Client is a local non-profit that helps families in Lincoln grow food for themselves and the community. The new Community Food Center, the first of several, is a collecting point for food produced by gardeners throughout the city.

All of the enclosed spaces occupy one large room, sub-dividable for food, work and education. Public meeting space and farmers' market share a multipurpose environment that is sustainable, enjoyable and open to the gardens in the center of a typical neighborhood. The building is a zero-net energy facility with natural light and a cultivated garden roof. The design of the roof and floor are formally similar to the garden plan but result from the optimization of local structural forces.

The Food Center is a community living room for food with a backyard garden.

Jury Comments: A comprehensive urban agriculture proposal that provides an alternative model for land use and architectural infrastructure. The scheme is commendable for being thoroughly researched and rigorously executed.