Whatever grows needs too breathe. In a place like Detroit, where industrial fumes are replacing clean air and factories are taking over what remains of the city, there is a need to allow nature to breather and to grow.
With urban farming trends appearing rapidly around Hamtramck, this is an opportune moment to experiment. Inspired by lungs and the act of breathing itself, this project is an attempt to allow the area to indulge in a breath.
With urban farming trends appearing rapidly around Hamtramck, this is an opportune moment to experiment. Inspired by lungs and the act of breathing itself, this project is an attempt to allow the area to indulge in a breath.
This project was the end result of a studio focused on abstraction and iterations. The inspiration began with a lemon and the intriguing quality of its juice vesicles that interact with each other and contract and expand in accordance to the force applied.
The structure was designed to “breathe” similarly, with the growth of the plants within its individual “pods.” The crops were specified according to their growth circumstances, after an analysis of Hamtramck’s climate. These “lungs” became the focal point and hold greenhouses within them, while also growing climate-appropriate plants on them.
The undulating structure underneath the lungs becomes a public space for the community, and underneath it, bio-hacking labs and community workshop areas were programmed.
