International ideas competition of Architecture New York City Farm Tower

COOK VERTICAL STREET

The project consists of the creation of a volume with simple lines based on the composition of parallelepipeds and is composed as follows:

• a central parallelepiped, positioned parallel to the vertical green High Line, which acts as a hub for all of the connections and technological systems for the entire structure
• a series of overlapping parallelepipeds, positioned vertically to the High Line, which penetrate the main structure, adding body to the same volume (building) in which all of the required functions (services, residential, farming) are concentrated

The decision to adopt this formal solution was based on the analysis of the wide-ranging site, which highlighted a degree of rigorousness in the urban layout and a repetitiveness in the volumes contained within, as well as the possibility to exploit the permitted volume almost to the full. The aim was to create a sort of continuity with the simple and sensitive design approach adopted for the regeneration of the railway (High Line), avoiding the introduction of random, dramatic shapes. The proposed project is thought to be appropriate in relation to the context, enhancing and qualifying the current situation, creating a rigorous building with clearly defined spaces, and yet at the same time has the ability to give a currently run-down area (pk) a new identity.

The new volume is connected to the High Line by an elevated walkway to create continuity in the path traced between the High Line and the newly designed space; a shared open area has been identified where most of the cultural and educational activities and cafes will be located.

This shared area offers direct access to the lower floors, passing through the retail area or descending directly to street level. The new project aims to be in harmony with the city, not a barrier to it; a hinge connecting the High Line with the city below. The floors immediately above the level of the former railway have been divided vertically into two separate blocks, creating independent entrances so as to protect the uses of the various activities without compromising on the functional aspect.

The south/west/east facing areas have been earmarked for farming units, whilst the west/north/east facing areas have been earmarked for residential use.

The rooftop is distinguished by the presence of solar collectors and a rainwater collection tank.

The residential part of the building is finished in smoothed, exposed, reinforced concrete (purity) to reflect the constructive aspect of the building activity in all its essence and brutality; the farming sections (laboratories and shed) are cladded with iroko boards. The blocks allocated to crops are composed of exposed steel structures infilled with sheets of clear glass, made partly transparent and partly translucent in the style of traditional agricultural buildings (typical of ranches and greenhouses).

The structure will have a central nucleus in reinforced concrete that will be completed with an exposed finish for the residential part, whereas the farming part will have further structures composed of three-dimensional load-bearing elements in steel connected to the nucleus in reinforced concrete. Floor slabs will be in corrugated sheet metal and Orsogril grating.

All of the above is held together by a sort of “unifying thread” (vertical green) reflecting the green areas associated with both of the activities (residential/gardens; farming-cultivation/agricultural fields).

Cook Vertical Street therefore creates an integration/iteration between residential, retail and strictly productive areas. This integration goes beyond the boundaries of mere self-sufficiency of the building and its inhabitants. The building weaves strong and legible bonds with the surrounding urban context, which bear witness to the focal vocation and “diffuse” nature of the structure.

Widespread use presupposes shared responsibility. That is why the dynamics of production are mainly driven by the directive of ZERO:

These missions connect the various production plans and different management dynamics.

As a whole, the production chain puts into sequence poultry farming units, cultivation areas using traditional and mixed techniques, Nutrient Film Technique and Floating System (NFT and FS) soilless cultivation units and value-added aquaculture units.

All of the systems benefit from ample exposure to the sun, availability of a rainwater collection and storage system and a photovoltaic electricity production station.

The agricultural production units in which traditional and mixed (earth and perlite) methods are used are closely connected with the poultry farming activities. The traditional type of production will use waste from the poultry farming units as a natural fertiliser. In the opposite direction, waste from the agricultural production will be added to the poultry feed, enhancing their diet with fresh, aromatic fibre.

This addition will also include waste from the production of fresh cut vegetables produced using the soilless system. As many aromatic varieties as possible will be grown to serve the gastronomic traditions of the five continents.

The soilless cultivation units require two different and overlapping hydroponic systems. This offers the highest rate of productivity per square metre and the possibility to grow a wider range of varieties.

The hydroponic cultivation and aquaculture farming activities use closed cycles, reusing all of the cultivation and treatment water.

A control unit for the pH, salinity, concentration of nitrates, EC and oxygenation levels will treat the water used for cultivation and farming, adding fertilizers and/or nutrients and making any corrections needed. This will prevent the release of saturated water into the environment (run off) and offer greater efficiency in terms of the system’s water supply requirements.

The lower trays will contain leaf and cutting varieties grown using the Floating System.

A LED lighting system integrated with luminosity sensors will only activate as required.

The FS technique is especially recommended for the production of “ready-to-eat” vegetables. A section of the warehouses serving the production units will be equipped for washing, packing and pricing the produce.

The range of varieties is wide and easy to adapt in accordance with market trends.

The average cycle from sowing to sale takes 35 days with 10 cycles per year and a theoretical production of 27/30 Kg/m².

The upper trays will contain fruiting vegetables grown using the Nutrient Film Technique.

This technique involves cultivation in special cubes of rockwool and timed flooding of the cultivation trays.

The trays will be equipped with specific grates and support cables designed to obtain maximum vertical growth of the plants being cultivated.

Cultivation in a controlled environment eliminates the need for pesticides and fungicides.

Hydroponic solutions can also be used to grow vegetables with a high content of selenium or Vitamin B12, which the plant absorbs directly from the cultivation fluid.

The purpose of the project is to create a building in which the different functions and ways in which it is used can be identified from the outside, thus highlighting the simplicity of the approach taken and the sensitivity of work performed that has distinguished the entire philosophy behind the conversion of the whole neighbourhood.