Dezeen Magazine

OMA unveils masterplan for community farming facility in Kentucky

News: OMA has presented a vision to transform a former tobacco plant in Louisville, USA, into a hub for growing and selling food, featuring an edible garden, a coffee roastery and a recycling centre (+ slideshow).

OMA Designs a Food Port in West Louisville

The New York office of Rem Koolhaas' architecture firm plans to overhaul the vacant 10-hectare industrial site to create a new community facility to support local farmers and the agricultural industry, called the Food Port.

OMA-Food-Port-in-West-Louisville-b_dezeen_468_6
Rooftop plaza

Working in partnership with nonprofit organisation Seed Capital Kentucky, OMA plans to create a zigzag of new buildings that will frame indoor and outdoor farming areas, as well as retail spaces and distribution facilities.

OMA-Food-Port-in-West-Louisville-b_dezeen_468_7
Market plaza and visitor centre

The edible garden will occupy one corner of the site, creating a landscaped area filled with flowers, herbs, seeds, berries and plants – all of which can be eaten.

OMA-Food-Port-in-West-Louisville-b_dezeen_468_8
Jefferson County extension office and demonstration farm

There will also be a market square where farmers can sell fresh produce; a kitchen incubator for startup catering and wholesale food businesses; a farming demonstration area and accompanying classrooms; a library and a retail area for food trucks.

OMA-Food-Port-in-West-Louisville-b_dezeen_468_9
Library

"The diversity of program reflects the full food chain, as well as a new foodscape of public spaces and plazas where producers and consumers meet," said OMA partner Shohei Shigematsu, who leads the firm's New York office.

OMA-Food-Port-in-West-Louisville-b_dezeen_468_10
Food truck plaza

"The Food Port acts as a catalyst to activate the surrounding neighbourhoods, exemplifying one of the complex urban relationships between architecture and food that our studio is investigating," he added.

OMA-Food-Port-in-West-Louisville-b_dezeen_468_11
Visitor map

The West Louisville Food Port will represent a £300 million investment, intended to create 200 new jobs for the local community.

OMA Designs a Food Port in West Louisville

The proposed site is located off 30th Street in West Louisville, and is bounded by Market Street and Muhammad Ali Boulevard. The project is expected to break ground this summer, and OMA envisions that the facility could also expand in the future.

OMA Designs a Food Port in West Louisville
Site masterplan – click for larger image
OMA Designs a Food Port in West Louisville
Food chain
OMA Designs a Food Port in West Louisville
Maximised program
OMA Designs a Food Port in West Louisville
Stitching urban fabric
OMA Designs a Food Port in West Louisville
Articulated Intersections
OMA Designs a Food Port in West Louisville
Logistics and public access
OMA Designs a Food Port in West Louisville
Potential for expansion