Trinity Avenue Urban Farm Design Proposal Submitted
As many of you in the Atlanta area may know, the City of Atlanta is seeking design proposals for an urban farm that is to be developed on a vacant lot directly across from City Hall. Details of the competition - for which the submission deadline has now past and selection and announcement of the winner is due later this month - can be found at this dedicated Website.
Intended to be far more than a traditional urban farm, the competition guidelines call for innovation, creativity and visually stunning design. They also explicitly requests the inclusion and employment of advanced edge "green" technology and innovative approaches to year-round crop production.
PodPonics decided early on to participate in this effort and we teamed up with other local innovators and leaders in the field of local food production, urban farming, community outreach and engagement and clean/green tech, forming a team that bills itself as the Urban Agronomists. Our design is not only esthetically appealing, but also functional (we believe that in all cases of truly good design, form needs to follow function), accessible, diverse and highly productive. In fact, we anticipate producing upwards the equivalent of 8-10 acres of food on the available space of .8 acres, giving us a productive yield that is ten times that of a traditional farm. Best of all, it's right here in downtown Atlanta!
While we can't disclose details of our full design just yet - so sorry - rest assured that what we have submitted is truly phenomenal, thanks in large part to the amazing team that came together. Elements included range from an edible forest orchard, over semi-aquatic crops, traditional row farming, raised beds, a greenhouse and, of course, four PodPonics Grow Pods, able to produce local, pesticide-free lettuce, herbs and other leafy greens year-round.
The image above is an excerpt from the 3D rendering of our design proposal. Clearly visible is the rainwater capture cistern (encased in natural stone at the top-left), part of the edible forest orchard below it and some of the traditional farm design. In the background note the vertical garden design along the wall of the adjacent parking structure, which also encompasses the four PodPonics Grow Pods, the bottom two of which are partially underground.
Besides crop production, our proposal also includes community outreach, educational elements - including an indoor/outdoor educational facility - and classes, water features, solar thermal, rainwater capture and harvesting, a local food trading and marketing platform, areas for rest and relaxation and some stunning visuals, including the largest vertical garden in North America.
Our team includes some notable leaders driving change in our community, including the Kenari Neighborhood Food System, Oakhurst Community Gardens, EcoVie Rainwater Harvesting, Tri-Arch Design Studio, LAND Architect Studio, GreenLine Vertical Gardens, NetPLUS Concepts and JVG Civil Engineering.
Stay tuned for further updates - and soon pictures of our complete design - and please cheer for our team as the competition proceeds!
