Atlanta BeltLine Barn | Urban Farm Shed

The goal was to design a replicable facility to support the Atlanta BeltLine’s Urban Farm initiative and to promote off-grid sustainable design.

The building is self-supporting and does not connect to municipal electric, water, or waste infrastructure.

The structure is Georgia’s first off-grid electrical and off-grid water commercial building. The composting toilet is the first such permitted toilet in a commercial building in Atlanta. The solar photovoltaic array faces due south and is flush-mounted to the roof, and the attached battery bank is sized to provide five days of power.

The challenge was to provide adequate refrigeration, irrigation pumping, and thermal comfort for farmers working on the site via building-integrated renewable energy production and storage. Farm workers can wash their hands and use the restroom in the field, thanks to the on-site well water and composting toilet.

The Introba (formerly Integral Group) team worked with the architect to design a facility that leverages natural ventilation and air movement to enhance thermal comfort. The construction of the building utilized salvaged materials sourced from the deconstructed Lifecycle Building Center.