public integrity with verticality

91 Hartford is a large, rectangular, brick building with 34 bays.
It is situated between freeway & river, and also in between industrial area and commercial area with bike path that runs between these areas.
I started by making a model of this building in an abstract way, which depicts the repetition of small elements. I was intrigued by how this large building is made up with small repetitions of column grid, bays, and windows. I saw each window as an aperture for the light.

As I began to think real about this building that holds vertical farm program, I rotated the abstract model in side. I found the perforated plate as a continuous vertical structure where it could be used as growing medium. The plants grow vertically and are oriented to catch and harness the light while clinging to the columns and beams in the building. I am trying to use the existing columns, beams, wall as the armature for the plant growing.
Each floor has different growing system. There are fish tanks on the first floor that are used to pump up the water to the aquaponic systems on the second floor. There are hanging bucket growing beds on the second floor, and vine trees are growing on the 4th floor. Floor plates are carved out as much as they can to allow deeper light to come through. Thereore, different density of growing beds (fewer beds on the top denser beds on the bottom) creates openess vertically to pull light from the top and let the light hit the growing surfaces and bounce.


As well as bringing light into the building, I wanted to bring public to engage the building with plants, sturucutre, and light. (continuous public thread woven into the building) The public walks along the arcade on the south side, where the new skin is created with vines growing, and enters the building to go up to the upper floors, where there are public class rooms. While the arcade is covered with vines, the row of windows in the class rooms are used as a learning method for window farming. I am trying to create moments where pieces of the building are exposed at something new or transforms with greenery.