Architects: Terreform ONE
Area: 153 ft²
Year: 2016
Photographs: Mitchell Joachim
Credits: Mitchell Joachim, Maria Aiolova, Felipe Molina, Matthew Tarpley, Melanie Fessel, Jiachen Xu, Lissette Olivares, Cheto Castellano, Shandor Hassan, Christian Hamrick, Ivan Fuentealba, Sung Moon, Kamila Varela, Yucel Guven, Chloe Byrne, Miguel Lantigua-Inoa, Terreform ONE
Sponsor: Art Works for Change
City: Brooklyn
Country: United States
The Cricket Shelter – Modular Insect Farm, designed by Terreform ONE, addresses the need for sustainable food and shelter solutions in regions affected by climate change, conflicts, urbanization, and economic instability. Combining a shelter and a modular insect farm, the structure aims to provide alternative protein sources amid impending food crises, as recommended by the United Nations. In advanced settings, it can be adapted for local insect farming to produce cricket flour for high-quality cuisine, supporting the integration of insect protein into modern diets. The shelter’s modular design uses CNC plywood arches with plastic containers, optimized for solar orientation and airflow. This project serves as a flexible solution for post-disaster scenarios and long-term community support, promoting sustainable food distribution and shelter strategies globally.
The ongoing effects of climate change, armed conflicts, relentless urbanization, and economic instability create a pressing need for a hybrid architectural solution that addresses both food and shelter in distressed regions. This dual-purpose structure combines a shelter with a modular insect farm, designed to tackle future food crises by providing alternative protein sources. As traditional livestock farming becomes unsustainable due to high consumption and resource use, the United Nations has identified insect protein as a key element in resolving global food distribution issues, influencing diets worldwide.
In advanced economies, this farm can provide a sophisticated and highly sanitary method for locally harvesting insects to produce cricket flour for fine cuisine. It also offers a new typology for specialty restaurants, eateries, storehouses, or similar architectural programs. Introducing crickets into the modern American and European diets presents challenges, but there is historical precedent. A few decades ago, Americans were reluctant to eat raw fish, yet sushi became widely accepted after being introduced in a refined and hygienic manner. A similar approach is needed for crickets, focusing on achieving the cleanliness, quality, and purity of the farm-to-table system. With over two billion people already consuming insects daily, it is time to reintroduce them into the diets of the rest of the world.
Raising cattle, pigs, and chickens for meat requires large amounts of fresh water, whereas insect farming typically uses 300 times less water to produce the same amount of protein. This project aims to enhance access to nutrient resources and support local communities, especially in post-disaster scenarios. It also addresses societal upgrading strategies in both developed and developing nations, as the temporary shelter can easily convert into a permanent farming system or eatery once the crisis has passed.
The shelter’s structure is simplified into easily manufactured and replicable components, such as CNC-cut plywood arches with off-the-shelf plastic containers serving as infill surfaces. The current design is further customized to optimize solar orientation, airflow, and internal spatial configurations. A computational model was employed to parametrically align the containers with the archway’s curves. Each container is pre-modified to include ventilation screens, flexible insect sacks, locally controlled louvers, and permeable feeder ports with rotating locking mechanisms. The wind quill ventilation system amplifies the sound of cricket chirping through columns of vibrating air.
The scheme addresses multiple goals, including international hunger solutions, sustainable food distribution, and modular, compact architecture. Designed for areas facing urgent needs now and in the future, this project aims to provide holistic solutions through global cooperation, integrating interdisciplinary knowledge and citizen participation for shelter and subsistence farming. Understanding the physical, social, and cultural contexts of developing regions where food and shelter are critically needed is essential to its approach.
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Project Location
Address: Navy Yard Basin, Brooklyn, New York 11201, United States
Location is for general reference and may represent a city or country, not necessarily a precise address.
