In my thesis draft, I still had not landed on a solid program type. My general concept was localized production at a community scale that served as a link for community members to a better understanding of the energy, waste, and processes that contribute to the production demanded by their current consumption. I hadn’t decided between art or food for my medium by which to achieve this. After more research and discussion, I found that establishing that link in terms of food production has a stronger potential than art production. As of now, I see the main component being the growth, harvest, processing, preservation, sale, and preparation of seasonal fruits and vegetables. The gaol is to produce the majority of the produce in rooftop greenhouses and indoor hydroponic gardens, so that the produce can make a complete cycle of production within the building. While the produce will be the highlight, I would like to include other local food producers that showcase a segment of their production and contribute to the overall understanding of how it is made.
Site Visits:
I had a hard time finding a building type to visit that was similar enough to my program type to inform the program. One program I did stumble upon seems to be a smaller scale model for my intended program. Located in New York, NY, Eli’s Vinegar Factory incorporates various departments including: a bakery, butcher shop, fish market, dairy/cheese, fresh produce, prepared foods, select grocery items, and a cafe all of which sell goods that are for the most part made on the premises. Eli Zabar’s vision for the Vinegar Factory was to get as close as possible to the ingredients being used for production, “He envisioned a unique market where the majority of the products, from soup to doughnuts- including the jelly filling- are made on the premises.” (mission statement, www.elizabar.com) He achieved this through purchasing fresh goods from local farmers, and producing as much as possible from rooftop greenhouses. With all the program elements included Eli’s Vinegar factory encompasses 9,000 square feet of space.
Instead of trying to find a building program that incorporated all of these, I walked around to local public food producers that focus on using local resources. Among many, I went to Ken’s Artisan Bakery, Portobello Restaurant, Paley’s Place, just to get a general feel for the types of programs I want to incorporate and how engaging the spaces are. The next step in site visits will be to visit some of the local urban farms to see their character and begin to explore how this can be incorporated into a building.
Interviews:
I have only been able to complete a few informal interviews at this point. One with a local vegan restaurant owner who buys all produce from local farmers, and incorporates the availability of such produce by creating a menu that highlights seasonal produce, and changes with availability of it.
I also spoke to a farmer from my hometown on the coast of Oregon, who discussed with me the process involved in raising livestock, processing dairy, and growing produce on a small scale.
For more concrete interviews, I will be speaking again with the restaurant owner and farmer, now that my program has solidified more, as well as meeting with local farmers dairies that I plan to visit as well including the Zenger Farm and the 47th Avenue Farm. Hopefully, with more interviews and site visits, I will develop a concrete understanding of the amount of space needed for each programatic function.
Program Draft:
Greenhouse/gardens (ON ROOF) 30,000 sf
-tool/supply storage
-irrigation tanks
-circulation space
-tables for harvest & sundrying
-outdoor sink and counter space
Indoor Hydroponic Garden Space 30,000 sf
-tool/supply storage
-circulation space
-mechanical support
Demonstration Kitchens (4) @ 1,500 sq ft 6,000 sf
-canners
-walk in freezer storage
-food dehydrators
-pantry storage space
Restaurant 2,000 sf
Bakery 1,500 sf
Cafe 1,000 sf
Market (local producers) 20,000 sf
-Dairy section
-Meat section
-Produce section
-Preserves
-mechanical/ storage
Office/ Admin 1,000 sf
Total 91,500 sf
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