Food/Energy/Water Rooftop Infrastructure

Fall 2021

To explore the potential of integrating water collection, urban farming on the rooftop of the New Engineering and Science Building on the Rice University campus, this project engages in the idea of a continuous tunnel that acts as both a laboratory and greenhouse. The rooftop intervention is an elevated, lightweight steel and membrane modular tunnel structure that adapts to an existing grid structure. The tunnels collect water for irrigation across the site through a double-layered membrane system that creates a comfortable microclimate that celebrates the water collection, farming, and research occurring inside. Based on the site’s structural and environmental conditions, a narrative was developed for strategically programming the experience of movement through a sequence of spaces: visitors first enter a food market, then hydroponics garden, study rooms and small classrooms, and finally research laboratories. The materiality and porosity of the exterior skin also accommodate these different programs and take advantage of the site’s orientation and ventilation. This strategy facilitates the potential to expand modules across the rooftop, while also drawing visitors, researchers, and students alike to this new vessel for social gathering, collaboration and learning on campus.

Houston, TX