Closed-loop food dome creates sustainable city rooftop farming system

A futuristic food dome at Expo 2025 Osaka-Kansai offered a surprising glimpse into how cities can grow fresh food close to home.

Inspired by a classic greenhouse, the Inochi no Izumi or Source of Life dome showed how a compact, closed-loop ecosystem could sit on rooftops or in small urban spaces. It looked like a little house filled with nature-powered products.

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LIVING IN GIANT SPHERES OF MOONGLASS COULD BE OUR FUTURE

This dome creates a complete food ecosystem by recycling water and nutrients in a closed loop. (Viking Dome)

Inside the Spring of Life dome

The 21-foot structure sits on a base with four water areas that are home to marine fish, brackish species and freshwater species. Their waste creates the nutrients that nourish the plant layers above. Microbes convert ammonia into nitrates, which plants love.

Above the tanks are four hydroponic levels. Salt-tolerant greens grow above the seawater reservoir. Tomatoes and semi-salt-tolerant vegetables thrive in the brackish zone. Herbs and lettuce dominate freshwater species like sturgeon. Edible flowers fill the top layer where the sunlight hits the hardest. The layout functions as an ecological slice from ocean to land rather than floors.

The transparent ETFE panels attract light and help the dome maintain a stable climate. Water pumps send nutrients upward and then return clean water to each tank. The loop creates almost no waste and keeps rolling with little input.

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The plants grow in stacked hydroponic layers that match the salinity zones of the aquatic life below. (Viking Dome)

How Cities Can Use Systems Like This

If these domes grew larger, cities could spread food production across multiple rooftops instead of one large farm. This change builds resilience and reduces shipments. It also allows people to see where their food comes from because it grows right at their fingertips.

Why this dome is important

The dome shows how biodiversity can improve food production. With more plant and aquatic species working together, the system remains stable and nourished. It does not depend on soil, open land or predictable weather conditions. Cities with limited space can use this type of setup to grow food where people live.

Researchers from Osaka Metropolitan University and Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology designed the system to copy nature. It follows the same recycling found in healthy wetlands. By letting biology do the work, the system reduces pressure on land and water.

The system shows how cities can produce fresh food on rooftops and in small urban spaces. (Viking Dome)

What does this mean for you

This model hints at a future where fresh food is closer to your kitchen. A dome like this could be installed on a building or school and provide herbs, produce and edible flowers. This reduces travel time from farm to table and gives communities more control over their food supply.

If a storm or disaster blocks access to farms, a closed-loop dome can continue to expand. For people with small gardens or no land, it offers a realistic way to produce clean food in small spaces.

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Kurt’s Key Takeaways

The Source of Life dome may be a prototype, but it offers a striking glimpse into urban food production. It combines architecture, ecology and aquaculture in a compact package that uses every drop of water. If future cities adopt systems like this, access to fresh food could be improved for millions of people.

Would you trust a rooftop food dome to provide part of your meals each week? Let us know by writing to us at Cyberguy.com.

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