Ikea’s Build Your Own Urban Garden

Blog posted On March 01, 2017

Furniture retailer Ikea, popular for its do-it-yourself assembly, released a new structure through its innovation lab Space10 called Growroom.  This spherical, wooden planter is designed to facilitate gardening in dense urban areas where many residents do not have backyards. 

Space10 published the building instructions for Growroom for free online, so any interested prospective gardeners can get started.  Tools needed include a hammer, 17 sheets of plywood, and access to a CNC milling machine or laser cutter.  The structure is designed to include a bench inside, so planters can repose within their gardens, creating a miniature park experience.

Planters can choose to grow anything from flowers to food.  The designers hope to encourage sustainability by enabling city dwellers to grow high-quality, nutritional, organic food on their own.  The overlapping design allows water and light to reach each layer of plants effectively.  The garden is intended to be constructed in community space and is expected to be put in use in various world regions including Helsinki, Taipei, Rio de Janeiro, and San Francisco.

Building the Growroom may not as be simple as building a bookcase, but the designers have published the instructions for free online, for anyone who is interested.  You can access the Growroom assembly instructions here.

Sources: Fast Company, Curbed