Wallpaper* Handmade: The Products

Plug-in Farm residential and agricultural units, by Richard Meier & Partners

When Wallpaper* approached Richard Meier & Partners to conjure up a new vision of urban living, the architect and his team suggested a modestly sized but ultra-efficient modular concept: the Plug-in Farm. This 'three dimensional structural frame' is designed to be adapted to any site, from an unkempt corner of Manhattan to a slice of downtown Miami, reusing existing structures while building up residential density and community. Its steel armature contains plug-in living and farming units, the latter conceived as vertical vegetable plots to feed the adjoining apartments, with any surplus siphoned off into a local market. Public and private outdoor space includes a communal farm, allowing for small-scale animal husbandry up above street level. The Plug-in Farm exploits the best of both worlds: off-site prefabrication for the units, plus the promise of a small slice of productive green utopia in a dense urban site.

design 08 Jul 2010