Sweden's World Food Building combines offices with vertical farm
Foodtech company Plantagon is building its first "plantscraper" in the southern Swedish city of Linköping. The $40m World Food Building is an office tower that also contains a large automated indoor farm. The building will grow vegetables hydroponically in a nutrient-rich, water-based solution and is set to open by early 2020. It will produce 550 tons of vegetables a year. Two-thirds of the building will be offices with the farm occupying the rest of the tower. 

By 2050, the world's population is expected to swell to 9.6 billion, with around 66% living in urban areas. This projection is leaving many cities wondering how they will feed all those people.

A Swedish food-tech company called Plantagon is proposing that cities consider building what it calls "plantscrapers" — office towers that contain giant indoor farms. Plantagon is constructing its first plantscraper in Linköping, Sweden.

Called The World Food Building, the tower will operate hydroponically, meaning vegetables (mostly greens) will grow without soil in a nutrient-rich, water-based solution. The farm will largely be automated, Plantagon CEO Hans Hassle told Business Insider.

Construction of the $40 million building began in 2012, and it's set to open by early 2020.

Check out the plans below.