FERME DARWIN

IDENTITY ' NESTED IN THE REMAINS OF NIEL'S BARRACKS, THE FERME DARWIN IS A PILOT PROJECT WHICH ACCOMMODATES MULTIPLE FUNCTIONS, RIGHT IN BETWEEN NATURE AND CULTURE.' This building synthesizes a vertical farm and cultural facilities in an original manner: indeed, spaces dedicated to art, music and education are overlaid by off-ground crops ! Spectacularly stacking these disparate elements up is like celebrating the insertion of agriculture in the very heart of the city. ' ANCHORED IN A VISIONARY CITY LIKE BORDEAUX, THE FERME DARWIN ADDRESSES HEALTH, FOOD, ETHICAL AND SOCIAL CONCERNS.' EDUCATION On the occasion of an outdoor concert or a temporary exhibition, passers-by are pleased to learn about environmental issues tightly bound to agriculture. This educational virtue seems essential in a period during which the food chain is more opaque for consumers than ever. The production technique and crops' traceability are here crystal clear ! FUNCTION Set as a continuation of the future walk, the music stage and the educational gallery will both turn the existing ruin into a permeable surrounding wall, still bearing marks of time. In the background, an access is given to technical facilities supporting the vertical farm. This collection of clustered spaces is located at street level to free upper stories from any unnecessary load. Consequently, plants seem to levitate almost supernaturally, held up by a lightweight steel structure to benefit from a maximized light exposure. SYSTEM * Offering several assets, the structure was developed as a modular unit spread out in a rigorous scheme. It was dimensioned to improve working conditions (physical efforts decreased, supervision made easier), designed for biological farming techniques, and adapted to grow any kind of crops in an almost traditional fashion. The self-sufficient system also allows the farmer to harvest all year round. * The advocated system is Courtirey's multilevel agricultural tower. Globally, the whole process abides by sustainable requirements, technically (auto-regulated water-efficient device, solar energy, organic farming, short supply chain) as much as sociologically (employment). + This project is part of our work within LUA, the Laboratory for Urban Agriculture.