2012 national competition project #116 | cafeteria redesign
This is a rendering illustrating my 1st and 2nd levels. This mainly shows the Seating Area and School Cafe. I design this to be a very open cafeteria with a good amount of traffic flow space, eating space, and a well lighted area. As you can see, the Low-E double glazed windows surrounding most of the cafeteria opens it up even more and making it more pleasing to the eye.
Comments
This is a very thoughtful and well-executed project!
The aspects of this design that I appreciate most are: how open the floor plan is, the flow from food service area through the cashier area, the separation of the Cafe and how much light is brought in to the space through the use of the floor to ceiling windows. I also am very impressed with this student's Revit skills! However, my impression is that the location on the 2nd floor of the main eating space will be problematic in that it would likely be a challenge for students who are carrying trays of food etc. to manage the stairs. I suggest that the designer swap the 2nd floor main eating space with the lower level eating space next to the Cafe. In doing so, students would be able to get to a table faster and easier. In addition, one of the potential benefits of having the main eating space on the main floor would be to encourage access to the courtyard exterior space, potentially activating the courtyard space as an eating area -which was one of the initial established design intentions which I think was a great idea.
If the main eating space must be on the 2nd floor, which I don't think it ideally should be, I would suggest that the stair become much wider to accommodate many people coming up and going down, and that the stair be positioned straight down (vs the shown angle in the stair) to simplify the process of ascending and descending. In addition, by making the stair larger it would become more of a dominant architectural element in the space, clarifying to the user where they should be going once they have their food.
Nice work!
I hope that helps!
This project impressed me through every step! You recognized the problems of the existing space, addressed many of the challenges, and provided a creative solution that looks beautiful and considers every function of a cafeteria, from food preparation, to fun meal offerings, to a variety of spaces to eat and study. You include informative photos that show how students use the existing cafeteria space, which is great for identifying problem areas, and photos that inspired your design. You also consider every problem and solution from a variety of views-- I especially like that you consider the path of the sun, which you recognize is important to your interest in glass walls and ceilings. The final drawings are descriptive and eye-catching and are always accompanied by comprehensive descriptions. Great skill!
As stated in the comments above, however, the location of the main dining area is problematic for the reasons stated above-- carrying trays up and down stairs does seem tricky! Moreover, if the cafe annex is meant to serve as a quiet eating space for students to study, as is done in your existing cafe, its location on the first floor is also problematic. Its proximity to the food court, registers, and refrigerated area, as well as being one of few access points to outdoor seating, means there is going to be a lot of traffic and noise. This could be very disruptive to students trying to study! Perhaps there is a solution that addresses the difficulties of having the main dining area on the second floor and the problems of having a quiet area on the first floor?
Superb work overall! I hope you had as much fun creating this project as I did looking over your work.