Within the confines of a quirky 1938 building at the gateway to RiNo Art District, a culinary revolution is sprouting – quite literally. Farm & Market, located at 2401 Larimer St., has made its grand debut, bringing the farm directly to the urban table.
Farm & Market’s 3,000-square-foot (~280m2) on-site hydroponic farm will grow 100,000 pounds of produce per year and is 100% wind-powered. Farm & Market will feature a produce market selling 50 varieties of plants, which will be harvested daily – including a Live Harvest station for cut-to-order herbs and microgreens – and a restaurant.
The restaurant is on a mission to create its own style of plant-forward dining. The chef-crafted salads, bowls, soups, and starters take advantage of farm produce, offering 100% nutrition and flavor that can only be experienced from products harvested and prepared the same day.
Creating this high level of visibility while supporting the tightly controlled environment required for a vertical hydroponic farm to thrive was the biggest hurdle for OZ and the MEP team at BG Buildingworks. The design team at OZ created the desired transparency on two sides of the farm, at the front and on the interior, running lengthwise. The design leans into the high-tech nature of the farm, celebrating the pink light nurturing plants 16-18 hours of the day.
OZ also had to consider the process of getting the daily harvest of various lettuce and microgreens from the controlled farm environment and directly into the hands of consumers or chefs at the restaurant on site. A playful, full-glass wall is designed to functionally separate the Farm from the Market, but operable openings allow for day-of harvested produce to be directly in the hands of consumers.
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