Emanate

Fall 2018- Urban Agricultural Center, East Liberty, Pittsburgh, PA

Emanate is an Urban Agricultural Center focused on the process of the growth to the selling of the produce. The production cycle starts from the two classrooms, a space where the community can come to learn about plant biology and growing practices. The two classrooms focus on two different types of growing, indoor and outdoor growing, and so they connect to the ‘labs’, the separate growing spaces. The greenhouse and the outdoor growing spaces form the first layer to radiate from the classrooms, a less in-depth relationship to the plant and begins the production cycle. The outdoor growing space is divided into the shaded space behind the classroom and a sunny space wrapping the greenhouse. The greenhouse is shaped to the circulation of people through the space, inviting people in with a height increase into the space and then turning the steel patterning and compressing the height of the space to guide people out to the classrooms. This shift in height also suggests different types of plants such that the higher spaces encourage tree growth, providing privacy from the south east street view. The last layer to radiate holds the most surface level interaction with the growing process and the most direct relationship to the production cycle- the markets. The indoor and outdoor markets are the front face of the building, attracting the community from the soon-to-be-developed housing and the office workers across the street and beyond.

By using concrete, cor-ten steel, and glass, the building starts to reflect upon the urban renewal project that wrecked East Liberty and the rest of Pittsburgh in the 1950s and 60s. The rust tone steel represents the reduction and remnants of the old ‘steel city’ and how the city is starting to rebuild itself into a progressive, sustainable, green city. The industrial materials also contrast the greenery to allow the gardens to almost seem like they are growing out of an urban jungle.