Project Name: South Farm Sustainable Agriculture Project
Project Type:
1) urban planning design strategy
2) landscape design
3) graphic design
4) interior design
5) industrial/product design
6) architecture
7) other.
Project Mission/Goal:
1) improve the human spirit
2) increase awareness of the environment and/or address climate change
3) respond to our growing need for clean water, power, shelter, healthcare, education
4) address humanitarian crises
5) other.
Project Description:
"Food is the most direct link we have between culture and nature, city and farm folk." - Wendell Berry.
For a total of almost 3 years, students from the University of Kentucky's College of Design worked on several projects to help give life to the University's first Sustainable Agriculture Farm.
This farm, which is around 100 acres, is located on the southern end of the Lexington Metropolitan Area. The proximity of the farm to the city makes it highly visible and ideally situated to educate and impact many Lexington and Fayette county residents. During the development of the organic section of the farm, a collaboration was established with School of Architecture students working in Design/Build studios, to build the necessary structures to allow for the implementation of a working organic farm.
Students began by converting a dilapidated old shed into what has now become known as the "Organic Farming Research and Education Center." Their structures, including a new storage building, an outdoor classroom, and an operations building followed. This effort has created a model of multi-disciplinary collaboration that is resonating beyond the Research Farm. Architecture students worked alongside Landscape Design and Agriculture students to first create a masterplan of the entire site and then began to build the necessary structures one at a time. The buildings are primarily composed of found and recycled materials (many of which came from the farm itself), in an effort to re-think the typical materials and process of construction. This methodology was employed in part due to an extremely limited budget, but also became an effort to imagine new life from recycled materials and minimize waste. A primary goal throughout construction was to minimize excavation as much as possible, thereby preserving the rich agricultural landscape.
The Organic Farm has since implemented a CSA - Community Supported Agriculture Program, where local families purchase shares of what is grown on the farm. The farm provides fresh, organic produce for hundreds of families in the area. It is a place where collaboration between university disciplines has bridged traditional barriers. Above all, it is a place where students can rediscover the roots of where food comes from naturally. The farm is a green island of hope surrounded by sprawling neighborhoods and urban pavement.
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Concept/Lead Architect(s)/Designer(s): University of Kentucky College of Design
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Year (s): 2007 - 2010
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Nominated by Michael Hogan
