Cultivating Place: A “Rooted” Design for Canada's New Agricultural Science Centre

1. Reinterpreting the Vernacular

There is an inherent beauty and honesty in the agricultural vernacular. The silo, the barn, the greenhouse—these are forms born of necessity, optimized for storage, ventilation, and growth. Our approach for the design of the Agricultural Science Centre was driven by a desire to reinterpret these familiar forms rather than erase them.

Reuse, Re-work, Recycle: We view the existing site as a resource, not a blank slate. We look to implement the latest in sustainable building practice, while exploring material re-use from old structures such as barns and silos. By adopting these traditional techniques, we can help pass historic skilled trades to future generations.

The Landmark Silos: We believe that meaningful design should provoke curiosity and joy. Applying our philosophy of "playful placemaking," the silos are repurposed from functional storage into vehicles for engagement: a “Lookout Tower” for perspective, a "Digital Silo" for immersion, and a "Silo of Play" for interaction.

2. Architecture as an Ecosystem

We approach these projects with a "landscape led" mindset, where buildings and landscapes work together. We view the building and its context not as separate entities (a building sitting isolated within its "red line" boundary), but as an integrated design with direct relationships with its surroundings.

The Four Fields: Drawing inspiration from the agricultural calendar, we proposed organising the Centre around "four fields." This framework structures the building programme by the natural rhythm of growth and harvest, creating a strong narrative link between the internal spaces and the farmland outside.

Circular Systems: We imagine buildings where waste becomes fuel, and water is continuously recycled; a "living lab" where the mechanical systems are exposed and educational.

3. The "Rooted" Methodology

Our design philosophy, which we call being "Rooted," posits that meaningful places must dig deep before they build up.

In our collaboration with Somerset House on the Rooted exhibition, we explored how soil does more than anchor plants; it is a hidden source of information and history that contextualises everything that grows within it. We apply this same logic to our architectural process.

Community Clusters: Just as a healthy soil system requires diversity, a successful agri-food centre requires a diverse network of stakeholders—farmers, scientists, indigenous voices, and local families. Crucially, we have also prioritised intergenerational engagement, ensuring the design actively invites the participation of youth to safeguard the Centre’s future growth.

Global Thinking, Locally Grounded: We think of the Centre as part of a global network of successful agricultural and food institutions across the world. In Perth, we see an incredible opportunity to forge partnerships that extend far beyond the site boundary. Our goal is to create a “rooted” community cluster that brings together existing local supporters with new, diverse international stakeholders.

4. Beyond the Walls: A Landscape of Invitation

Too often, cultural and scientific institutions feel like fortresses—inaccessible "black boxes" disconnected from their neighbours. We believe a modern Agri-Food Discovery Centre must be the opposite: porous, inviting, and woven into the fabric of the community.

Stitching into the Surroundings: A key design concept of ours is to blur the "red line" boundary. Whether through new pedestrian connections or shared green spaces, the Centre should not sit isolated from its surroundings, but integrated with it, creating a seamless transition between the building and townscape.

Landscape as a Protagonist: Drawing on our experience delivering Mayfield Park—Manchester’s first new public park in 100 years—we know that high-quality public realm is the catalyst for placemaking. For this project, the landscape becomes the main exhibit: It is a space where the turning of the seasons is celebrated, and where nature serves as the common ground for a new destination space.

Unearthing the Future

Ontario's Huron Perth Agricultural Science Centre represents a unique opportunity to explore the relationship between people, land, and technology. It is a project that demands we look beneath the surface; just as biological roots are essential for plant survival, we believe architectural roots are essential for meaningful design.

By exploring history, identity, and belonging, we aim to balance poetry with pragmatism, and innovation with heritage, to create a design that is adapted to its unique environment, much like a native plant system.

In doing so, we create a destination that not only displays the future of food, but—anchored by deep cultural and contextual roots—actively helps grow and further the industry.

We are energized by the opportunity to contribute to this nationally significant cultural centre. To learn more about our work in the agri-food sector, visit our online Food For Thought and Rooted research pieces, or see how we have reimagined London's iconic Smithfield meat market as a new Food Hub for the city.