Public farm at P.S.1

Public Farm 1 is a project designed by WORK Architecture Company for MoMA and P.S.1's Young Architects Program. Public Farm 1 will be on view in P.S.1's outdoor courtyard beginning June 20, 2008 for the 2008 WARM UP music series. Public Farm 1 will function as an urban farm while providing an outdoor social space for the summer.
P.F.1 will combine playful programs with educational ones, creating a sense of community around the shared experience of growing food. Bringing sustainable construction together with sustainable agriculture, P.F.1 will be built entirely of recyclable materials, be 100% solar-powered and will utilize rain collection for irrigation. P.F.1 is formed as a folded plane made from cardboard tubes, designed to hold planters for vegetables, herbs and fruit. While most of the tubes create an elevated canopy for shade, some tubes extend to the ground to become columns. Each column holds a different program, from seating to sound environments to a mobile phone charging column and even a juice bar at the farmers market.

P.F.1’s intent is to educate thousands of visitors on sustainable urban farming through the unique medium of contemporary architecture. The P.F.1 project has already received tremendous attention and a number of New York institutions will participate. The Queens County Farm Museum (QCFM) is providing guidance and green house space, the Horticultural Society of New York (HSNY) is growing additional plants through its GreenHouse program on Rikers Island and its Green Team will assist with the maintenance of the farm throughout the summer. The Council on the Environment of New York (CENYC) has assisted with the design and installation of the water collection system and organizing a weekly farmers market at P.S.1 to accompany the Warm Up parties on Saturdays.