Summary
In the digital renderings of our design of the cafeteria, we incorporated our chosen inspirations. In the middle of the cafeteria, we have our circular shaped community garden that we were inspired to include because the garden provides a good view for the students during lunch and benefits the kitchen. On the second story, we have the glass balcony for students to eat their lunch. Inside the cafeteria, the fall colors were inspired by a coffee shop. We also included a bigger kitchen, better storage space, improved equipment, and bigger bathrooms to improve traffic.
Exterior of the Cafeteria
After going back and forth regarding to the dimensions of the cafeteria it was decided to reduce size of the original cafeteria hence it was too large; however, to utilize the lost space the second floor was added with a hanging balcony. There is space around the cafeteria that is not being used, that’s why there is room to extend in both ways. Lengthwise, there is the open space around the basketball courts that is not being use, and the basketball courts will be pushed more towards parking area because during school year half of the student parking area is not being used. Therefore, by extending the cafeteria in that direction will make use of the space to its full potential. Regarding to width extension, the parking there will be pushed toward the driveway, and the driveway will curve to the open area where there is dead grass. That is also an area that is not being used, so by extending the cafeteria it benefits the size of the cafeteria and it also makes use of the unused space.
Since the new area is not as plain and boring, many community events could be held. Out new space can now host dances, dinners, art shows, music shows, auctions and other events that the school will have. In our improved and enlarged kitchen, cooking classes and healthy diet classes can be held. Other classes, such as gardening and agriculture can be held in the community garden. Outside of school hours, our second floor serves as open space for the community. People could come to our cafeteria to meet up with someone or study quietly. Our new space can be accessed by many different people. We included a balcony for the people with disabilities or for senior citizens. Our glass rails on out balcony are about a meter and a half high so that the area would be safe for children. Since our new area provides different seating options, people with different preferences can enjoy coming to the cafeteria.
Indoors and outdoors seating area:
The reason why we were inspired to do the seating area outside on the second floor where the balcony is and the outdoor seating areas is because we noticed that Mira Loma students enjoy eating outdoors. We will include outdoor seating in front of the cafeteria and on the balcony. Having designated seating areas outside the cafeteria does not only provide more space but also improves the flow of the traffic. When more students eat upstairs, the big crowds downstairs are eliminated. The tables and chairs that will be placed outside are wooden so that they won’t be ruined by the rain on rainy days.
Food storage room (shelves and freezers)
The inspiration that we chose for the storage room was to use a big pantry. The reason why we as a group decided this is because it is spacious and organized way of storing. Also it is not the usual storage room but it is a creative and unique idea. The pantry improves the flow of the traffic in the kitchen which was a big issue according to the administration.
Food serving lines and cashiers
The reason why we chose to have more lines was because it will be faster. The structure of the lines will be kept the same where the students make a U-turn while getting their food and paying for it. At the paying station we want to have some self check-outs for students to type in their ID number. We want to increase the number of lines to five or six lines.
Landscaping
The reason why we chose to have the community vegetable/fruit garden inside the cafeteria instead of the one on the roof is because it is a modern idea and very unique. The community garden will provide classes for agriculture, science and biology. It promotes hard work and team work. The inspiration of having a small shed will benefit the ones using the garden because they will have fast access to the tools. Having only one entrance open up right to the garden it will improve for the school safety. The community will have no access to the cafeteria besides the garden and open space. The garden will be open only on certain hours for the community to use. The glass wall from the garden will go up through the second level and up to the roof. The benefit from that layout is that the garden will have natural sunlight and rain water. For safety the top of the garden will have wiring so that nothing will fall inside. The trees that will be planted outside will help the cooling inside during the summer. Upstairs on the balcony we decided to use the inspiration of a wall fountain. It is not only beautiful but also offers many physical and mental benefits; it helps promote relaxation and concentration as the water blocks out the noise.
Small office for kitchen staff
The current cafeteria has a small stuffy office. So we decided to choose the inspiration of making a bigger and more spacious office for the staff to use. We decided to design the office to have three desks so that the staff will have access to them. Even though this office will be bigger, it will be a nice welcoming place for the staff to enjoy after long hours of working.
