SOA: urbanana

‘urbanana’ by SOA architects, paris, france all images courtesy of SOA

in 2012, french practice SOA created the agricultural urbanism lab (LUA) for the study and implementation of agricultural innovation within the fast-growing urban context. ‘urbanana’, wedged between two residential buildings, is an interior garden space devoted to the cultivation of banana species including those no longer available in europe, along with waste management and exhibition area on the ground level. as vegetation matures over a cycle of light and seasons, the interior is free of a conventional flooring system in order to utilize maximum volume and daylight, with only a few bridges providing the necessary access between sections. a metal space frame structure supports the transparent curtain wall that encloses the large void like an enormous greenhouse, independent of the internal construction.

bird’s eye view

artificial lighting

interior growth bridges

section perspective

(left) site plan (right) height diagram

(left) spatial diagram (right) growth diagram