This space will be so much more than a place to grow food - it will be a site that brings together elders and youth around community health and wellness.
– Lauren Shweder Biel

SHoP Architects has designed an urban farm and cultural hub for Washington, DC, that is aimed at providing an economic driver, a community resource and a space for events.

The Well at Oxon Run is being created for local food justice organisation DC Greens, which sourced a new location following the closure of another urban farm it was running in 2018.

It will see the transformation of an underutilised 50,000sq ft (4,650sq m) area in the city's Oxon Run Park, with the aim of creating a "community oasis".

The farm will have enough space to grow up to 150 varieties of fresh produce, herbs and edible flowers for community use.

Among its features will be vegetable beds, a fence-line farm stand, an orchard and pick-your-own flower gardens,

Among the cultural features will be a library, locally created artworks and a classroom for educational programmes, summer camps and field trips.

There will also be a "memory forest" for DC residents who have been lost to gun violence and a public space called The Porch will provide a place for people to gather and to host events.

Lauren Shweder Biel, executive director of DC Greens, said: "This space will be so much more than a place to grow food - it will be a site that brings together elders and youth around community health and wellness. What we’re collectively building here is a hub for artistic expression, cultural transmission, and community connectedness."

A capital campaign has been launched to support construction of the facility and DC Greens is planning to launch the first growing season in mid-to-late 2020.