Award Winning and Innovative Rooftop Farming in the Heart of Manhattan – The Javits Center

The center includes a 10,000 sq ft Orchard & Food Forest. The orchard includes native plants such as elderberry, beach plum, pawpaw, serviceberries, and more. Photo: Brooklyn Grange

Category: Urban Agriculture
Project: The Farm at the Javits Center
Location: New York, NY
Award Winner: Brooklyn Grange
Living Architecture Monitor
Nar 2023

Excerpt:

One of the key features of this expansion was the development and implementation of the Javits Farm by Brooklyn Grange, the leading rooftop farming and intensive green roofing business in the US, operating the world’s largest rooftop soil farms, located in New York City. The one-acre rooftop farm includes green roof vegetable growing beds, a 3,500 sf climate-controlled greenhouse, and a 10,000sf rooftop orchard and food forest with 38 apple and pear trees along with over 100 native, edible and perennial plants in a “mobile garden” of movable planters that play homage to the medicinal and ancient wisdom of Native American cultivars from the area. It is one of the largest rooftop food forests in the world. A wash/pack room adjacent to the greenhouse makes farming operations more efficient and allows farmers, the in house culinary team and the sustainability team to collaborate seamlessly, reduce food waste and educate others about urban agriculture. A custom composting system uses a series of pipes and forced air to improve decomposition rates and aerobic composting quality.

Producing over 50 crops, the harvests are directed to the convention center’s kitchens where the produce is incorporated into customer meals served throughout the year or donated to local food pantries. The Farm, along with the Food Forest and Perennial Meadow, are all managed using organic practices in order to protect insects and soil microorganisms. Tilling is also minimized to near zero, which allows the soil to retain life, carbon dioxide capacity, and healthy natural structure. Nutrients are provided by compost and tarped cover crops. Small amounts of organic dry nutrient are amended as necessary. The Farm is New York State Grown & Certified, as well as well as certified in Good Agricultural Practices as of 2021. The Javits Center offers weekly tours via it’s sustainability program, and event organizers, exhibitors and attendees engage with the Farm and Food Forest through roof-to-table meals as well as tours and al fresco events. When there are no events using the space, the farm and terrace become a popular destination for breaks and access to green infrastructure and sunshine for employees to benefit from.

Read the complete article here.