Farm i Culture
Farm i Culture
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In a city where much of the landscape has become paved, built upon and manipulated for human processes, this project offers an alternative. This design unites an abandoned industrial site, the natural elements its exists within, and a market and culinary school that bring high quality food to the area. Farm-i-Culture envisions a future where food is prioritized for the benefit of our communities and measures are taken to educate on the processes that typically occur behind the scenes of the food industry. Being able to see the different stages of a meal all on one site will leave visitors with a new appreciation for this everyday necessity.
This site is located in Houston, Texas along the Buffalo Bayou. Providing accessible, healthy options to the surrounding area was a primary motive for selecting this program. The design features three main programs to highlight 1. growing, 2. preparing, and 3. consuming food. In addition, the site also addresses food waste by repurposing by-products such as food scraps and unpurchased goods as fertilizer or animal feed, thus reintegrating waste into the system.
Farm-i-Culture seeks to build community through food while also teaching the importance of food, how it is processed, and sharing this knowledge with others.
In planning such a large project, simple layouts for capturing flow through the different programs was vital. As the idea developed, we explored the general size of the structures and form design. Since Farm-i-Culture centers food processes, making a nod to the greenhouse typology was intended to indicate the main purpose of the design to visitors.
To acknowledge the history of this site, our method was to stitch or interlock the existing with the new elements. This process also led to the use of an axis with an angle based on the aeration tanks. A grid to organize the operations is broken at the market to emphasize the motion and activity of this public section.
Market Organization Process (Iteration 1 - Left and Iteration 2 - Right)
Program Strategy: Stitching the Old with the New
Visitors arrive at the welcome center and administration building. The main entry houses gallery-style information about the site’s mission and art about food. From here, visitors can access the public garden space to grow produce for themselves. Moving west, the market offers food grown on the site, prepared meals, and miscellaneous vendor space.
The site slopes down as the program moves toward the culinary section. Closest to the market, the restaurant is a great place to sit, enjoy food, and overlook the site. Having the culinary school on this site is not only a way to demonstrate food preparation, it is also a means through which members of the community may attend classes and learn more about cooking.
Classes hosted in the culinary school can educate on preparation methods while bringing people together.
Finally, the farm has two structures for its equipment and storage. Plantings are built on top of the existing tanks. To the left there is a compost structure where unpurchased food or scraps can go to break down.
A building on top of the tanks and uses the existing channels to store the compost.There is room to expand the public gardens, farm, and compost so this site can grow with the needs of the community.
FINAL SLIDES.pdfPage updated
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