... train to table urban park-scape
Crop-Up
University of Southern California M.ARCH: Fall 2023
A+D 2024 Design Awards Sustainable Solutions Category
The concept of Crop-Up as a brand came from the desire to elevate the people of the Firestone area by helping the community through healthier lifestyle choices. Through a conceptual partnership with LA Metro, this urban renewal project seeks to develop a rail-to-table model that uses the existing blue line infrastructure to deliver fresh produce to communities along the route. Additionally, the rail line is attached to a new hydroponic growing facility that is tucked underneath the elevated rail of Firestone station. The Facility produces enough to feed 12 million people per year.
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The 15-block parkscape adjacent to our site was re-activated in zones; these zones were connected with a walking/running path running adjacent to the park on the abandoned rail line next to the station. This way, no area is barren or underutilized, and the entire park-scape is now an anchor for the production, distribution, and recreation of produce and the community. This infrastructure works to lift up the community while providing amenities for a healthier lifestyle.
Branding exercises were conducted to establish a sense of convenience for those walking or commuting through this bustling hub development. Crop-Up logos were developed in accordance with LA Metro's pre-existing logo. The key was to emphasize healthy eating while also emphasizing convenience.
The train station was designed first. The goal was to optimize connection from the train station to the parkscape below. Since the train station is on an elevated line, various methods of connection were used such as ramps and a running path on the elevated rail that can also connect to the park. A mosaic tiled roof was also designed using Grasshopper scripts.
We then zoomed out to the entire 15 block site and sectioned it off based on certain functions. Some sections include sports fields, group fitness studios, a kids program directly connecting to the middle school nearby, and a community center located near the train station. The grow hub runs underneath the entirety of the elevated line for the 15 block length, with all growing and manufacturing programs tucked away making more room for the park. The running/walking path runs adjacent to the train line, elevated above the parkscape with occasional connecting points.
Grow Hub Program Statistics:
The complete site spans 15 blocks long and includes the train station, the grow hub, and the parkscape. The train cars load up at the grow hub and then transport produce to stations such as the Firestone station that was redesigned.
The idea is that this project can be phased in to eventually include many stations, thus transforming the blue line into its own produce transportation system.
Grow Hub Program:
56x flowering blocks (1,000 sf each)
14x vegetative blocks (1,000 sf each)
33x service blocks (1,000 sf each)
4x front of house (1,600 sf each)
4x packaging areas (3,200 sf each)
4x office areas (1,840 sf each)
2x garage/drop off (2,075 sf each)
1 flowering block:
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1x tall carousel = 928 trays
1x short carousel = 896 trays
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= 1,824 total trays per flowering block
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= 145,920 pieces of produce
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FEEDS:
912,000 people per flowering block
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x14 blocks
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= 12,768,000 people fed per yield per year
Model Development: A physical model was made at a 1/32" scale; the 15 block parkscape equated to a 6' long model. Materials included a foam core base with chipboard, museum board, and resin printed build elements. A mixture of both white and transparent resin were used. Vegetation, flowers, and other landscaping was glued to the museum board.
Crop-Up Train to Table was recently recognized at the A+D 2024 Design Awards Ceremony under the Sustainable Solutions category for their proposal. The project was one of only two USC student projects to be recognized at the ceremony.
The team project consisting of Michael Alvarez and Alexandra Gauthier was mentored by USC faculty Kevin Sherrod during the fall semester of 2023.