Thesis (BS Architecture) -- University of the Philippines Mindanao, 2015

The purpose of this study is to promote better local food system by integrating vertical farming in building design through aquaponics. It specifically aims to identify which between mid-rise and high-rise developments will be most efficient with building-integrated agriculture in terms of sufficiency and profitability. To attain the objectives, the most efficient floor area ratios of each building ranging from 7 to 35 stories were obtained. After doing so, a financial analysis for each of which was made in order to determine the return on investment. The computed ROI consequently determine the best among the set of efficient floor area ratios. The results show that for mid-rise buildings, the most efficient floor area ratio of RS:CS:VF is 40:25:10 while for high-rise buildings, the ratio is 45:20:10. Furthermore, results show that in a span of eight years, only high-rise buildings ranging from 32 to 35 stories are projected to have a return of investment of 100% and consequently generate greater income than buildings having 31 floor levels and below. Based on the overall results, it was found that aquaponics is best and most efficient to be integrated in 32 to 35 stories mixed-use high-rise buildings which are found to be the first to generate positive cash flow by year 8.