OMA New York is turning a historic post office in Houston, Texas into a complex featuring arts and music venues, workspaces and "one of the world's largest rooftop parks and farms".
The New York outpost of architecture firm OMA plans to overhaul the city's Barbara Jordan Post Office at 401 Franklin Street into a mixed-use venue for arts. Called POST, the new complex will feature arts and music venues, entertainment spaces, creative workspaces, dining and shops.
Designed for private realty company Lovett Commercial, the transformation aims to preserve as much of the 550,000square-foot (51,096-square metre) building as possible, which was used by the US government from 1936 up until 2014.
OMA will add a huge rooftop park to the historic post office "In a city that is constantly reinventing itself, it is incredible to have an opportunity to transform a building of such solidity and sheer scale," said OMA partner Jason Long in a project statement.
"Lovett's vision to preserve this structure from Houston's past allowed us to design a multi-layered, interconnected platform for the city's cultural and commercial future," he added.
A key feature is the overhaul of the building's rooftop into a garden and sustainable organic urban farm, called Skylawn. Billed as one of the "world's largest rooftop parks and farms", the five-acre (two-hectare) garden will provide 360-degree views of the city's downtown skyline.
It will feature a mix of open spa...