Dry Dock Greenhouse | 2023

Designer: Paul Lukez, Roni dos Santos, Safia Dziri, Ryan DeLaura, I-Ting Tina Lee, Bailee Maston, Xiao Li, Nathan Rutberg, Brianna Ramey, Jennifer McClain, Matt Bean, Paul Lukez Architecture, Somerville, Massachusetts, USA
Manufacturer: Tierney Development Services LLC., Natick, Massachusetts, USA

Built in 1942, this dry dock is 256 feet long and 67 feet wide with a depth of at least 20 feet, matching the Charlestown Navy Yard’s dry docks. It is currently occupied by a fuel storage station – not very green.

The designers conceive converting the dry dock into a renewable energy showcase to benefit the public: a solar greenhouse farm. A new dam would close off the dry dock as a greenhouse using BIPV panels on its south-facing sides for year-round urban farming or as a botanical garden.

A more agri-voltaic approach could be coupled with redevelopment of this district, creating a farm-to-table experience in which new local restaurants could participate. This concept could thus spark economic development and harvest renewable energy simultaneously.