POND TO TABLE

Situated in Syracuse, NY adjacent to a major shopping mall and a municipal waste management plant, Pond to Table reclaims industrial land to establish a sanctuary for food health and environmental education. The form is inspired by the structural logic and visual rhythm of both a fish skeleton and the infrastructure used by the Onondaga Nation who historically inhabited the site and practiced ecosystem-based agriculture. The mass timber framework serves as both structure and active agricultural infrastructure, with modular bays that house staggered urban farming systems - including hydroponics, aeroponics, and aquaponics. By intertwining the ritual of food production with public life, the timber grid organizes an interlocking journey through cooking class kitchens, a farm-to-table restaurant, and an active Tilapia aquaponic pond, resulting in an inclusive civic space which challenges a traditional urban farm program.