flexiblefullpage -
billboard - default
interstitial1 - interstitial
catfish1 - bottom
Currently Reading

Manhattan’s Union Square gets its very own farmhouse

Mixed-Use

Manhattan’s Union Square gets its very own farmhouse

GrowNYC, a sustainability-focused nonprofit, commissioned ORE Design to create the community events center and learning space.


By David Malone, Associate Editor | August 17, 2017
Interior of the GrowNYC multifunctional area

Photo: AGP Amanda Gentle Photography

An unused space has been repurposed as a multifunctional community area, bringing GrowNYC’s fresh food markets, recycling resource locations, and local garden support under one roof.

GrowNYC, a sustainability-focused nonprofit, commissioned ORE Design to create the community events center and learning space, located near Union Square in Manhattan. Dubbed Farmhouse, the center includes a classroom forum, educational kitchen, and conference center. The rooms can be combined to operate as a fundraising venue.

Suspended acoustic baffles made from recycled water bottles translate the traditional geometry of the American farmhouse into an abstract ceiling motif that guides visitors throughout the environment. Reflective solar tubes illuminate a feature wall. An existing mechanical shaft in the center of the room was turned into a mirrored jewel box for a vertical hydroponic wall. The educational kitchen and large storage closets were built below an existing fire stair to create an additional projection surface. The result is a modern building with hints of classic American farmhouse architecture.

Related Stories

Adaptive Reuse | Apr 26, 2018

Edison Lofts building is New Jersey’s largest non-waterfront adaptive reuse project

Minno & Wasko Architects & Planners designed the building.

High-rise Construction | Apr 17, 2018

Developers reveal plans for 1,422-foot-tall skyscraper in Chicago

The tower would be the second tallest in the city.

Mixed-Use | Apr 4, 2018

Shenzhen’s Mawan Mile master plan will include a ‘boulevard in the sky’

HASSELL won a competition to design the new mixed-use district.

Multifamily Housing | Feb 22, 2018

Multifamily building with 25,000 sf of amenities rises on the shore of the Potomac River

The building is part of the National Gateway mixed-use development at Potomac yard.

Mixed-Use | Jan 26, 2018

Eager Park opens as health and wellness centerpiece of future mixed-use master plan

The 6-acre park was designed to showcase East Baltimore’s commitment to wellness and sustainability.

Sports and Recreational Facilities | Jan 25, 2018

Virginia Beach: A surf town with a wave problem no more

A world-class surf park will highlight Virginia Beach’s new live-work-play development.

Mixed-Use | Jan 16, 2018

Mixed-use development under construction in Detroit’s central business district

The development is being built on the former site of the Statler Hotel.

Mixed-Use | Jan 5, 2018

USC Village is the largest development in the history of the University of Southern California

USC Village comprises six buildings and 1.25 million sf.

boombox1 - default
boombox2 -
native1 -

More In Category


MFPRO+ Special Reports

Top 10 trends in affordable housing

Among affordable housing developers today, there’s one commonality tying projects together: uncertainty. AEC firms share their latest insights and philosophies on the future of affordable housing in BD+C's 2023 Multifamily Annual Report.



halfpage1 -

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021