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locavore’s dilemma
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C-1 Studio Locavore’s Dilemma Claudette L’Huillier - 16 weeks
introduction
Nationwide, suburbs struggle with this challenge more than their partner cities. And what’s more, suburbia's future is foreboding if peak oil scenarios are as complex as many experts claim. Rather than developing concepts for new living and eating arrangements, this project focuses on existing patterns of fabric that could support the notion of 'landscaped erasure.' Instead of developing miniature stores a'la suburbia scale, the idea is to remove architecture and give back a more visual connection to landscape, where food originates. To do this, we need a new vernacular altogether. Similar to planting, we use and develop the most ideal architectural DNA and literally graft it, and its program, into the ground. The resultant is a regional hybrid of architecture and landscape led by critical aspects of site, environment, and local culture. This is the next iteration of American vernacular.
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The locavore's dilemma is determining just how far local actually is. ...is is a 100, 50, or 10 miles? How about right in our back yards?
mixing agriculture and suburbia
.38 acre lot x84
leasable yard space
suburb farm
...bringing food close to home
developing locavore culture
concept & diagram Week 1
This studio asks us to reexamine our food chain and to develop LEED accredited architecture along the organizing principles of the Slow Food movement. The movement claims to preserve the cultural cuisine and the associated food plants and seeds, domestic animals, and farming within an ecoregion. We had neither a site nor program assigned to us. We were challenged to define what slow food meant to us individually and then to develop criteria that communicated these values in spatial terms. Less than 1% of the US population has the skill to grow food. We have no idea where anything comes from anymore, and our sense of season (and time) has been significantly blurred. The mission of this project is to reconnect people to the time, place, and culture they inhabit.
waste management rainwater retention site water offices leasable stands leasable event space leasable cooking arenas restaurant entertainment energy harnessing flex roof greenhouses grazing areas 1 - 3 acres 4,000 - 10,000 sf
site + network
Using modular components and a flexible skin, the complex (as either a building or campus) maintains efficiency and gains diversity by its irregular distribution of parts. The brown field site,
potentially reusing existing structures, is situated on the fringes of an urban local near public transit and bicycle paths in order to garnish sustainable site accreditation.
building program Energy harvesting and rainwater retention methods integrate into the building’s matrix to capture both LEED water efficiency and energy & atmosphere points.
x40
x12
x2
siting all forms of environment
An ongoing relationship between people, plants, and animals is synergized by proximation and visual connection. Regular customers subconsciously learn from passive observation while occupants continually experiment and specialize.
courtyards
Interior courtyards perform two key functions. Technically, they improve indoor environment quality by introducing light and natural ventilation which can be controlled by users. Socially, they’re
educational showcases of tiny-lot scenarios demonstrating what a garden, perhaps one potentially similar to your own, can and can’t produce year round.
hybrid scenarios
The arrangement of prototypical archetypes in architecture and their resultant overlap (or lack thereof) is critically examined. The hybridized program attempts to capture innovations & process points. It calls for organicism and chaos allowing users to naturally self regulate while open networks emerge from social critical mass.
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media displays
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YIELD year / month / today BTU harvest / consumption
144’ ...
extending the landscape aqua culture
structural aquifer
30’-0
gravity fed waterworks
section A
15’-0
spatial ideas Week 2 0-0
modern aqueduct interior food wall and grey water
35’ max
day lit spaces
deciduous planting as passive shading
These program diagrams spell out the parts of the building and how architecture relates to natural systems. Each focus on developing the simplest solutions using organic components to address typical architectural challenges such as solar gain, sourcing and distribution of water, cooling, proximity to plants and animals, and urban
north wall
south wall
land use. Permaculture moves us from “how do we make this simpler” to, “do we really need to do this at all?” It moves us beyond sustainability and green textability. I’m increasingly motivated by solutions that develop permanent symbiosis between architecture and ecosystems.
exterior food wall
interior gardens
program
architectural DNA 70% below grade parking
program
3 entrances 200 sf front waiting rear loading fire exit
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trash 50 sf
greenhouses 1500 sf 20 stalls dining seating prep space storage performance stage
program Week 3
We were challenged to develop a program of any kind pertaining to food and service typologies. Put simply, the program is driven by the sun. The idea is to convert light energy into abundant chemical energies that feed everyone’s supply chain— from plants to people. Each of these components have specific requirements which will later be explored. Rather than reading, I chose to talk with real people. First, the issues of the food
and restaurant business are spelled out with the help of chefs and farmers via interviews. Each provided bits of information that are enumerated on the left under the banner of “performance,” to “affordances,” to actual programmatic elements. Early on, I decided to engage real people whose experience and expertise, I thought, could be used to develop a more viable and holistic design solution. Much like LEED, agribusiness is dependant on the establishment of synergy.
livestock barns 1000 sf
miniature goats ducks chickens pigs miniature cows rabbits shared plant/animal office
performance criteria
• 15% passive closed-loop systems (aqua culture, permaculture) • 30% local for daily lunches (arugula, vertical beans, chards, fruit trees) • 80% local for bimonthly events (eggs, meats, cheeses, etc) • 100% local herbs • food @ 22% of overhead • agricultural non-profit (educational programs, outreach & seminar) • 2 farmers (1 plant expert, 1 livestock expert) • education + caterian as primary source of income • less than 5 minutes from public transit
affordances
• garage door walls, open/close for seasonal dining • trash away from exterior dining • barns away from dining • great room near exterior wall & parking • greenhouses @ front and back of house • front entrance & rear loading adjacent to parking • fruit bearing trees (5+ year plan) • 5v0% underground parking • flexible great room space for catering, workshops, film screenings, lectures, food tasting, food events • visually stunning environment • public healing garden
ponds
fish farming
restaurant 900 sf
80 seats 20 seats summer only
gardening plots 1800 sf 5-7 plots varying sf 1 public healing garden
kitchens 800 sf 1 full kitchen 4 1/2 kitchens
4 bathrooms 350 sf
.38 acre lot x84
leasable yard space
suburb farm
2 public 2 private
storage 200
misc. storage food stuffs
great room 400
stage area large screen collapsible seating
parking 5500 sf 40 spaces 4 adag 20 bikes
land use
Where will the project be sited? A more important question is why. More than 80% of U.S. residents live in suburbia. History suggests that there will always be larger populations living among the suburbs, especially now that technology allows us to be in many places at the same time. When crude oil disappears, what will happen to car dependant sub and exurban landscapes? Why not develop pe-
destrian, cycling, railway networks? Or, if they already exist, why not improve them by layering them with civically rich architecture that affords public space? The above diagram demonstrates how home owners are likely to engage with commerce when Victory Gardens reappear after the next global food crisis. Restaurants could flourish from decentralization and localization of resources.
area of site zoning land condition existing buildings T walking distance open space business location foot traffic
Davis T
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Porter Sq.
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2
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dg e
Somerville Path Proposal existing railway existing paths phase one, in construction phase two, in design possible site location
Somerville MA
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possible rehab of existing building
centrally located and minutes away from T may lack strong connection to pedestrian artery
area of site zoning land condition existing buildings T walking distance open space business location foot traffic
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Lechmere
Ask anyone in the real estate business and they’ll tell you that design pales to location. The “build it and they will come” motto worked for the car, but it won’t for a slow economy that promotes alternative means of travel. The criteria for selecting a site seeks to balance the needs of meeting slow industry hopes with commercial logistics (truck delivery, fire lanes, parking, etc). Because the program calls for agribusiness it needs a site oriented in a east-west fashion to capitalize on the sun.
26,900 sf (0.6 acre) commercial paved brown field 0 3 minutes 2000 sf
Boston large site provides ample space for several community gardens
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Instead of attempting to create new pedestrian and cycling routes, a good site would be near existing networks which the new structure would support and build upon. The map above illustrates Boston’s “Bike Boston” initiative. It connects several cities by linking pedestrian paths, cycle routes, and discontinued rail lines. Sites are additionally valued for existing (or previous) zoning bylaws that support light industry and agriculture, sizable lots with arable land, condition of soil, walking distances from public transit, and for their immediate proximity to strong cultural and economic nodes.
pedestrian path maintains a few thousand users a day, why not cater to them?
Community College
50 yards
site criteria Week 4
2 sites slated for development can be consolidated into 1
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ri mb Ca
Minuteman Bikeway Alewife T
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65,980 sf (1.6 acre) commercial, industrial partial paved brown field 1 large + 3 small 5 minutes 13,400 sf
could we put a new commuter stop here?
planned extension of pedestrian path makes an excellent opportunity to develop more fabric that supports network growth...
area of site zoning land condition existing buildings T walking distance open space business location foot traffic
271,600 sf (6.2 acre) industrial unpaved brown field 2 very large 12 minutes 13,500 sf
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65,980 sf (1.6 acre) commercial, industrial partial paved brown field 1 large + 3 small 5 minutes 13,400 sf
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A
area of site zoning land condition existing buildings T walking distance open space business location foot traffic
b
I chose the third site because it fit the criteria the best. What was perhaps most important was the fact that it has exceptional foot traffic that could support new economic activity that this project proposes. Furthermore, it closely resembled the suburban cross section that I was looking for so I thought it would be a good test. 22 sites sites slated slatedfor for One of the advantages that the existing development can be development can be path presents is the fact that it is elevated consolidated consolidatedinto into11 seven feet above the two long parcels that I proposed to develop. This makes it easier, if not possible, to lay a universally accessible ramp down tall enough to give users the ability to see over rooftops, and ultimately, all of Somerville. 120 The two parcels are mostly flat surrounded by 3-story residences and fronted by a few low commercial buildings. It is a very quia et location which is important if I want to Min utem 116 develop pastoral environments. an B ike T rail The parcels are accessed by Willow Avenue which is relatively busy and is commonly pedestrian path used by locals crossing Highland to get to maintains a few B There are three existing thousand users a day, Tufts University. idea is to support this. buildings that are slated for mixed-use development, so the project is hypothetically appropriate for the city’s long range plan. The parcel’s east and west axial orientation is ideal for vegetated landscapes because it get’s more varied light throughout the day which allows farmers and horticulturists the physical ability to develop a diverse ecosystem based on permaculture principles. Wil low Ave nu
e
c
site description
N 100’
view a
red line commercial residential bike path proposed site existing 140,800 sf
an active life
Week 5
Somerville residents enjoy a variety of activities year round. Locals are pushing for more recreational parks and community gardens. Local blogs indicate the need for more cafes to augment the existing two overpopulated cafes in Davis Square. Senior citizens argue that there aren’t enough places to sit along the path and that this prevents them from taking more walks (if any). Small rentable community spaces are in shortage. All of these facts are absorbed into the project and used for generating a more comprehensive program. For example, the project is to include a new small cafe, a few individual parks for dog owners, children, and casual athletes. The project is also going to feature a community garden and a 12,000 square foot civic center with underground parking. Because the project is about Slow Food there will be a restaurant physically linked to greenhouses. This part of Somerville just got that much more active!
view b
section A
100’
building site
section B
view c
landform diagrams Week 5
single bar cut with extruding fingers: greenhouses?
several slices: ramps
double cove cut: a cafe?
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WIND DIRECTION January NE February N
later afternoon summer sun
prim
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ail
ev
pr
ng
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nd
wi
morning summer sun
May S Jun E
ary v
iews
iling
preva
July SE
s
wind
August SE September E
58,648
prim
ary v
Wil low
Ave nu e
82,136
later afternoon winter sun
March N April S
iews
morning winter sun
October NE
November NE December N
site strategy Week 6
is long enough to accommodate a hill tall enough get people over the rooftops (+/38’). Based on existing conditions of the site, I was interested in creating new connections from the North side of the site in order to better integrate the neighborhood into the project. New building locations would work with, or against, prevailing winds, thereby creating good pollination fields or blocking cold winter winds. Lastly, Willow Avenue would be activated by a new commercial strip that could be for either shopping or dining.
Two initial ideas emerged early in the design process. The first was to create a strong center along the bike path and the second was to create artificial landforms that afforded all users the opportunity to see over residential homes. The center would be a place for people to gather, a place that literally slowed pedestrian traffic down. The landforms would behave as extensions of the ground plane, like artificial hills that would become natural ecosystems over time. They would also house all forms of architectural program (resturant, civic center, cafe, parking, etc). Fortunately, the site
Views To Site Views From Site
38’
Prevailing Winds
midday sun
New Connection Commercial Winter
origin
144’ ...
Residential Bike Path Existing buildings
prim
ary v
iews
Pollination fields Tree Wall Summer
Proposed
A
B
100’
section B
building site
plan : Minuteman Trail
elevation : A
summer
winter
section A
? section concept : B
main entry for underground parking (public and private)
extension of landscape mech management
East entry into community shopping center
rainwater retention
south-east ramp leading towards restauzrant
offices
public gardens as part of “Friends of Path” group
commercial
main ramp leading to second level view platform
restaurant
theater for public or private functions small community school adjacent to farm main 12, 000 square feet grocery store on level one. family playground with children’s jungle gym main viewing platform elevation @ 38’-0” small dog park with fencing around edge southern bio-swale with fruit bearing and coniferous trees
underground parking leasable stands leasable cooking arenas entertainment energy harnessing flex roof greenhouses community gardens
process Week 8 The design process was an iterative one
based mostly in building physical models. I built, tore apart, and rebuilt several models for this project, in contrast to previous studios where the main communication tool was drawing. I moved between foam and paper models in leiu of CAD and SketchUp. As a result, there are few floor plans, instead, the project is understood spatially, which is appropriate considering how the project was conceived. Our final did no
norther bio-swale with deciduous planting only origami structural bay main north-west entry leading into grocery store secondary ramp leading into northwest entry or neighborhood existing Minuteman Trail connecting Cedar and Davis
early study models
require floor plans if we were capable of realizing all our intentions in three dimensions. To the left, an early model explores the relationship between civic center, bioswale, central park, and cafe. Directly below, a large 1/8” model explores the tectonic strength of an origami structure and demonstrates the ability to support large volumes of weight (such as fully matured trees above a building).
existing Minuteman Trail connecting Cedar and Davis
new 12,000 sf Civic Center new bioswales to mitigate run-off
deciduous shading new street connecting existing residences new underground parking for 75 vehicles + 30 bicycles new road connecting to neighborhood, drop off for Civic Center.
burmed earth as new ramps
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second level ramp housing mechanical functions
new ramp down to parking
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new bioswales to mitigate run-off
public vegetable and grape wall
new 1000 sf cafe with views to new farm new ramp as fence and look-out for farm
3 1 acre of privately operated farming
12,000 sf greenhouse connected to restaurant
performance seating
community greenhouse space
new restaurant garden
dining roof deck over restaurant (elevator) clerestory over restaurant kitchen south facing food wall around restaurant kitchen
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5
new community garden with 6 large sub dividable parcels
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pedestrian experience
The plan from above suggests haphazard decision making, however this is far from true. All design decisions were made from the lower vantage point of the pedestrian, as illustrated below. I was much more interested in developing a plan based on a pedestrian experience with high levels of visibility and intuitive spatial wayfinding. The image below captures the view that thousands of people experience every day as they walk towards the T, to work, or to Davis Square respectively. One can see all elements in the program as soon as they set foot on the site. Starting left on the image below, the restaurant, the plaza, community garden, ramp leading over the cafe, the cafe, the center parks, a ramp leading over the civic center, the civic center, the ramp leading towards parking, and so on.
final model
Four models above explore program and its relationship to site. The large ‘banana’ denotes the new artificial hill that would ultimately be landscaped with the support of origami structure. It lives on the northmost portion of the site so that it doesn’t block light to it’s neighboring farm or public gardens. The other elements represent a restaurant, a cafe, and several greenhouses which would ultimately be simplified into one.
structure Week 12
In order for “the hill” to feel like a hill, it needed to be landscape with the ability to grow mature trees. Sans steel, how can this be achieved? I proposed a new structural idea by combining concrete panels in an origami fashion which would create large basins for soil. They literally act like enormous potting beds. Interestingly, hollow cones in the center (a by-product of this concept) would allow natural light to filter down the spine of the building.
active edges
This project attempts to activate all edges, both pedestrian and vehicular. Because the site is slightly buried inside a neighborhood and off the ‘driven path’ so to speak, it needs to have strong curb appeal closest to Highland Ave. A large grape wall covering the restaurant kitchen, colored plate glass, and generous curb cuts help draw attention to drivers around Davis Square who might otherwise overlook this corner.
visual connectivity
This is what it feels like to eat at the restaurant. Early in the design process I grappled with the idea of teaching Slow Food to end users. Education was one of the vague program requirements given to us in the beginning. It’s too easy to denote “classroom” on a floor plan and tell yourself “there, I’ve incorporated education into my concept.” This project touts no such thing (although there are several spaces where workshops have been provisioned for). Instead, I was interested in developing an architectural
living arrangement that provided daily opportunities for everyone to learn from in a more subtle way. The connection to food and living systems is made clear visually. Locals learn what is in season by simply walking around and eating from public food walls. Meanwhile, the farm, community garden, and greenhouse is visibly accessible to all who visit the site for social, commercial, or leisurely purposes.
food production
Landscape is the heart of this project. It’s basically one large quilt covering several programmatic elements. Akin to hand made quilt-work, each patch is a unique piece of fabric that expresses a different pattern, a different shape, perhaps a different place in time. Each expand on the notion of diversity. This project is intensely diverse because it has food production happening on varying scales year round. Below right, a greenhouse running east-west and north-south (for nuanced plant lighting requirements)
is sunken into the landscape. It takes advantage of geothermal heat and extends its growing season an additional four months in our cold New England climate. Adjacent, a one acre farm takes advantage of slope and borrows from all the building’s run-off. To keep people out physically and “in” visually, an earthen ramp is built over a cafe. It, like all other architectural componenvts, is oriented and placed to capture vistas. Here, cafe users casually witness the budding of locally grown fruit and vegetables.