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TOP 10 FINALIST: 2012 national competition project #048 | cafeteria redesign

By DelacroyProperties | L Redesign your school Cafeteria | 2012 National High School Architecture Competition

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Welcome to the 2012 DiscoverDesign National High School Architecture Competition!
These are the instructions for entering a design project in the competition.

Design Challenge Background
Cafeterias are often dark and crowded. They are uncomfortable and unhealthy.

Design Challenge Brief
The challenge is to redesign your high school cafeteria and re-think how your school’s cafeteria should, or could, function asas a healthy eating space. What does a cafeteria look like that is designed around a person’s needs?

You may redesign the interior of the existing cafeteria space, expand on the existing space, or design a completely new addition on to your school building. Your design should contain all the spaces and functions required for a typical school cafeteria – a variety of seating options for students (inside and out!), as well as a food storage, space for the kitchen, outdoor eating spaces, serving areas, and places to pay for the meal. You should also consider sustainability issues and the environmental impact of your design.

What should I upload in this Overview step?

Write a short description of the problems you will be trying to solve in redesigning your school library.

What is the Design Process?

How do you start a project? How do you get from the design problem to the final design? Learn more about the design process here.

Although the cafeteria at Northampton High School was redesigned in 1997, it still plays host to many problems in its layout. The serving stations that are placed in the corridor leading into the cafeteria, causes several traffic problems when hundreds of students attempt to enter it during the school's four lunch periods. For anybody who is buying their lunch, they are troubled by trying to distinguish the line for their meal, from the rush of people heading into the eating area. Once you have your food, you must then make the journey back through the mangled lines, into the crowd of a people and then into the cafeteria, desperately trying to hang onto your meal.
The new design of the cafe will include a more spacious serving area with distinct lines that will be roped off from the passageway leading to the tables. It will also involve extending the wall of the cafeteria out to the road that runs parallel to it so it can overlook the football field that sits at the bottom of the hill. This will also provide more space for students to comfortably spread out; since the school does not require students to use their lockers, many bring their backpacks with them to lunch, causing clutter issues.
The NHS Cafeteria also plays host to the school's wrestling team, working areas for their prop building classes as well as many dances throughout the year. Because of this, it is important that the furniture has a clear and easy way of dispersing for these events. To accommodate this, the designs will include rigs for each table that allow them to sink into the floor at the push of a button. This allows for a quick, clean and hassle-free way to empty the room.

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In the Collect Info step of the design process, you try to gather as much information as possible about your existing school cafeteria, along with the students and staff who will use it.  You can't propose new solutions until you figure out and document what the existing problems are.

Try This

  • Walk around the interior of your school building and take photos or a short video of the existing cafeteria. You can upload those photos or short videos here. Be sure to write a detailed description for every image.

Think About

  • How many students need to be seated in the cafeteria during one period?
  • What types of furniture is used in the existing cafeteria? Does it need to be movable? Why or why not?

Try This

  • Interview students, cooks, and other staff about what they think of the existing cafeteria.  What changes would they make to spaces if they had a choice?
  • Make a list of those features that you really like about how your cafeteria looks and functions.
  • Make separate list of all the ways that your current cafeteria is not so well designed (chairs may be uncomfortable or the light is poor, or there are really great outdoor eating areas).

Try This

  • Take measurements of the overall dimensions of your existing cafeteria.
  • Take interior photos of the hallways and entrances that lead into your existing cafeteria.

Think About

  • What are the different pathways that students use to get into the cafeteria now?
  • What types of food are available in your cafeteria? How are they stored?

 

Try This

  • Visit Flickr or another photo sharing site and search for other types of cafeterias to determine good and bad examples of how cafeterias accommodate user’s needs, especially teens.

Think About

  • Does your new school cafeteria need to look like the same typical cafeteria with long rows of tables?  What other eating spaces around the world are inspiring and interesting?

What should I upload in this Collect Info step?

Consider uploading photos, a short video, and a site plan drawing of your existing school library. Help us understand the existing conditions and the location of this room.

How do I collect Information?

How can collecting information help me with the design problem? Learn ways to collect information that will help you with the design process here.

DelacroyProperties's work for the Collect Information step:

Summary
I went to the cafeteria on the first day of the project to check out the current conditions by taking pictures.
Cafeteria from back hallway entrance
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Cafeteria from the serving area entrance.
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Empty, unused area of cafeteria blocked off to keep it clean and minimize efforts for table and...
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Outside of the cafeteria, from road.
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Track and football field from road. Hill will be leveled, flush with road, to allow outdoor eating...
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Serving Station 1 in hallway leading to cafeteria.
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Current artwork to be preserved.
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In the Brainstorm Ideas step of the design process, you put some early ideas down on paper that show what you've found in the Collect Info step.  You also might take more photos to show specific new ideas you have. 

The simple diagrams you make here will help you understand how the existing cafeteria location and design compare with your new ideas.

 

Try This

  • Walk around the exterior of your school building and take photos of possible locations for your new cafeteria with outdoor seating.

Think About

  • Will this cafeteria replace your school's existing cafeteria or become an addition to a different part of the building? Will it be built in an empty lot or space?  Will it be underground or built on the roof?  You decide.

Try This

  • Use Google Maps to view and print out an aerial photo of your school. 

Think About

  • Spend some time looking at the aerial photo of your school.  What types of other buildings surround your school?  Homes, businesses, parks, parking lots, or an empty field?  How will these other buildings impact the design of your new library?
  • What types of streets surround your school? Are they busy or quiet?     

Try This

  • On a piece of tracing paper placed over the aerial photo of your school, sketch a diagram showing a large arc around the building to show the path of the sun throughout the day.  This drawing is called a site analysis diagram.  (Remember, the sun rises in the east and sets in the west.)
  • Draw other lines on this diagram to indicate the best views around the building.

Think About

  • Based on the site analysis diagram you've sketched, where is the sun located throughout the school day? 
  • How can the indoor and outdoor seating areas of your new cafeteria be positioned to take advantage of the sunlight for good lighting?

What should I upload in this Brainstorm Ideas step?

Consider uploading hand sketches or a quick study model of all your first ideas. You can scan these drawings or take photos of your model.

How do I brainstorm ideas?

Brainstorming ideas is your first step towards making an informed decision to the design solution. Learn more about that here.

DelacroyProperties's work for the Brainstorm Ideas step:

Summary
The major problem with the NHS cafeteria is its serving area.
First idea for rearranging the serving area. Makes the flow of traffic go in opposite directions...
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Third idea for rearranging the serving area. This plan has two lines flowing in opposite...
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Second idea for rearranging the serving area. This version has two lines flowing in the same...
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Cross section of the current conditions (in red) and the addition and new building in the hill (in...
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First draft basic plan of cafeteria addition and the new building across the street with tables on...
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Kitchen redesign: Green - Kitchen Red - Walk-in Refrig./Freezer Blue - Dishwash Room
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In the Develop Solutions step, your rough ideas come together with drawings and models that can show others your solutions for a new cafeteria.

Important! Since DiscoverDesign is about investigating the design process, the other people viewing your project - other students around the country, your teacher, and the competition judges - want to see how your ideas have changed over time. This means that while you're working on your digital model, you’ll want to be sure to keep re-saving it with a new file name every few days as you work through the steps.

Try This

  • Draw a sketch or use software such as Google SketchUp, AutoCAD, or Revit to illustrate your ideas.  You can upload photos (JPG files) from your SketchUp model, video fly throughs (FLV files) of your SketchUp model, or drawings (DWF files) from AutoCAD.

 

Try This

  • Make sure your cafeteria includes the following types of spaces and furnishings.
    - indoor seating area (tables, seating)
    - outdoor seating area (tables, seating)
    - food storage (shelves)
    - cook desk (place to check out)
    - small office for kitchen staff
    - bins for recycyling

 

What should I upload in this Develop Solutions step?

Consider uploading images (JPG, GIF) of your rough digital model. It's ok if your model is still a work in progress. Show an axonometric or perspective view with people, which will help others understand the scale of your library.

How do I develop solutions?

Look at all of the ideas you gathered in the last step. How do those respond to the needs of the space? Learn more about developing solutions here.

DelacroyProperties's work for the Develop Solutions step:

Summary
After long consideration of how to rearrange the serving area portion of this project, I decided to go with plan two.
The new plan calls for the Den to extend under the current school building Red: Current conditions...
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The original redesign idea for the cafeteria before the Den was extended under the cafe. This plan...
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The new plan is to make the cafeteria two floors, with the first floor overlooking the second that...
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This is a cross section for the newest plan with the cafeteria and serving area downstairs and a...
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The basic, first draft exterior model of the cafeteria shows the current school (brick), the...
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This is the plan for the table rigs that allow the cafeteria tables to sink down into the floor so...
1 comment
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The final step of the design process is to create more finished drawings that illustrate your ideas to others. Remember, your explanation text, and the types of drawings, images, and models you share need to tell the whole story of your project to someone who may or may not have ever visited your school.

You might want to share floor plans, elevations, renderings of your digital model, photos of a physical model, or a video animation of your model.

Continue to collect feedback from your peers, teachers and the online community to help you improve on your final design. Be sure to review and add constructive comments on the work of other students who are solving the same design problem. If your ideas change, be sure to explain your thinking and let others know about the new work you have posted to your account.

What should I upload in this Final Design step?

Consider uploading final hand or digital renderings, images of your finished physical model, or your finished digital model (as a DWF file).

How do I know I have my final design?

Consider all of the design considerations you made in your last step. Use feedback from students, teachers, and mentors to finalize your design. Learn more about finishing your design here.

DelacroyProperties's work for the Final Design step:

Summary
The final design of the cafeteria is spread out through two floors.
Floor Plan for the basement level (above ground) of the cafeteria
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The Floor Plan for Level A of the cafeteria (1 level below basement)
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Cafeteria main eating area
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The serving area with the Salad Bar/ A La Carte/ Pizza line on the left and the Daily Special line...
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Front of the Salad Bar/ A La Carte/ Pizza line
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Looking toward the lounge with the Serving Area below and the balcony entrance on the right.
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Inside the Lounge with couches and normal tables and chairs along with the student artwork (that...
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