Contract Magazine - January/February 2018 - 125

Distinguished by a muted
palette, Urban Farming
Market's design features
a central gathering area.

In cities, the demand has increased for fresh,
draperies defining areas while facilitating
locally sourced food offered in settings that are
fluent customer circulation. Passing through
relaxed, hospitable, and nurturing. A sustainable
a succession of spaces, patrons encounter zones
for buying, growing, and harvesting, and
site for urban agriculture in Long Island City,
the central exhibition area offers a leafy respite
New York, designed by Yue DaisyWu offers
within which to gather.
a verdant reprieve from frenzied streetscapes while
As a refuge from the routines of city life,
meeting the diverse needs of multigenerational
the Urban Farming Market proposes an imaginative
groups of city dwellers.
interior that embodies serenity and advocates
"Thinking of New Yorkers' fast-tempo
lifestyles, work-related stress, and intense living
for sustainable, sophisticated living standards.
conditions, I designed a self-sufficient urban
"Urban farming is not just related to growing and
farming market," says DaisyWu, a native of Nanjing,
harvesting, but it also represents a new lifestyle
China. "Teachers can bring their students to learn
and ideology for communities," she says.
about agriculture, and community members
Now a designer at Gensler in Chicago, DaisyWu
can grab dinner and release stress at the farm."
began her career last year as an assistant interior
Developed as her thesis project at the
designer at Wilson Associates in New York. c
New York School of Interior Design, where she
graduated with a master of fine arts degree
in interior design in 2017, DaisyWu's carefully
crafted conceptual scheme-entitled Urban
Farming Market-comprises expressive renderings
characterized by a cohesive and eloquently
hushed palette. The muted, mixed-use space spans
43,500 square feet to provide a calming oasis
that boasts a bespoke aesthetic. Its idyllic
appeal manifests the designer's interests in retail,
workplace, hospitality, and product design.
And the scheme builds on a conceptual collaboration
with the client Foragers, a New York-based
restaurant, grocery market, and wine shop that
sources all of its produce locally. "I chose Foragers
as my client since I agree with their concept and
appreciate their values," DaisyWu says. "They
advocate for people to enjoy a slow-paced life,
which is quite different from the common lifestyle
of New Yorkers, and they focus on cooperating
with local farms."
In addition to reflecting her knowledge of the
lifecycles and growing conditions of suitable crops,
DaisyWu's concept replicates empirical research
carefully collected during visits to community
gardens throughout New York City.
The urban pastoral premise serves
as the primary point of exploration for the design,
taking form in eloquent illustrations of five abstract
senses-serenity, purity, craft, freedom, and
belonging-that are articulated in architectural
language throughout the interior. Natural daylight
floods the Urban Farming Market, and a juxtaposition
of light and shadow abounds, with whisper-thin
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Contract Magazine - January/February 2018

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