at specific points in OTL.
 
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