La Cité Maraîchère

The first vertical farm in France settled in Romainville, Seine-Saint-Denis. This agricultural tower, located in the Marcel-Cachin district, will revolutionize urban agriculture in France.

This market garden city is based on 3 axes. First of all a market garden, the tower "produces" fruits and vegetables, mushrooms in the basement, edible flowers, plants and seeds. The building is also a resource center to educate the general public about urban agriculture. Lastly, the structure is complemented by catering and event spaces, thus becoming the first thinking and acting laboratory for urban agriculture in France.

In addition to market gardening, the vertical farm of Romainville organizes gardening, composting, catering, sales, informative activities, experiments and training.

Several spaces accommodates the general public: the café-cantine "CHEFFES", a perch, production spaces for vegetables (salads, endives, mushrooms, etc.), aromatic plants and fruits, an educational greenhouse, etc.

The outdoor spaces offer residents an open-air living space. They include a brewery garden with the planting of hops in partnership with the Mir brewery located near the Cité Maraîchère.

The municipality wishes to involve the inhabitants in the construction and animation of this municipal equipment. Popular education workshops are organized for those who live in Romainville in partnership with the Maison de quartiers, partners and local associations.

How does it grow?

Fruits and vegetables grow in growing trays. These trays on organic substrate are hydroponics production units. This type of farming is currently implemented in rooftop farms such as the Brooklyn Grange farm in New York.

An innovative building

The Cité maraîchère was designed to promote agricultural activity:

• The volumes and materials were designed to maximize the amount of natural light and heat.
• The interior is laid out in a way to facilitate movement around growing trays.
• Numerous technical rooms and storage rooms have been converted.

The building is designed for an ecological production:

• Natural ventilation natural ventilation
• Rainwater is harvested
• Use of compost

The Romainville vertical farm will be the model for peri-urban agriculture in Ile-de-France, offering users local and affordable products and services at the bottom of the building. Open to all, it will host numerous activities to educate and raise awareness within the general public.

Corinne Valls, former mayor of Romainville, tells us about this innovative vertical farm project in the middle of the city:

Learn more about agriculture in Seine-Saint-Denis.