The concept for the Norman Urban Farming Center was based on the idea that the viewer would be immersed in different parts of nature throughout the building. Each section of the building is separated by a series of parallel walls. These walls connect the greenhouse, outdoor cafe area and the hydroponic space. This natural low creates an environment where the viewer can’t tell when they are inside and outside. The spaces also allow the viewer to experience three different types of planting at once: greenhouse farming, hydroponic systems, and outdoor plants that do or don’t require as much sunlight. When building this urban farming center, I thought about natural ways to bring in the sunlight and generate energy in an efficient way. I added photo voltaic panels on the roof and on the facade of the building. Parts of the roof panel pieces are see through glass permitting natural sunlight to come in to the greenhouse and the hydroponic space. The water also runs off the roof into a water cistern collector that then is used to water the plants and other plumbing.
