(Agri)Culturing A Community: Using Agricultural Byproducts to Build Neighborhoods
"(Agri)culturing a Community investigates how agricultural waste can be reintroduced into the built environment as both a construction material and a catalyst for civic engagement. Framed as a research-driven design inquiry, the project examines the environmental, spatial, and social implications of transforming crop residues and food waste into architectural systems.
Situated on a 63,000-square-foot industrial site in the Bronx, the proposal operates as a regenerative campus that integrates a food waste recycling facility, biomaterial production spaces, community education programs, and productive farmland. The architectural framework is organized around a retrofitted brick factory, where food waste processing and material fabrication occur in tandem. A community learning center overlaps this industrial core, spatially linking research, production, and public access to foreground transparency in material cycles.
The research component focuses on the development and testing of bio-based composites derived from corn husks, cornstalk leaves, and crushed eggshells sourced from agricultural partners. Through iterative prototyping, material mixing, pressing, and performance observation, these byproducts were evaluated for density, texture, adhesion, and potential architectural application. The resulting composites were translated into cladding panels, pavers, and façade systems, embedding material experimentation directly into the building envelope.
By positioning architecture as both infrastructure and laboratory, the project proposes a closed-loop system in which agricultural residue becomes a local resource for construction. This work contributes to ongoing discussions around circular design, embodied carbon reduction, and community-centered material innovation. Ultimately, the research suggests that agricultural waste can operate not only as a sustainable alternative material, but as a framework for connecting ecological systems, design practice, and public participation."
