Spiral Garden is a Lacy Mesh Vertical Farm for the City

Imagine having a <a href="http://inhabitat.com/2010/09/13/jdss-logistic-city-is-a-wind-powered-vertical-forest-for-shenzhen/">vertical garden</a> as lovely as this one right in your town? Called <a href="http://www.designboom.com/weblog/cat/8/view/11759/spiral-garden-by-benet-saida-dalmau-anna-julibert-carmen-vilar-iida-awards-2010.html">Spiral Garden</a>, the winding green space by Benet and Saida Dalmau, Anna Julibert and Carmen Vilar of Spain recently received honors as one of the second prize winners of <a href="http://www.designboom.com/">Designboom</a>'s <a href="http://www.designboom.com/iida_2010.html">IIDA Awards 2010</a>. The lacy mesh structure is a place for neighbors to socialize, garden and harvest, and even serves as a spot to store bikes between errands.

The designers wanted to create "a new <a href="http://inhabitat.com/2010/10/05/build-a-better-burb-winner-upcycles-long-island-suburbs/">environmentally-friendly town</a> where the environment is considered as an important part of everyday life."

Their proposal is a <a href="http://inhabitat.com/2010/09/16/vertical-farm-concept-is-a-green-gateway-for-chicago/">vertical farm</a> that acts as the "green heart" of the city. Spiral Garden would be maintained by the people for the people and doing so would also give neighbors the chance to socialize.

Behind the transparent mesh lies a spiral containing an ascending garden where people can grow plants for food or just for aesthetic value, and the walkway serves as a place for those who don't garden to take a stroll.

The structure itself is 14m in diameter and is partitioned into 59 plots that can be shared by families or individuals.

There are also 170 <a href="http://www.inhabitat.com/index.php?s=bicycle">bicycle</a> parking spots so that people don't need to drive to access the garden. Last but not least, the Spiral Garden will also have a <a href="http://inhabitat.com/2010/09/25/compostable-sculptures-human-forms-sprout-from-wheatgrass/">composting</a> center for people to turn their organic rubbish into rich new soil.

The Spiral Garden in an urban setting.