Files
Date of Award
5-2026
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Architecture
College
Arts and Sciences
Department
Architecture
Faculty Advisor
Charlott Greub
Studio Coordinator
Stephen Wischer
Faculty Chair
Susan Kliman
Publisher
North Dakota State University
Rights
NDSU policy 190.6.2
URI
https://www.ndsu.edu/fileadmin/policy/190.pdf
Abstract
Modern urban centers face the pressures of rapidly rising populations and food insecurity, leaving a landscape of “urban voids”-underutilized lots that remain dormant and unproductive. While the Naturhus typology offers a potential solution for symbiotic, glass-encased green living and food production in rural settings, it has yet to be adapted as a viable infill solution for the American urban grid. This thesis investigates the potential for urbanizing the Naturhus concept by reinterpreting a row-house typology as an infill strategy to create “greenhouse villages,” where residents actively participate in their own food production. It focuses on the cold-climate urban fabric of Minneapolis, MN because this region has climatic parallels to Naturhus’s Scandinavian origins. The project demonstrates that small-scale, year-round cultivation can thrive in dense urban environments. By transforming underutilized lots into productive landscapes, this new typology shifts the urban dweller from a passive consumer to an active participant in self-sustaining food production.
Recommended Citation
Rath, Madysen Brooke, "Farming the Future: Urbanizing the Naturhus for Small Scale Food Cultivation" (2026). Architecture Theses. 67.
https://digitalcommons.ndsu.edu/architecture-theses/67