Argo Food Park is a center for food and agricultural innovation in Aarhus, Denmark that sits on about 250 acres of land. A new masterplan from William McDonough + Partners and 3XN/GXN has presented a proposal to develop the area into an urban environment that promotes innovation, knowledge sharing, and interaction between companies.
Farm fields surround the buildings located in the food park, and the proposal takes that into consideration, using the plant waste and manure from these farms as part of the new system design, fastcoexist.com reports. The proposal links the buildings for farm operations and office space in order to get enough heat or energy from the farm components to provide power for some of the buildings. The use of manure, biogas, and other farm waste will be used to power buildings and will be scaled up as new buildings are built.
The five main focus areas for the development are healthy materials, clean energy, increased biodiversity, healthy air, and clean water. “A carbon positive city demonstration at The Agro Food Park can be the embodiment of this new century—its clean water, air, soils and energy serving as a continuous source of economic and ecological innovation and regeneration, redefining how we act now for a positive future,” says William McDonough, FAIA, Int. FRIBAA, on the McDonough + Partners website.
The Argo Food Park proposal includes three primary spatial and landscape concepts called ‘The Strip,’ ‘The Plazas,’ and ‘The Lawn.’
The Strip acts as Argo Food Park’s main street. It is a street with open facades and shared amenities where the park’s companies can display their products and identities. It is built to be walkable and very pedestrian friendly.
The Plazas are a series of plazas meant to give local character to the surrunding buildings.
The Lawn is a central green space. It is meant to showcase the innovative and experimental happenings within the city’s agriculture and food production.
Currently, the masterplan calls for the work to be completed over four phases.
Image courtesy of 3XN/GXN
Image courtesy of 3XN/GXN
Image courtesy of 3XN/GXN
Image courtesy of 3XN/GXN
Image courtesy of 3XN/GXN
Image courtesy of 3XN/GXN
Related Stories
Sustainability | Apr 9, 2018
Planning for 100: Looking beyond the horizon of zero-net-energy buildings
Imagine a future where buildings and infrastructure are 100% utilized and 100% responsive.
Sustainability | Mar 21, 2018
LEED v4.1 — a game changer or business as usual?
The largest number of changes in v4.1 affect materials.
Energy-Efficient Design | Mar 20, 2018
University of Hawaii Maui College on pace to become first U.S. campus to generate 100% renewable energy on-site
The project is part of a partnership with Johnson Controls and Pacific Current that will also allow four UH community college campuses on Oahu to significantly reduce their fossil fuel consumption.
Adaptive Reuse | Mar 8, 2018
LEED Platinum for Memphis industrial reuse project
Memphis-based engineering firm OGCB and contractor Grinder Tabor Grinder led the removal of 54 million lb of concrete and 10 million lb of metal.
Office Buildings | Feb 19, 2018
Large photovoltaic “wings” help eliminate emissions from this Italian headquarters building
The wings have a surface area of over 1,100 sm.
Hotel Facilities | Feb 12, 2018
Circular hotel will be world’s first energy positive hotel concept above the Arctic Circle
The hotel will provide 360-degree views of the Svartisen glacier and the surrounding arctic nature.
Wood | Feb 5, 2018
The largest timber office building in the U.S. will anchor Newark, N.J. mixed-use development
Michael Green Architecture is designing the building.
Green | Jan 31, 2018
U.S. Green Building Council releases annual top 10 states for LEED green building per capita
Massachusetts tops the list for the second year; New York, Hawaii and Illinois showcase leadership in geographically diverse locations.
Green | Jan 30, 2018
Welcome to the Jungle: Amazon’s Spheres have opened to employees and the public
The Spheres provide the most unique aspect of Amazon’s downtown Seattle headquarters.
Resiliency | Jan 17, 2018
Climate adaptation project addresses current and future climate changes in Randers, Denmark
The C.F. Møller-designed project is slated for completion in 2021.