This project explores notions of collectivity within a public center, essentially creating an urban living room, dining room, and kitchen, and in the process challenging how we think about food and how it relates to public life in the city. Food and restaurant markets weave throughout the ground floor, serving as an extension of the city street where anyone can feel comfortable to shop for locally-sourced food and goods, enjoy a meal, or connect with their community. Above the markets is a learning center and cooking school to benefit restaurant industry workers, providing jobs within the market hall and education on cooking, entrepreneurship, and workers’ rights. Large atrium spaces reinforce this sense of collectivity, becoming the core public center spaces. This allows for visual transparency between the public below and educational spaces above, encouraging the community to gain a better understanding of the process of getting food onto a plate, as well as recognizing their role in it.
