Thammasat University Urban Rooftop Farm (TURF)
Pathum Thani, Thailand · Operator: Thammasat University (design by LANDPROCESS)
Overview
A rooftop farm inspired by traditional rice terraces that produces about 20 tons of organic food a year, equivalent to some 80,000 campus meals. Its 12 sloped areas act as outdoor classrooms, making it a learning hub where 40,000 students and nearby residents can study sustainable agriculture.
Citizen participation
An approximately 2.2 ha organic rooftop farm on Thammasat University's Rangsit campus. Students, staff and the surrounding community join year-round workshops, using the terraced slopes as outdoor classrooms to learn sustainable agriculture.
Operating model
An education and public space built and run by the university. With rainwater recycling and solar power, harvests are used in campus canteens, and it serves as a hub for research, education and community learning.
Impact
As one of Asia's largest organic rooftop farms, it offers a globally recognised model of climate-adaptive design integrating food, water, energy and public space, and serves as a food-and-farming education hub for citizens and students.
Land tenure
Uses the rooftop of a university-owned and operated building.
Crops
- vegetables
- rice
- herbs
Scale
22,000 m² — About 22,000 sqm; reported as Asia's largest organic rooftop farm
Sources(3)
This entry is compiled from the public sources, official sites and research below.
- OfficialGreen Public Spaces at Thammasat University – Learning Hub for the Community (Thammasat for SDGs, official) ↗sdgs.tu.ac.th
- ArticleThammasat University's Urban Rooftop Farm (Agritecture) ↗agritecture.com
- ArticleAsia's Largest Urban Rooftop Farm Is a Model of Integrated Design (ASLA / The Dirt) ↗asla.org
Related cases
Urban Farmers Club (Shibuya)
JPTokyo, Japan
An urban-farming NPO that began on a Shibuya rooftop, building farms and rice paddies on rooftops and urban gaps around Harajuku, Shibuya and Ebisu so that citizens can cultivate together and turn Tokyo into an 'edible forest'.
urbanfarmers.club+1
Rooftop Republic
HKHong Kong, Hong Kong
Founded in 2015, this Hong Kong social enterprise turns underused spaces such as rooftops into organic farms, having built 50+ urban farms across the city, and links food-loss reduction with education by composting building food waste back into the farms.
rooftoprepublic.com+1
Taito Ward x Daimaru Matsuzakaya Rooftop-Garden Compost Cycle (Ueno)
JPTokyo, Japan
A public-private food cycle in central Tokyo where Taito Ward, the Daimaru Matsuzakaya department store, and Local Food Cycling partner to compost household food scraps and grow vegetables at the Matsuzakaya Ueno rooftop garden.
matsuzakaya.co.jp+2
Edible KAYABAEN, Nihonbashi-Kayabacho
JPChuo, Tokyo, Japan
Opened in spring 2022 on a building rooftop in Tokyo's Nihonbashi-Kayabacho, this urban community garden grows about 200 species of edible plants. Run by Heiwa Real Estate with Edible Schoolyard Japan as an 'edible schoolyard' in the city, it hosts food education for the nearby Sakamoto Elementary School and community exchange, and has won green-city awards.
edibleschoolyard-japan.org+1