Cafe Verde

EV charging center, roastery, and community hub

Integrated Studio / Group Project

Natalee Easthom

Semester: Fall 2022

Location: San Francisco, CA

Professor: Simon Schleicher

Software: Rhino, Enscape, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop post and beam

The former site, home to a gas station, is being transformed into a positive energy hub. The project creates a new kind of community space in the intersection of 24th and Valencia St. that combines communities through a cafe, coffee roastery, plant shop, and a series of gathering and co-working spaces that host workshops, live bands, community gatherings and more.

The team explored 3 main concepts, 1. A 45 degree grid that was defined by the angled parking spaces for the EV charging stations, and set the axis in between 24th and Valencia to give equal priority to both, and face the existing glass Reality SF Church, 2. A central staircase with seating space that creates an open and welcoming space vertically, and lastly 3. Terracing by program, developing a large “non-atrium” with a framed view of the roastery below.

Dual structural system on a 10x10 grid. The major floors are supported by a type 1 concrete foundation type 4 timber post and beam structure and, 7ply clt decking on levels 1- 4. Second is a self-supporting facade and roof. The enclosure is composed of interlocking steel framing, glass panels, 7ply CLT wall panels, and timber cladding. The roof consists of major beams that run continuously SW to NE and sit on top of the enclosure walls and minor beams that sit between them.The roof beams are braced by the roof modules – Each module contains a skylight and PV panel. Underneath the roof grid there is a cone that serves a dual purpose of providing diffused light and diagonally bracing our roof grid.