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Hydroponic Farm, Lincoln, UK

Part 2 Project 2004
Dorota Spychala
 University of Lincoln Lincoln | UK
The project is located in a stone quarry on the boundary of Lincoln. I divided the huge area of over 38 hectares by a rigid grid of hydroponic farm greenhouses transforming an empty, deserted, almost useless place into a vibrant, dynamic and useful space. Thanks to the rainwater harvested on the site it now feeds plants in the greenhouses and supplies buildings within the quarry. My intention was not only to change the site into commercially variable agricultural farm but also to open it for small groups of visitors and for students’ research. I developed the architectural language from patterns observed in the ironstone and limestone walls within the quarry. Redrawing from photographs cracks in or between stones and then experimenting with physical models resulted in buildings that are cutting across lines of ETFE covered greenhouses and carving out from their mass spaces for the visitor centre, water treatment plant, retention ponds, water storage tanks and platforms. Strips of landscape between greenhouses create a system of paths allowing for inner transport. The stone from the quarry is used in three gradients as limestoneand ironstone gravel, slabs and gabions. Project unites industrial/agricultural, educational and scientific character of the hydroponic farm serving as a living laboratory.




The project is based in a disused quarry site on the outskirts of Lincoln. The proposal aims to reclaim the land and proposes the development of a commercially run hydroponics farm (hydroponics is a greenhouse-intensive method of crop production using nutrient-rich saline solutions). The scheme incorporates a Visitor’s Centre and a small research facility. The project’s architectural language is derived from the intense observational process applied to the strata and fissures of the landscape. This relied upon the development and manipulation of sophisticated computer models and the production of numerous physical models.
Elegant linear greenhouses that respond to the site’s existing undulations define the resultant scheme. The rigid grid of greenhouses creates a surreal artificial landscape. These exist in counterpoint to the main fissure-like thoroughfare that is the organisational core of the project.
The thoroughfare and it’s associated spaces where ‘excavated’ from the mass of greenhouses. It defines the route of visitor progression through the scheme and provides for visitor interaction with varied landscapes, retention pools, strawberry fields and an artificial beach. The scheme is underpinned by rigorous research into issues of sustainability, the potential reuse of excavated site material and the recycling potential of material components.

2004
Site is located at the boundary of Lincoln in a disused ironstone and limestone quarry. This gives an orange colour to the products of the quarry.
Photographs of stones and negatives were first stages that I explored. This was followed by a concentration on interesting spaces created by cracks.
I imitated the cracks and the processes happening during quarrying: cutting out mass and creating the void, through my own physical, conceptual models.
The whole site was covered by strips of greenhouses. Buildings inside the farm, platforms and bridges are cutting through, like a crack, the parallel layout of greenhouses.
The calculation of amount of rainfall on the site through the year influenced the design of the central water storage tank and retention pools.
Purified rainwater is later reused in greenhouses to grow plants hydroponically. Spaces between greenhouses allows workers for golf car transport and outer route for lorries.
From the physical models of the stone cracks the architectural language developed and evolved.
The entrance merged into the hill and located at the very edge of the quarry is a critical view point of the whole farm.
The linear route creates a natural progression through the building. It leads visitors to the ticket office, through the cafe and the stairs and lifts straight dowm to the farm.
Ironstone and limestone cut out from the hill for the entrance was used in gabions in the retaining walls of the car park. Used in the building gives light effects: inside in the daytime and outside at night.
Central platform, huge rainwater tank is created from two planes. One of them supports hydroponic centre and fields for outdoor strawberries plantation. Second, creates artificail beach.
Bridge leads visitors above the greenhouses to the hydroponic centre
Visitor center is suspended above the waterstorage tank and gives a view above greenhouses.
Planes are supported by rows of columns. Beneath, rainwater level is easy to notice as it moves up and down through artificial beach.
Centre is a place where visitors, researchers and workers socially interact with each other. From here visitors may progress to the greenhouse to experience the living laboratory.
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