Foodopolis / New York
Urban Food Research
2009 / 1,000,000+ sq. ft.
The Foodopolis research initiative
addresses the disparities in the global food system — from the overconsumption
of resources by the developed world to the lack of food security in urban and
underdeveloped areas. Foodopolis confronts this issue on a local scale with a
radical redesign of New York City’s food production and delivery systems.
Award: Winner, 2009 Architectural League Prize (Young Architects Forum)
Foodopolis proposes converting industrial
barges into a series of floating hydroponic farms to produce locally-grown food
for city residents. The farms, which rise and fall with the tides, would create
an undulating and verdant landscape along the city’s edge. Foodopolis also
reimagines traditional farmer’s markets as open public spaces assimilated into
green waterfront parks; allowing residents and tourists to participate in the
local food system. This new infrastructure would be entirely self-sustaining:
controlled by collective interests, powered by solar energy and irrigated by
captured rainwater.
But
the question arises: how does a lettuce farmer outbid a Wall Street banker in a
city where land values are sky-high? To accomplish this, Foodopolis proposes an
adaptive reuse of existing piers that have been abandoned or underutilized;
transforming these undesirable locations into hubs of recreation, production
and commerce. Together, these farms, markets and parks would revitalize New
York City’s industrial waterfront into an edible public experience, capable of
socially and physically sustaining urban life.
Press:
The Architect’s Newspaper (7 July 2010)
Project Team: Phu Hoang, Ammr Vandal, Edmund Kwong, Dong-Wook Wang
Credits: Arup (Structural)
Press:
The Architect’s Newspaper (7 July 2010)
Project Team: Phu Hoang, Ammr Vandal, Edmund Kwong, Dong-Wook Wang
Credits: Arup (Structural)