Undergraduate Thesis (North Charleston, South Carolina) by Caitlin Hutton

FOOD CONNECTION GROWING A COMMUNITY

SENIOR THESIS CAITLIN HUTTON Pennsylvania State University B.Arch 2014

TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT AND THESIS STATEMENT RESEARCH

Area of Focus Summary Literature Review Questions/Theoretical Issues Raised Architectural Issues Architectural Precedents

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SITE AND CONTEXT ANALYSIS

PROGRAM

FINAL DESIGN PROJECT

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Annotated Aerial Photos or Maps of Site Site Documentation Site Studies Site Parameters

Program Type, Description, and Assesment Programmatic Elements and Interrelationships Graphic Representation of Program

Project Parameters Studies or devices revealing archetectonic Ideas Site Plan Site Sections Building Plans and Sections

ABSTRACT American socioeconomic segregation is a multi-dimensional problem and its relationship to American health is becoming more apparent. The privatization of food production and agriculture “agribusiness” has changed the nature of food distribution and is slowly poisoning the nation. A fixation on efficiency born of the industrial age and the ‘American dream’ that luxury is having immediate and available resources at all times has distorted the mental and physical health of our country. Suburban sprawl is both a side effect of this American dream, and a symptom of the compartmentalization that occurs naturally with socioeconomic segregation. We settle where we can afford to live, and suburbia has provided the middle and upper class with an ideal means to this very American Dream. Unfortunately, the architecture of this dream filters out processes that are essential to life: food growth, harvest, and preparation. This project is an attempt to re-introduce a healthy way of life into the architecture of developments that need it most. Across the country pockets of poverty that have been created by suburban sprawl as a result of socioeconomic segregation they are becoming the most unhealthy places to live in America. These cities, or satellite towns, are being passed over by healthy food distribution options because the general thought is that there isn’t a market for it. This is creating food deserts across America. A food desert is a residential area that does not have access to healthy food options within walking distance. These are often poor communities where there isn’t a market for high-end organics like Wholefoods or Trader Joe’s, and where the majority of citizens rely on public transportation. What has sprung up in place of adequate grocery stores are fast food chains, and convenience stores—the epitome of processed foods rich in empty carbohydrates, sodium, and sugar. Cheap, addictive, and unhealthy, these options are sometimes all a city has. Grocery store chains are private corporations and as such will go where they believe they can make the most money. Economic circumstances widen the gap between the upper and lower class both in living conditions, and access to a healthy diet. People in poverty are being victimized by the rules of development. As Wendell Berry, American novelist and environmental activist, points out that “The only escape from this destiny of victimization has been to ‘succeed’ –that is to ‘make it’ into the class of the exploiters, and then to remain so specialized and so ‘mobile’ as to be unconscious of the effects of one’s life or livelihood.” (Berry 5) This is compartmentalization at its worst. It is the fostering of willful ignorance on the part of the corporations (agribusiness, and their outlet chains) that leaves low income American’s in the lurch. What is missing is an infrastructure of community based food distribution. This localized approach is not only more environmentally sustainable, but healthier for those who participate. In places that qualify as food deserts, there is a lack of infrastructure, and more notably architecture, to support the local food systems that could bring these dying towns back to life.

ABSTRACT THESIS STATEMENT

Socioeconomic segregation is affecting American health and wellbeing, specifically pertaining to the overwhelming lack of architecture that enables access to nutrition and exercise. Architecture can break down the compartmentalization of food distribution that has lead to the over processing of food, and the environmentally detrimental agribusiness model by localizing access to organic food, educating by example, creating a sense of ownership of this process within the community, and encouraging physical interaction.

North Charleston, South Carolina is a prime example of the food crisis in America. Surrounded by upper and middle class suburbs and tourist attractions, North Charleston has been somewhat overlooked. The bleakness is staggering in comparison to the vibrant atmosphere of downtown Charleston. North Charleston meets eleven standardized indicators of a food desert as set up by the United States Department of Agriculture. Of the 33,000 people living in the area, 19,500 (over half) have limited or no access to grocery stores. Since the closing of the Food Lion on Remount Road last year and the popular Winn Dixie in 2005, residents of North Charleston have had to make do with corner stores, gas stations, and a downsized Save-A-Lot (on the corner of Rivers Avenue and Durant Avenue) for their dietary needs. Charleston County’s Lowcountry Food bank has reached out to schools in North Charleston to implement a Backpack Buddy program (a backpack of fresh vegetables and fruit totalling at three pounds sent home weekly with one child per family) to subsidize the lack of nutrition, but when school lets out, parents are at a loss. Fast food chains like McDonalds and Taco Bell have taken hold, but proper grocery stores have not. Like many suburb satellites, the aesthetic of North Charleston is disturbingly barren. Pavement has overtaken “The Neck” a strip of empty lots, small businesses, derelict building, and small neighborhoods that make up North Charleston and connects downtown Charleston to the Charleston Navy Yard and the Charleston International Airport (North of North Charleston). Surroundings like this are not only detrimental to physical health, but also mental health. The architecture in North Charleston encourages a limited sense of place—a limited sense of community or ownership. Additionally, when twenty minutes south you find the dynamic cultural mecca that is downtown Charleston, the aesthetic of North Charleston becomes that much more depressing. When you consider the belief that “For most people, it is probably not the architecture that turns a physical locale into a well-loved place; it is more often the remembrance of human interaction that helps us to claim it.” One has to wonder the role architecture can play in the health of a community. Ronald Lee Fleming, author of The Art of Placemaking continues to point out that “…a good physical design should aid that [human] interaction, but, ultimately, it is the recollection of patterns of life lived in a particular building or space that creates the ‘cornerstones’ of mental association and gives such places the patina of affection.” (Fleming 14) I believe that without architecture there is no place to cultivate a sense of. Interaction is surely the driving force behind our cinematic memories, however no interaction can be played out without a set—a backdrop. Context is an inextricable component of memory making, of place making, and it inspires the direction of those playing within it. Create a place worth growing in and caring for, and you will have created a sustainable healthy community. When we think of luxury or success, we think of money and the superfluous conveniences it affords. Success usually comes at a negative cost to those less fortunate, and while this is the nature of capitalism and arguably the nature of human kind, it often leaves the impoverished and disadvantaged overlooked. When it comes to food production, companies are making money by supplying Americans with a false sense of convenience. We aren’t aware of the process so we aren’t aware of the risks to both our environment and our personal health. As Berry states in The Unsettling of America the fundamental issue is that, “The growth of the exploiters’ revolution on this continent has been accompanied by the growth of the idea that work is beneath human dignity, particularly any form of hand work.” (Berry 12) Meaning that the more we accelerate toward an efficient, mechanized, compartmentalized society, the more problems we are creating for people already at a disadvantage. Cheaper production makes for cheaper food, but the quality is sub-par. We are widening the gap between rich and poor, which unfortunately, is directly linked to dietary health. The obesity rates in poor urban systems are frighteningly higher than those more affluent. According to 2010 Census data North Charleston is the third fattest city in South Carolina, largely due to the food desert factor. Obesity and heart disease are the two most quickly increasing illnesses in America. They are a direct side effect of our increasing dependence on agribusiness, which in turn is a direct result of a desire for more product at lower cost and lower quality.

RESEARCH

The above map shows the distribution of race in the Charleston area. To the left is a map showing the distribution of wealth (North Charleston is within the bold black outline). When you compare the maps, you can see that there is a direct correlation between race and wealth distribution. That combined with the fact that according to 2010 Census data, North Charleston is the third fattest city in South Carolina, is a fairly accurate depiction of what is happening more and more across America.

AFFORDABLE FOOD OPTIONS

AFFECTED NEIGHBORHOODS

MAJOR COMMERCE

SITE AND CONTEXT ANALYSIS MACRO STRATEGY The maps to the left depict the available fast food and corner stores in and around the North Charleston area, as well as the layout of neighborhoods, and plot that could be converted into urban grow sites. The colored portion is the extent of “The Neck” which is the area affected by the food desert crisis. There is only one grocery store option in this area, a ‘Save-A-Lot’ which neither has the volume or variety to properly feed a community. The surrounding communities have a much higher concentration of food options than North Charleston does. The black and white areas are accesible from the Neck by vehicle only (if you are carrying groceries) which is why the color saturated portion of the map constitutes a food desert.

URBAN GROW PLOTS

Downtown Charleston has a very specific and regulated look, It is full of history and color, and texture. The Charleston style home is an iconic southern style. This area of the state is among the most expensive, and the most frequently visited. Many people from North Charleston work here but cannot afford to live, or participate here. As you move north on either King Street or Meeting Street, the paths converge to form Rivers Avenue. This is the transition between downtown and North Charleston. This barren food desert is â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;The Neckâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;.

SITE AND CONTEXT ANALYSIS A marketplace is a lasting feature of thriving communities. The Charleston City Market, in the downtown area is a prime example of commercial success. It has been a popular tourist attraction since 1807. I hope to drawn on that success and bring a marketplace to North Charleston. Many of the craftspeople and vendors that service the downtown market are residents of â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;The Neckâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. This project will provide a more accessible local for these talented people to sell their goods. The mobile market component of this project, which is made possible by the currently abandoned railway system, would be able to move people and goods from the Charleston port at the very southern end of the peninsula, all the way to Shipwatch Square and on to the airport. Stopping along the way at the various urban grow plots I have previously identified. Bringing the texture and color of the downtown area into the North Charleston Food Connection will be essential. The culture is thick whithin the peninsula. Vibrant paint reflects the vibrance and character of the locals. The architctural aesthetic of North Charleston, however, does not refect this depth of character. Like the sweetgrass baskets that have come from generations of local artisans, I intend to weave color, livliness, and culture into the buildings at the Food Connection. Combined with the strength and creativity of these South Carolinians, a strong and united community will grow.

HISTORIC RAINBOW ROW

My first impressions of the former Shipwatch Square were that it was full of extreme contrasts that somehow lived in harmony. The barren nature of the lot was offset by the vast and vibrant sky above. I made this collage to capture the essence of what I saw there. To the right is an 11 x 17 fabric collage with oil pastels and black sand. The fabric is representational of the layers of activity, of people passing through the site, that go unnoticed unless you are looking for them.

SITE AND CONTEXT ANALYSIS

These fabric collages and this oil pastel and pencil drawing are representations of the foot and bicycle traffic that I observed while studying the site. Many people used the empty lot as a thoroughfare. The site is located between the Naval Base (which now houses many offices) the Chicora-Cherokee Neighborhood, three smaller neighborhoods, the North Charleston Public Library, a pawn shop, and fast food. After studying the site it became clear to me that since so many people cut through the lot that I would need to address these invisible paths and incorporate them into the design. The yellow dots on this map indicate walkable destinations, neighborhoods, the navy yard, the waterfront park, etc. and the red dots indicate the railaway system that I propose as a mobile market and transportation vein to bring people from downtown Charleston to the North Charleston Food Connection and to the airport or shopping center up north.

SITE AND CONTEXT ANALYSIS

My plan is a multi-dimensional approach. First, I plan to bring nature back to North Charleston—the color, the texture, the smell. Drawing upon the visual success of downtown Charleston and other surrounding areas will help connect the neck to its neighbors and will draw more people. This can be done architecturally through an urban design approach, a network of green space, play space, and gardens, that connect the community to a food storage facility, and an event and art space. To improve the health of North Charleston and inspire longevity we must move in a new direction. Thus, as stated in Developing Sustainable Planned Communities, “A primary attribute of a sustainable community is a rational and robust green infrastructure, a network of open spaces consisting of both natural lands and the constructed public realm…” If North Charleston is going to attract growth and development it needs to start with aesthetic changes. Bringing nature back to the Neck region will provide an opportunity for not only an aesthetic upgrade, but a platform for urban farming. It is important to note that “…The green infrastructure concept differs from a traditional city park and recreation system in three ways: it emphasizes ecology not just recreation; it becomes part of a larger regional system; and it provides a framework to guide growth and urban form at the community and neighborhood levels.” (Franko 45) In order to develop a dialogue with surrounding local farms, and the surrounding communities in West Ashley, Charleston, Mt. Pleasant, and James Island, there has to be a draw, an appealing change in the look and feel of North Charleston. A local network will enable growth of dietary resources, and will begin to deconstruct the food desert problem. This green strategy must be implemented in conjunction with a development of spaces to educate people about food growth and preparation, food storage spaces, and spaces for the arts.

SHIPWATCH SQUARE

Sweetgrass basket weaving is a Charleston Skills passed down of Charlestonians are coveted by tourists. Many through North Charleston residents travel downtown to sell their products. The North Charleston Food would a more local outpost for this commercial opportunity.

Marion Square in downtown Charleston hosts a Saturday morning Farmer’s Market seven month out of the year. It’s a fun of fresh produce, music, and art. Food trucks and Community Supported Agriculture in The North Chareleston Food Connec(CSA) programs are would achieve this atmosphere with a higher level of permanance and

Local food are primarily grain and seafood based. The Gullah people who’s ancestry is deeply rooted in the Charleston area have a colorthat has grown out of access to South Carolina’s vegful food The vibrance of these signature ingredients is in both the people and the landscape that nurture them. The Food will help with the food and land North Charleston’s

You can construct all you want but there has to be a motive, a social draw, or it is just another useless space. “To cure the condition of ‘dead space that tells no tales,’ some designers and urbanists have put an emphasis on the configuration of uses. This is one good idea, but standing alone it is not placemaking as we have defined it.” Food deserts are made because corporations don’t want to invest in places they don’t think will yield a profit (pockets of poverty) especially if there are better more profitable prospect in the geographical vicinity. However, this is the corporate model that I mentioned earlier. Outside forces deciding the fate of a city or town that is without the resources to change their own destiny. To fix this architectural and socioeconomic problem, we have to remember that “Places resonate because they have meaning, and certainly the layering of activity can generate more meaning over time. While use configuration is critically important to the vitality of a locale, placemaking requires deeper research into the meanings of space, and then more interation between several design principles.” (Fleming 19) North Charleston has a bad reputation through no fault of its own. Countless cities across America are in the same position, Washington D.C., Baton Rouge, etc. A food desert is combatable, and is also an opportunity to start from the inside out and grown a local system of food supply.

PROGRAM

TRANSVERSE SECTION 1/8” = 1’

The poorly made or abandoned architecture in impoverished areas is often an agent that perpetuates the unfortunate aesthetic. The lack of funding is evident, and traversing North Charleston and its dearth of dietary adequacy makes clear the fact that the people are as unhealthy as the economy. One strategy that can be helpful and relatively inexpensive is green space. Growing a community is like cultivating a garden, and adding green space encourages healthier living. We have seen that “Sustainable communities link citizens to nature and to one another to create more healthy and vital neighborhoods. And they involve residents in community governance and environmental stewardship.” (Franko 7) Community gardens require teamwork, dedication, time, and education. Clay Hampton, a resident of North Charleston started the city’s only community Garden in 2008 but has had trouble getting fellow community members involved. This lack of involvement is partially due to a lack of education. In an interview with the Charleston City Paper in 2011, 69-yearold Hampton observed that many people in Charleston had “…never seen an earthworm.” Let alone had the proper training to participate in gardening. TRANSVERSE SECTION 1/8” = 1’

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Clay Hampton Photo courtesy of Adam Chandler

FARMER’S MARKET (Marion Square Sunday Market, Downtown Charleston)

MOBILE MARKET (Railway that will be converted to transport people and goods)

Ideally, this is where architecture can intervene—at the intersection of facility and education. The question for me becomes; how do you create an environment that will draw people in, excite them, and then educate them? You have to start from within, from the ground up. Lack of education, resources, and infrastructure are holding North Charleston back and are keeping citizens trapped in a cycle of poverty and poor health. “Many experts believe that, after location, the primary determinant of how a community changes the environment is its fundamental physical form and the interaction between its internal components.” (Franko 47) It is evident that the economic disparity is the primary cause of the health imbalance, however, there are a few basic and vital holes in the urban context, the most important being the lack of a viable food source, that can be targeted architecturally.

A key ingredient to successfully creating a new food environment, to turning the existing food desert into an oasis, is involvement. Citizens of North Charleston, as well as the surrounding communities need to feel drawn to this place. They need to feel like they can relate to it. In The Art of Placemaking, Interpreting Community Through Public Art and Urban Design, author Ronald Lee Fleming postulates that “No place is unimportant to the people whose memories dwell there. Recovering those memories, and recharging them in the imagination, can combine the energies of the artist and the historian, the folklorist and the artisan, the poet and the storyteller.” (Fleming 16) The look and feel of a place can boost moral and overall mental health if it reflects the values and culture and art of said community. So to draw people in, you need to build a community with art and culture and history. You need to imagine a place that already exists around and between residents as a verbal and mental history, and you need to articulate it physically.

A Gullah Christmas -Jonathan Green

It’s important for this architectural solution to have an art component. North Charleston is rich with artists and artisans. Most of them work in downtown or bring their products like basket weaving, jewelry, etc. to the Charleston City Market on Meeting Street which is one of the two main drags that North Charleston’s Rivers Avenue turns into when you venture far enough south on the peninsula. However, if downtown has as enviable historic appeal, what’s to say people will have any interest in the Neck area? It is entirely evident that “The question in the art of place making today is how to build the armature of mental associations into a sustainable narrative that enriches sites and helps make them memorable.” Especially when there is a viable alternative in close proximity. Architecture could shift some of the cultural focus and with it the economy (thanks to booming tourism) but this has to start with local artists, musicians, craftspeople investing their time and ultimately their money in North Charleston. Downtown Charleston has a deep historical context but it is populated and represented primarily by wealthy white southerners. North Charleston is a predominantly black city, with a connection to the southern end of the peninsula, but in a very different way than those who can still afford to live downtown. Therefore, for North Charleston, I must approach design as “…the capacity of the tangible physical environment to live on in the mind that is so fundamental to the art of place making. Just as memory can nourish place, so imagination can reinvigorate it and extend its resonance. [I need] to leave pegs for the imagination to hang on so that each generation can regenerate and reinterpret the meaning for their own time.” (Fleming 17) Art is history and emotion and culture. This is what drives a body of people, and this is what can drive North Charleston in a new direction. The urban context of the city can be changed, but there needs to be an element or elements of art to draw people in and to inspire them to change or to help.

PROGRAM SITE [585,000 ft2] PROGRAM [166,000 ft2] - Mobile Market/Train Station [48,000 ft2] - Farmer’s/Artisan’s Market [32,000 ft2] - Restaurant and Café [27,000 ft2] - Teaching Kitchen [7,000 ft2] - Community Center [4,000 ft2] - Greenhouse [7,000 ft2] - Community Gardens [41,000 ft2]

This is a map of local farms within 160 miles of North Charleston. These are the resources that this project would collaborate to bring into North Charleston. Many CSA programs (Community Supported Agriculture) work because they develop a relationship of give and take with customers. A participant will invest reasonable amounts of time and money into the crop, and reap the rewards. It’s a small business investment situation. If a person is involved in the process of growing they are more likely to eat said food, which is organic and consequently healthier. CSA programs are usually only for organic produce, but some of the farms on the map produce animal products. Developing a relationship with your food and finding out where it comes from is essential for sustainable living. Developing a relationship with your provider, your farmer, is also very important. It is not a new concept that “…the idea that as many as possible should share in the ownership of the land and thus be bound to it by economic interest, by the investment of love and work, by family loyalty, by memory and tradition.” (Berry 13)In fact it is older and more sustainable than anything we have today. Farming is a community activity, and connections will undoubtedly be made through a CSA, food co-op, or Farmer’s Market. This helps create a foundation for sustainable living. By living through good food, and positive social connection, a person can improve their health greatly. This project will have a food co-op component, it will be a hub for local Farmers to store and distribute their organic produce. There will also be a marketplace component that will service both a need for food, and a need for artisan sales. It is also important that the building teach visitors about where the food is coming from, and how to prepare it, and what to look for as healthy options. This will not be classrooms with teachers, the building itself must teach because the building must be the agent of change. Of the adult population in Charleston County, 54% of the Black population do not meet the physical activity recommendation as opposed to the lesser but still frightening 49.2% of the White population. 18.3% of White citizens are obese, and 32.5% of Black citizens are obese. The most shocking collection of data is that 80.6% of Black citizens, and 77.7% of White citizens do not meet the fruit and vegetable recommendation. Diabetes is the leading seventh leading cause of death in Charleston County, so it is troublesome that there are also more low-income obese children in Charleston County alone than there are in the entire state of South Carolina. In 2010, more than 74% of people in South Carolina that had diabetes also had hypertension and 67% had high cholesterol. This data correlates with the amount of fast food, processed, high sodium, empty calorie food that is most available in the Charleston area. (Data from the 2010 Charleston County Profile of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity)

PROGRAM ACTION PLAN RECRUIT PARTICIPANTS CLAY HAMPTON [Community Garden on Spruill Hill, Chicora Cherokee] REVERAND BILL STANFIELD [CEO of Metanoia] MICHAEL BROWN [City Councilman] KIETH SUMMEY [North Charleston Mayor] DEB LOESEL [Programs manager at Lowcountry Food Bank] THE SUSTAINABLE WAREHOUSE [rebecca@thecuctainablewarehouse.org] This diagram represents the network approach to the program that my project will implement. Each aspect of the program is spread out (presumably over the various empty lots I have identified) and are connected by green space.

DETERMIN GOALS BRING HEALTHIER LIVING TO NORTH CHARLESTON THROUGH ARCHITECTURE BODY [Healthy food source, local/cheap food source, play spaces, community garden] MIND [Educate people about healthy food and exercize practices, platform for community comversations] SOUL [Bring back the green/color to North Charleston, bring back play spaces, platform for the arts]

FINAL DESIGN PROJECT This preliminary storyboard that takes you through the site. The linear nature of the roof structures and the garden patches and paths evoke an aesthetic similar to that of woven sweetgrass baskets. The roof will be extended to unify the buildings and bring connectivity to the site. As you arrive either from the train station or Rivers Avenue you will experience the site as a progression. From growth at the greenhouse, to cooking and harvesting skills at the teaching kitchen and community center, to tasting at the restaurant and finally selling at the marketplace. You will have a comprehensive and emmersive experience in a community based healthy food system. This will truly be a place of growth both physically but mentally and spiritually as well.

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The circular graph above is a result of my findings regarding seasonal growth in the Charleston area. It shows a monthly distribution of what grows when, in a visual way. From this I was able to see how to distribute plots in the community garden on the site so that for all months of the year there will be an even distribution of growth and a year round aesthetic of natural coloring. I used the program Climate Consultant to evaluate yearly daylight and temperature patterns in the Charleston, South Carolina area. This helped drive the design of the greenhouse and growth plots. The roof design is a product of this research.

FINAL DESIGN PROJECT

These watercolor diagrams show what crops grow during each month of the year. The rederings depict the change in color throughout the site over the course of a year. I divided the plots in a way that keeps the Food Connection lively and colorful at all times.

FINAL DESIGN PROJECT

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GROUND FLOOR 1/16” = 1’

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FINAL DESIGN PROJECT ROOF/SITE PLAN 1/16” = 1’

WATER COLLECTION: The roof system not only shades the site below it, but offers an additional topography above ground. Water collects in a barrier below the driftwood cladding, and runs basins hidden within certain wall pieces. It is then distrubuted via gravity to the plants that line the rooftop or ground level pathways. This is a simple yet necessary strategy for collection water during South Carolina’s notorious coastal storms. As a predominantly flat peninsula, Charleston is prone to flooding. Vegetation thrives in the damp climate, and also protects the area from flood waters.

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It was very important to design the buildings around the natural axis/paths of circulation between North Charleston neighborhoods. It was just as important to align the designed programmatic elements with a natural counterpart. For example, the community center is across from the playground, the Restaurant is across from the park, and the Artisan market is across from the sculpture garden. Visual and physical enfilades connect the program in a linear progression. From the growth of food, to the education, the act of eating, and finally the selling of food products, the program connects the people to this essential process.

FINAL DESIGN PROJECT GROW

LEARN/COOK

EAT

SELL

DISTRIBUTE

TRANSVERSE SECTION 1/8” = 1’

COMMUNITY GARDENS

41,000 ft

2SHIPWATCH

SQUARE

GREENHOUSES

RESTAURANT AND BAR

7,000 ft

27,000 ft2

TEACHING KITCHEN

LOCALLY DRIVEN

Marion Square in downtown Charleston hosts a Saturday morning Farmer’s Market seven month out of the year. It’s a fun of fresh produce, music, and art. Food trucks and Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) programs are in The North Chareleston Food Connecwould achieve this atmosphere with a higher level of permanance and

7,000 ft2

Local food are primarily grain and seafood based. The Gullah people who’s ancestry is deeply rooted in the Charleston area have a colorful food that has grown out of access to South Carolina’s vegThe vibrance of these signature ingredients is in both the people and the landscape that nurture them. The Food will help North Charleston’s with the food and land

COMMUNITY CENTER 4,000 ft2

FARMER’S AND ARTISAN’S MARKET

MOBILE MARKET/TRAIN STATION

32,000 ft

48,000 ft2

COMMERCIALLY SUPPORTED

FINAL DESIGN PROJECT

The walls will be concrete cast in a wood formwork, to provide a massive contract to the lightness of the roof system. The roof system will be supported with a steel frame and columns. They will collect water through the slats of their reclaimed wood cladding, underneath which is a metal mesh on top of either metal or structural glass panels depending on how much light is required for the related program. North Charleston’s “Sustainable Warehouse” is a neighboring resource that would be a perfect fit for construction needs.

FINAL DESIGN PROJECT

BIBLIOGRAPHY WORKS CITED Berry, Wendell. The Unsettling of America: Culture & Agriculture. San Francisco: Sierra Club, 1977. Print. Bowers, Paul. “The Poorest Neighborhoods Have Easy Access to Junk Food, but Not Fresh Fruit and Veggies.” Charleston City Paper. Charleston City Paper, 14 Dec. 2011. Web. 25 Sept. 2013. Fleming, Ronald Lee. The Art of Placemaking: Interpreting Community through Public Art and Urban Design. London: Merrell, 2007. Print. Hilberseimer, Ludwig. The New Regional Pattern; Industries and Gardens, Workshops and Farms. Chicago: P. Theobald, 1949. Print. Kottas, Dimitris. Urban Spaces: Squares & Plazas. Barcelona: Links, 2007. Print. Marsden, Terry. Sustainable Communities. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 2008. Print. Mehrhoff, W. Arthur. Community Design: A Team Approach to Dynamic Community Systems. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 1999. Print.