This design process began with a collaborative research effort to understand the history of neighborhood planning in the Allegheny Central area where the proposed site is located.
The building serves many functions; I arranged these functios into separate building blocks encouraging adjacencies that I felt would be effective. I began to visualize the amount of space each function would need.
Many of the building’s operational functions are housed underneath a large, earth-bearing green roof. Two round buildings, emerging from the undergorund facility, contain a flexible area for a market and administrative offices and are highlighted by a monumental concrete form. The surface above the facility is preserved as a park with an amphitherater, as well as land for growing herbs and vegetables. Skylights in the park bring light to the hydroponic/storage facility below.
roof and floor plans:
sections and elevations:
