This conceptual project was commissioned by the Newark Mayor’s Office who was looking for a new prototype to revitalize their downtown. The project was presented jointly with Dr. Dickson Despommier, a professor at Columbia University and the author of The Vertical Farm: Feeding Ourselves and the World in the 21st Century.
The Newark Vertical Farm is both a demonstration project and a laboratory. It is envisioned to be a flexible armature for uses relating to vertical farming, urban agriculture, sustainable design and energy efficiency. The main building contains the vertical greenhouse and research labs separated by a full height atrium for light and ventilation. The greenhouse space contains high intensity soilless growing systems and is designed to be flexible and adaptable. The ground floor showcases a demonstration green house for public interaction while the upper floors serve as an agricultural laboratory.
The site is also designed to showcase sustainable site strategies in an urban environment. The building and the site are oriented to maximize solar exposure, with the Vertical Farm green house section facing due south and the more conventional urban agriculture plot with south to north rows. The parcel is organized to create numerous opportunities for both demonstration and research platforms. The site, like the buildings, is designed to attract a range of uses and to be adaptable as those uses evolve over time.