In association with The University of Arkansas Office for Sustainability/University of Arkansas Resiliency Center
More than 93% of Hawai‛i’s food is imported. Alarming, since Hawai‛i is the remotest inhabited land mass on Earth. Hawaiian grocers have a five-day supply of food sourced from global supply chains, meaning they are fifteen meals away from anarchy. The proposal recalls the need to “think like an island” in building statewide resilience through urban food hubs that serve and empower local food. Community-based food hubs aggregate, process, and distribute product from local growers to wholesale consumers. Not a typical farmer’s market, food hubs incubate resilience through creation of value-added supply chains and a skilled workforce where neither existed. The Food Hub formulates a “missing middle” agricultural infrastructure for community-based food production. The Whitmore complex provides agricultural workforce micro-housing, retail, specialized food business incubation, and cultural tourism. The challenge is to provide inspiring public places for residents and tourists despite that 80% of the complex is devoted to logistics.
Awards
2021 AIA Honor Award for Regional and Urban Design
2019 The Plan Awards: Urban Planning Finalist
2018 AN Best of Design Award for Unbuilt Urban
2018 World Architecture News Award: Shortlist
2018 American Architecture Award
2018 Green GOOD DESIGN Award
2017 WAFX Award Ethics Prize
2017 WAF Award for Master Planning Future: Shortlist
Building Voices Design Competition Citation Award
Client
Hawai‛i Department of Agriculture, Agribusiness Development Corporation