The Huntington Urban Farm designed by New Zealand architect Tim Stephens, is a case study for an urban farming precinct to be located within existing communities, it aims to become a hub for social activity and interaction that are sorely missing in many existing communities.

The Huntington Urban Farm is to pave the way for fresh thinking in terms of how communities interact with each other and how a common, productive bond can be achieved through sustainable practices.

Tim Stephens

Huntington Urban Farm, rendering courtesy Tim Stephens

+ Project description courtesy Tim Stephens

The Huntington Urban Farm is a response to a number of pressing issues relevant not only to the context of the town of Huntington but also other towns of Long Island.

The two main issues that the project responds to are;

• The limited allowance for and the lack of support for the sustainable practice of growing and cultivating one's own food source
• The inherent lack of usable pedestrian scale (non car orientated) street-scapes, places where social interaction can thrive and communities can grow in a healthy and constructive way.

Huntington Urban Farm - Site plan, drawing courtesy Tim Stephens

The Huntington Urban Farm is a case study for an urban farming precinct to be located within existing communities. The precinct and its associated concepts are intended to be applied in a similar way to other sites in other long Island townships.

This specific case study locates the Urban Farm on existing car-park covered land in the centre of Huntington Township, in close proximity to the town's public library, church and nursery. The Urban Farm's primary objective is to promote and support the act of growing one's own produce in a controlled, and convenient manner. The issue of growing sustainable food crops is only going to become more prevalent and what better way to promote the practice, than to provide farmable plots in the centre of townships, accessible to the entire community.

The Urban Farm provides farmable plots in a variety of configurations and sizes to suit individual users/small families to larger community user groups. In providing these farming plots for the community to use, the precinct will become a hub for social activity and interaction, something sorely missing in many existing communities.

Huntington Urban Farm - Typologies diagram, drawing courtesy Tim Stephens

The precinct is articulated formerly in such as way as to relate to the pedestrian, not the car-like existing conditions. Winding paths and changing levels play on the sense of adventure and discovery as one moves through the precinct. Converging paths and site lines stimulate opportunities for social interaction.

Being centrally located users are encouraged to walk to the precinct or use existing public transport, in the case of the Huntington Town site, an existing car-park has been retained for practical purposes such as the dropping off of gardening equipment and the transportation of grown produce. The Huntington Urban Farm is to pave the way for fresh thinking in terms of how communities interact with each other and how a common, productive bond can be achieved through sustainable practices.

+ Project credits / data

Design: Tim Stephens
Project: Huntington Urban Farm
Location: Huntington, NY, USA

+ All images and drawings courtesy of Tim Stephens

The building is called 580 Carroll and is designed by world-renowned architect Enrique Norten which has just been completed in the heart of Park Slope, Brooklyn – a rare modern addition to a neighborhood known for its older historic buildings. It is a 17 unit residential building – a five story structure made of concrete with an angular glass facade and a striking entrance made of boardwalk cedar plank that runs alongside the buildings private 3,500 square foot landscaped garden.

580 Carroll by Ten arquitectos

580 Carroll by Ten arquitectos

The homes feature custom designed kitchens by Enrique, sliding glass walls, balconies, and stunning views of the historic neighborhood. The cedar plank, used generously around the entrance of the building, adds warmth in contrast to the strength and toughness of the raw concrete structure. The building is an interesting addition to the neighborhood which already includes the popular restaurants like AOC and Blue Ribbon Sushi, both just a a block away.

580 Carroll by Ten arquitectos

The project is developed by Black House Development – a young, ambitious development group based in NYC, who are also building the new Habita Hotel on 27th Street (also designed by Enrique) which will open later this year. Grupo Habita owns and operates 10 of the most celebrated hotels throughout Mexico, and this will be there first property outside of the country.

+ Click to visit the 580 Carroll project homepage.

+ Project credits / data

Project: 580 Carroll
Architect: Ten arquitectos | Enrique Norten
Location: Park Slope, Brooklyn, NY, USA

+ Images gallery