Nov  13   Eugene Kwak, 
Title: Togather: Striving to bring farm, food, and people together.
Registration HERE: 

Abstract
From years of shopping at farmer’s markets and belonging to a CSA, the Together project was envisioned with an idea to provide a “farm-to-table living” for the city dwellers and support for the local farmers.  In an effort to learn and gain empirical knowledge of the local farms in the Hudson Valley region, the presenter spent multiple years volunteering at farms, attending various workshops, and participating in farming events, while taking an extensive land and tenant farmer search.  This experience helped to broaden the perspective and solidify the greater mission of the project.  Together with the project aims to empower beginning farmers by providing affordable housing and long-term free land lease while sharing the place with the city dwellers, promoting a healthy lifestyle.  The project strives to raise awareness of the challenges in the food system, local farms, farmers, land access, and the discourse around global warming.  The core of the project is the two-family residence, situated on the organic farm, providing a home for the landowner and the farmer family.  The design focuses on the coexistence of the two families represented with interlocking volumes bound by the monolithic outer box.  The concept also emphasizes the shared outdoor space with the landscape that showcases the produce grown in the field.  The project’s environmental and biophilic design seeks to elevate one’s connection to nature through unique visual frames to the exterior, indoor-outdoor living, natural cross-ventilation, and natural lighting.  The tenant, Hidden Acre Farm practices regenerative farming methods, including the hand-pulled tools and no-till operations that build healthy soil and fosters carbon sequestration. During their second season, they are selling their produce at two different markets, Brooklyn Carroll Garden and Barryville Farmers’ market.  Together is an interdisciplinary project, where urban and rural intersect, aims to showcase a prototype for the food system, carbon-neutral environment, and ultimately create a sustainable ecosystem.  

Bio:

Eugene Kwak is a licensed architect and an assistant professor in the Department of Architecture and Construction Management at Farmingdale State College, State University of New York.  He has been running research-based projects, including the most recent project “Togather” which has been featured in the New York Times and Dwell.  “Togather” focuses on the regional food systems, land access, and empowering local farmers through providing affordable housing and long-term free land lease.  His academic research on community gardens as a pedagogical tool for architectural students was presented in the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) annual conference.  During his tenure in the private sector, he focused on technology-based green and sustainable work including the New Housing New York Legacy Project.  Eugene’s entry for the Intersection: Grand Concourse 100 and Reinventing Grand Army Plaza Competition was selected as one of the top 30 proposals to be included in a public exhibition.  He is currently serving as a member of the American Farmland Trust New York Advisory Council.  He has taught architectural design, urban design seminars, and various workshops at Parsons The New School, Pratt Institute, and New York Institute of Technology. Eugene received a Bachelor of Architecture from Carnegie Mellon University and a Master of Science Degree in Architecture and Urban Design from Columbia University.