MANHATTAN URBAN FARM

EXTERIOR PERSPECTIVE

As a microcosm of Manhattan this project employs farming as a vessel of dialogue between class lines. Three types of housing are hosted onsite (subsidized, affordable, and market-rate) and agriculture functions as intermediary spaces and systems. Housing types are integrated both in the tower and bars creating smaller communities of a diverse class make-up at each level.

Agriculture dually functions to create occupiable spaces in the form of rooftop greenhouses and also via a farm-to-table layout that synthesizes food production on-site and sustainably promotes social dining experiences.

Lincoln Square was historically a working class neighborhood with a rich artistic backbone. With the development of Lincoln Center, real estate prices skyrocketed in the area, pushing working class individuals out. This project seeks to integrate the working class and more wealthy members of the neighborhood in one single project.

Farm-to-table is foundational to this project. Agriculture is employed in 3 ways: hydroponics in the tower, greenhouses on the residential bars, and an embedded fungal farm under the ground.

Once harvested from the hydroponic system or greenhouses, produce is sent down the tower under the ground where the fungal farm dually functions as a food processing center. Down there the food is cleaned and readied for distribution to the on-site restaurants, markets, and residences.

The open plaza functions as a gateway connecting Lincoln Center and the Hudson River. The plaza houses both indoor and outdoor markets and areas of commerce inviting those passing though to participate in the ecosystem. For those coming from the Hudson, a slit in the plaza gives them the option to travel to the pedestrian bridge or down through an indoor commercial area to the street level.

The dramatic natural topography of the site allows for a multi-level entry on the site, as well as a ground level commerical program that tapers of as one moves to the left of the site or deeper into the heart of the project. The pedestrian bridge allows city dwellers to access the second level and plaza area directly from Lincoln Center.